Times of San Diego / May 30, 2024
Longtime San Diego County employee Ebony Shelton was the unanimous choice of the Board of Supervisors to be the new chief administrative officer, board chair Nora Vargas announced Wednesday evening.
The board voted in closed session May 23 to select Shelton, the deputy chief administrative officer/chief financial officer, but said it would not identify its selection until completing contract negotiations.
A vote to approve Shelton’s contract is set for Tuesday’s board meeting, Vargas said.
“I’m so proud that our board unanimously agreed upon the hiring process that allowed us to find such a highly regarded and eminently qualified candidate from our own community to be the next CAO of San Diego County,” Vargas said in a statement released Wednesday night.
If approved as expected, Shelton would start June 14 and replace Helen Robbins-Meyer, who retired in January. Sarah Aghassi has been the interim CAO since Robbins-Meyer’s retirement.
A county employee for nearly 30 years, Shelton is now deputy chief administrative officer/chief financial officer, overseeing fiscal and financial operations, manages the annual budget, and helps the CAO with leadership and supervision of county business, along with matters assigned by the Board of Supervisors.
Shelton previously served as director for both county’s financial policy and planning, and group finance. Shelton earned her undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix, followed by an executive master’s degree in public administration — with an emphasis in public sector leadership — from California State University at Northridge.
Shelton “brings with her decades of experience in financial and administrative leadership, along with a deep understanding of our community and working families,” Vargas said. “I know she is the right person to oversee county operations and execute the board’s vision, and I look forward to working with her in this new leadership role.”
According to Vargas’ office, Shelton is a native San Diegan “and proud Afro-Latina of Black and Salvadoran ancestry, (who) understands the impacts of history on Black and Latino communities.”
“This is at the foundation of her commitment to the health and economic prosperity and overall well-being of the county,” Vargas’ office said. Shelton “views her role as both a professional aspiration and a personal privilege, passionately contributing to its growth and development on a broader scale.”
