Nathan Gaoiran appointed director of Washington County Community Corrections

County Administrator Tanya Ange has appointed Nathan (Nate) Gaoiran to be director of Washington County Community Corrections. Gaoiran will join the county on April 17, after serving for eight years as director of Community Corrections in Josephine County. Prior to that, he served at Jackson County for more than 14 years in multiple roles including juvenile probation officer, senior adult parole/probation officer and program manager. Gaoiran has instructed numerous courses in criminal justice at Rogue Community College and served as a defensive tactics instructor at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminology and a minor in mathematics, along with a master’s degree in management from Southern Oregon University. Gaoiran currently serves as vice president of the Oregon Association of Community Corrections Directors and vice chair of the Governor’s Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission.

“I’m thrilled to have Nate join the County team. His extensive training and experience in the community corrections field make him uniquely qualified to lead the department,” said Ange. “His dynamic leadership skills, including efforts to address the over-representation of people of color in the criminal justice system, his approach to data-driven decision-making and fidelity to best practices are critical to meeting the needs of justice-involved clients and the wider community.”

Gaoiran remarked, “I am honored to be selected as the next Director of Washington County Community Corrections. I am excited to be part of Washington County and look forward to serving the community, executives and practitioners as One Washington County.”  

Nathan Gaoiran was chosen after a nationwide recruitment and competitive selection process conducted by SGR, a company that specializes in executive leadership recruitment for local governments. He will succeed current director Steve Berger who will retire after 36 years of public service, 24 of which were at Washington County.

Washington County Community Corrections provides community supervision for justice-involved individuals and applies proven behavior strategies that reduce recidivism and promote community safety. Community Corrections also serves crime victims and families in their recovery from criminal harm. The department is supported by a budget of $29.2 million and is staffed by 135 full-time equivalent employees. For information on programs and services, please visit https://www.washingtoncountyor.gov/cc.