The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors at its Oct. 8, 2019, meeting honored Probation Manager Lori Smiley-Klinger as its 2019 winner of the annual Barbara Hammerman Award, citing her “continuous and persistent advocacy and leadership” in domestic violence prevention.
Smiley-Klingler, an employee of the San Mateo County Probation Department since 1994, has overseen its Domestic Violence Unit since 2018. She spent her early years working in the Juvenile Services Division in various assignments, including Diversion and the Placement Intervention Program. In 2011, she was assigned to the South San Francisco Intensive Supervision Unit for the Adult and Realignment Service Division and from there was promoted to her current assignment.
Not only does Smiley-Klingler oversee all the supervision units assigned to the South San Francisco office, she’s also a member of the Probation Peer Support Team and assists in supporting coworkers in need. She regularly participates in various domestic violence prevention groups such as the Batterer Intervention Program, Northern California Domestic Violence Roundtable Committee, Death Review Team and Domestic Violence Council.
As a lead organizer of the “Operation Purple Ribbon” during the 2018 Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities, her unit was able to ensure offender compliance with their probation conditions that resulted in 39 successful contacts and 38 searches with probationers.
Smiley-Klingler’s passion for making probation an effective part of the solution to ending domestic violence along with her endless support and leadership have been instrumental in the development and implementation of programs and training for her staff when responding to people experiencing domestic violence.
“She is a highly respected and well-loved supervisor and prioritizes support of her staff and their needs as civil servants. Her impact and dedication to issues of domestic violence in the community not only impact the participants in probation currently but also have impacted years of the most vulnerable youth who were wards of the juvenile court at the beginning of her career. She continues to grow as a leader and models an excellent example for staff and community members alike,” said Deputy Probation Officer Tami Assadurian, who nominated Smiley-Klingler.
The Hammerman Award was established in 2005 to recognize excellence in law enforcement or other service in the arena of domestic violence. The recipient in 2005 was the award’s namesake, San Mateo Police Lt. Barbara Hammerman. The award recipient is chosen by a selection panel consisting of representatives from law enforcement, the judiciary and the domestic violence advocacy community.
For more information, contact Tanya Beat at the Domestic Violence Council of San Mateo County: 650-363-4467 or tbeat@smcgov.org.