Acting CEO Schumacher Given the Job Permanently

Michael Schumacher, a longtime Orange County official who had been interim chief executive officer since June, was appointed to the job permanently on Tuesday.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously for Schumacher, 59, who stepped in when Jan Mittermeier resigned after a contentious year in which there were several attempts to fire her. Schumacher, a 30-year county veteran, is known for having a much more conciliatory management style.

Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who wrangled repeatedly with Mittermeier, said Schumacher was a logical choice for the permanent post because he has proven his ability to work with the board.

“Michael recognizes and respects that we are the directly elected officials and that we are responsible for setting policy in this county,” Spitzer said. “With Michael, there’s give and take. With Jan, it was Jan’s way or no way.”

Schumacher spent 20 years at the county’s Probation Department, rising to the position of chief probation officer and becoming a nationally recognized expert in his field. He developed the “8% solution,” a model program that targets repeat offenders with services aimed at altering behavior.

He left that post in November 1999 to take over the county’s troubled Health Care Agency. .

A registered Democrat, Schumacher lives in Huntington Beach. He has master’s degrees in psychology and in public administration and a doctorate in human behavior.