SALEM — The commission that oversees the Oregon’s beleaguered public defense system voted Oct. 13 to offer the executive director job to Portland lawyer Jessica Kampfe.

Kampfe works as head of Multnomah Defenders Inc., a public defense law firm. If she takes the position as leader of Oregon Public Defense Services, she would succeed Stephen Singer, whose polarizing management style led to his ouster last month.

Craig Prins, Oregon Department of Corrections inspector general, was the other finalist for the top job at the $350 million state office, which provides defense lawyers via contract with law firms like the one Kampfe oversees and individual lawyers.

The management change-up comes as Oregon continues to confront a public defense crisis. Across the state, about 1,250 people face criminal charges without an attorney appointed to the case, state figures show. The emergency stems from a variety of factors, including uncompetitive pay, high turnover and burnout, as well as new rules limiting how many cases public defenders can take.

Per Ramfjord, chair of the public defense commission that hires and fires the agency director, critiqued Singer’s management style in a July memo, saying Singer crossed the line from combative reformer to hot-headed bully by shouting at Chief Justice Martha Walters during a private meeting. Singer has filed a $2.4 million lawsuit against the state, alleging he faced retaliation and that Walters meddled in the daily operations of the agency. Singer’s salary was $205,000.

According to her bio on the Lewis & Clark College website, Kampfe was named executive director of Multnomah Defenders last year. Before that, she led a public defense firm in Marion County. She holds a law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School.