A bit about me.
Alfred E. ‘Alf’ Barbalunga has spent his entire career in the service of public safety in Massachusetts. He is a chief probation officer with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Trial Court Probation Service, a position he has held since 2004. He currently supervises the Southern Berkshire District, which is the second-largest district jurisdiction along the Connecticut and New York state borders. Before becoming a chief, he was an acting chief, an officer-in-charge, a juvenile probation officer, an adult probation officer, and a courthouse intern.
Alf started his career in public safety in 1991 as a correctional officer and deputy sheriff with the Berkshire
County Sheriff’s Department in Pittsfield, MA.
Additionally, he has been employed as a jail officer and case
manager with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office in Boston, MA, and as an investigator with the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General in Boston.
In May of 2022, Alf stepped down as President of the Massachusetts Chief Probation Officers Association, Inc.
He was the youngest president ever to hold this leadership position, the only president west of Worcester County to hold this position, and he was the longest-serving president. Before being elected president, he spent ten years as an executive committee member of this association.
His most recent awards include the Chief Probation Officer Advocacy Award, presented in May of 2022, for providing extraordinary service to his colleagues across the Commonwealth. Additionally, he received the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Trial Court Cultural Diversity Certificate of Appreciation, awarded in both December of 2021 and October of 2020, where he was one of 6,117 employees eligible for consideration of this prestigious honor. Lastly, from 1997-2021 he never utilized any employment sick time whatsoever and was awarded the Excellent Attendance Badge annually.
He graduated with a business degree and a philosophy concentration from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. During those four years he competed and excelled as an NCAA-I/II athlete, where he further learned to value education and teamwork. He is a proud alumnus of Pittsfield High School where he was a two-sport standout, and he is currently the coach of the PHS boys’ and girls’ varsity alpine ski racing team.
Alf has been a guest lecturer and presenter at various colleges, universities, conferences, and workshops throughout the United States. He is the former Chair of the City of Pittsfield School Committee and the former Vice-Chair of the City of Pittsfield Community Development (Planning) Board.
Professionally, one of Alf’s highest priorities is to deliver efficient, reliable, and excellent service to the citizens of Berkshire County. Personally, he lives by the philosophy, “Make today so great, yesterday gets jealous!”
Alf Barbalunga resides in Pittsfield with his wife Jonalee, their twins, daughter Kaleena and son Thorin, and their loyal and beloved dog Khan.
