Hon. Kirsten H. Pabst

Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst is currently serving her third term as the elected prosecutor for Missoula County, Montana and serves as a Vice President of the National District Attorneys Association [NDAA] Board of Directors. Ms. Pabst graduated from the University of Montana School of Law and has been trying complex cases and teaching trial practice at the local, state and national levels for the past three decades. In her role as County Attorney, Kirsten supervises the civil litigation and criminal divisions which serve multiple law enforcement agencies and county departments. Kirsten frequently speaks, lobbies, and facilitates presentations on topics including secondary trauma & organizational resilience, responsible justice reform, and domestic violence and is a frequent lecturer for organizations such as National District Attorney’s Association, various state prosecutor associations, the Alexander Blewitt III School of Law, and state chapters of Women in Law Enforcement. 

Kirsten has been named Criminal Justice Professional of the Year and recently received two national achievement awards for her work in the evolving field of organizational resilience and employee well-being and another for Calibrate, her prosecution-led pretrial diversion program. She chairs the national Prosecutor Wellbeing Task Force. Kirsten’s book, Thriving Through Chaos – Survival Gear for Criminal Justices Professionals, has just been released.  

Outside of the office, Kirsten enjoys making art, camping, and spending time with her family.