Wendelyn Julien
Wendelyn Julien, J.D., Executive Director
Wendelyn (Wende) Julien was selected by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2021 as the first Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Probation Oversight Commission. In this role, Wende launched the commission, the first body of its kind in the nation, and now oversees the nine-person citizen commission and team of staff who are tasked with guiding and enforcing much needed reform and culture change in the nation’s largest probation department in alignment with the “Care First, Jails Last” vision.
Prior to joining the County, Wende served as CEO of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Los Angeles (CASA/LA). During her tenure, the number of children served increased from 800 to 1,400 and she launched initiatives to stabilize CASA/LA’s finances, moved CASA/LA towards becoming an actively anti-racist organization, and served youth in the juvenile justice system with CASA advocacy services. Prior to that, Wende served as the Executive Director of the California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ, formerly NCCJ), where she worked in many roles including as a youth development specialist and program facilitator for youth, teachers, police officers and community members in human relations, elimination of bias, conflict resolution, and restorative justice.
Wende is an attorney who worked at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and as a law clerk with Public Counsel. She holds a juris doctorate degree from USC, a Master’s in Public Administration from Arizona State University, and a B.A./B.S. in Geography and Regional Development and Political Science from University of Arizona. Wende began her career as a community organizer and remains dedicated to the belief that communities know what they need, and that true community safety comes through healing, equity, and access to resources. Fluent in Spanish, Wende is a certified mediator and restorative justice practitioner. Her proudest title is that of mom/stepmom/auntie/mentor to a crew of incredible children, teens and adults.