photo by: Douglas County

Douglas County announced Thursday that Katy Fitzgerald will join the county as its criminal justice coordinator.

Douglas County announced Thursday that Katy Fitzgerald will join the county as its criminal justice coordinator.

The county announced Fitzgerald’s hire in a press release Thursday. According to the release, her work will focus primarily on justice issues, including facilitating and coordinating the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

“I am incredibly excited to have Katy join our team in Douglas County,” County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said in the release. “She has a wealth of experience in criminal justice and behavioral health and will help us continue to lead in those areas. Katy firmly believes that everyone deserves an advocate in their corner. It is this belief that drives her passion for her work with those involved in, impacted by and partners of the criminal justice system.”

Fitzgerald joins Douglas County from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where she had served as a management analyst in the county’s criminal justice services department since January 2014. She began her career as a community mental health clinician, providing mental health and substance abuse treatment to adults and juveniles across the spectrum of criminal justice involvement.