Bellevue City Council member Claudia Balducci was appointed by County Executive Dow Constantine on Wednesday as the new head of King County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention.

“I am looking forward to implementing the executive’s approach to building partnerships in the provision of jail services,” said Balducci. “Working closely with the department’s professional management and staff, and with our partners in criminal justice and in the cities, we can chart a new regional direction for detention and community corrections in King County.”

Balducci has been with the county in a number of roles since 1999. Most recently, she served as the county’s settlement coordinator with the U.S. Department of Justice during the federal agency’s scrutiny of improvements to inmate care at the King County Jail. She previously served in adult and juvenile detention as operations manager, regional jail coordinator, and as a labor negotiator.

Balducci has served on the Bellevue City Council since 2004. Before coming to King County, Balducci was an associate attorney specializing in employer-side labor relations and employment law with local firms.

As director of adult and juvenile detention, Balducci will manage the overall operations, planning and budgeting for the county’s large, urban multi-facility correctional services system, which has an average daily population of about 2,300 inmates. It is the second-largest facility housing the mentally ill in the state. She will oversee more than 1,000 employees, two adult detention facilities, a Community Corrections Division, a Juvenile Division and an Administrative Division.

Balducci’s appointment takes effect Saturday and is subject to confirmation by the Metropolitan King County Council.