LOS ANGELES – Following a six-month nationwide search process, Brandon T. Nichols has been selected to serve as the new director of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services or DCFS.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed Mr. Nichols to the role of director during the June 14 Board meeting, with a start date of July 1. Director Nichols will lead a workforce of nearly 9,000 staff members in 20 regional offices who provide family-centered and child-focused protective services to more than 29,000 children.
Director Nichols, who had been serving in the role of interim director since April, indicated that his primary areas of focus beginning his tenure will be ensuring child safety, advancing race equity efforts and providing accessible, quality support to families.
A Los Angeles County employee for more than 25 years, director Nichols has worked for several departments, including DCFS where he previously served as chief deputy director for three years. During that time, he led the county’s implementation of Continuum of Care Reform, a multi-year, state-wide change designed to reduce the use of congregate care and ensure children live in family-like settings when they are unable to safely remain with their parents. Additionally, director Nichols advocated on behalf of children at legislative hearings with local, state, and federal agencies and worked closely with a diverse network of community partners.
Director Nichols began his county career with the office of the counsel, where he represented the county in cases involving child abuse and neglect in the juvenile courts. He also has worked for the probation department and, most recently, the chief executive office.
In his last position, as the executive director of the county’s jail closure implementation team, he played a significant role in efforts to develop mental health services and other supports for people incarcerated in county jails as part of Los Angeles County’s commitment to decarcerating and closing the Men’s Central Jail.
Director Nichols earned a bachelor’s degree in Law and Society from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctor Degree from the California Western School of Law in San Diego.