Kathy Starkovich

Kathy Starkovich is Director of the Department of Probation and Court Services for the 18th Judicial Circuit. Ms. Starkovich has been an integral part of the Probation Department for over 28 years, serving as Deputy Director for the past 13 years. In this capacity, she has overseen several key units and initiatives, including Adult Redeploy Illinois, the Department’s Training Unit, adult investigative services, and the Juvenile Detention Screening and Transport Unit. Ms. Starkovich is a recognized leader at the state and national

Ms. Starkovich has been an integral part of the Probation Department for over 28 years, serving as Deputy Chair of the Adult Workgroup for the Committee on Probation Education (COPE) of the Illinois Supreme Court Judicial College. In addition, she is an Oversight Board Member for Adult Redeploy Illinois and chairs the Site Selection & Monitoring Committee. Her leadership also extends to the AOIC’s Detention Screening Committee and the Criminal Justice Program Advisory Council of the Technology Center of DuPage.

Ms. Starkovich holds a Master of Science in Criminal Social Justice from Lewis University and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Sciences from Illinois State University, where she was recently inducted into the College of Applied Science and Technology Hall of Fame. She is a 2021 American Probation and Parole Association Leadership Academy graduate. She also received the 2024 Connie Kaiser Restorative Justice Award from the Illinois Probation and Court Services Association

Ms. Starkovich is passionate about taking a strength-based approach with clients. She believes in the intrinsic value each person possesses, and that nobody loses the ability to make change. She is an advocate for integrating evidence-based strategies in programming in a simple, pragmatic manner and that work of probation is challenging, but is always worthwhile.