The County of San Luis Obispo has appointed Julie Paik as the new director of child support services after an exhaustive recruitment process. Paik currently works as the deputy county administrator for the County of Sonoma.
As the new SLO County director of child support services, Paik will manage a department of nearly 40 full-time equivalent employees and a budget of nearly $4.6 million to ensure that children receive the support to which they are entitled. The County of San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors appointed Paik on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
“The Board is delighted to have Julie lead such an important department that touches so many lives,” said Bruce Gibson, Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors. “We are particularly pleased to have someone with Julie’s experience and acumen. She’s a subject-matter expert, and we are very fortunate to have her.”
Paik adds more than 12 years of child support program and attorney experience in California to the County of San Luis Obispo and will begin her new position on Dec. 15. She will work closely with the County Administrative Office and be directly responsible for overseeing the operations of the Department of Child Support Services, which has been recognized for nine of the past 10 years as the top performing child support program in the state.
“I am honored for the opportunity to work with such an esteemed and successful team of child support professionals, who serve the San Luis Obispo County community with exceptional results,” Paik said.
Paik will contribute significant and well-respected leadership skills to the County of San Luis Obispo. She most recently served as director and chief legal attorney for the County of Sonoma, which was ranked as one of the Top 10 performing counties in the state in 2013. Paik also served as a family law facilitator with the Los Angeles Superior Court and is an active board member of United Way. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Irvine and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C.
Paik takes the helm as the prior director of Child Support Services, Phil Lowe, retires this month after 28 years of service at the County. He served several years as deputy district attorney, then head of the District Attorney Family Support Division. Lowe was appointed in 2002 as the inaugural director of the then-newly formed Department of Child Support Services, which thrived under his leadership.
“Phil has made significant contributions to the County over the years and we are sad to see him go, but he was actively involved in the recruitment process and we’re confident that Ms. Paik will continue his legacy,” said County Administrative Officer Dan Buckshi.
For more information about the Department of Child Support Services, please visit www.slocounty.ca.gov.