October 19, 2020 As a FUSE executive fellow with the Los Angeles County Probation Department, Kim Bowman Jr. has been working since the fall of 2018 to bring community voice and leadership into governmental processes, while strengthening the strategic visioning and management practices of the world’s largest probation department. By bolstering leadership and increasing community engagement, Kim is helping reduce recidivism for justice-involved youths.

How has the FUSE fellowship impacted you?

I have always been dedicated to public service, but FUSE helped me better articulate my personal vision for that work and provided me an opportunity to make an important difference in the juvenile justice space. I now see my role as solving problems to serve people, especially the most vulnerable, using an equity lens to do the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people.

What are you working on now?

I am co-lead for the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council subcommittee, which is developing L.A. County’s fiscal year 2021-2022 Comprehensive Multi-Agency Juvenile Justice Plan. The subcommittee is also working on the funding plan that will allocate $66 million from the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act, which supports government and community-based programs serving 25,000 young people. This is the third time I have served as co-lead for this subcommittee, which produces the annual plan and funding allocation strategy.

What are you hoping to achieve in the next 6 to 12 months?

My spouse Cynthia and I are expecting our first child mid-October, so my “hope” is to sleep at least a little bit over the next six months. Seriously though, I do not have words for how excited I am to be a parent. As I transition away from my work in juvenile justice, I plan to continue serving the nation as an Air Force Reserve officer, L.A. County as first vice president of the L.A. County Commission for Older Adults, and my local community as a pro bono legal aid attorney. Photo Credit: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash