SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — This past week, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the following appointments for July 11-14, including: Joel Ledesma, 49, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy director of the State Water Project at the California Department of Water Resources. Ledesma has served in several positions at the California Department of Water Resources since 1991, including assistant division chief of operations and maintenance, chief of plant asset management, chief of the delta field division, principle hydroelectric power utility engineer, supervising control engineer, senior control engineer and electrical engineer. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $178,992. Ledesma is a Democrat.
Adam Dondro, 35, of Carmichael, has been appointed agency information officer for the Office of Systems Integration at the California Health and Human Services Agency. Dondro has been assistant director of horizontal integration at the California Department of Social Services since 2013. He served as assistant secretary of external affairs at the California Technology Agency from 2010 to 2013. Dondro was a budget committee consultant for the California State Assembly Budget Committee from 2005 to 2010 and a legislative aide in the Office of California State Assemblymember John Laird from 2005 to 2008. He earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $129,672. Dondro is a Democrat.
Kimberley Johnson, 39, of Sacramento, has been appointed chief of the CalWORKs and Child Care Branch at the California Department of Social Services and has been appointed to the California State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care. Johnson has served as a branch chief of child care and refugee programs at the California Department of Social Services since 2015. She was a public policy director at the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network from 2012 to 2015 and a program manager at the City College of San Francisco, California Early Childhood Mentor Program from 2009 to 2012. Johnson was a director of programs and training at Parent Services Project Inc. from 2007 to 2010 and a director of child care and development programs at the Children’s Network of Solano County from 1999 to 2007. She is a public policy member at Child Care Aware of America. These positions do not require Senate confirmation and the compensation as chief of the CalWORKs and Child Care Branch is $132,360. Johnson is a Democrat.
Deanna Stover, 55, of Running Springs, has been appointed to the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission. Stover has been chief executive officer at the Community Health Association, Inland Southern Region since 2015 and adjunct faculty at the California State University, San Bernardino Nursing Department since 2012. She was executive director of community-based programs and services at Redlands Community Hospital from 2008 to 2016, director of the Medical Services Division for the City of Los Angeles Personnel Department from 2003 to 2007 and a nurse practitioner at Redlands Community Hospital from 2001 to 2003. Stover was a registered nurse and manager of the hospital-based medical group practice at the Catalina Island Medical Center from 1999 to 2008 and chief of clinical operations at the San Bernardino County Center for Employee Health and Wellness from 1997 to 2003. She held several positions at the San Bernardino County Medical Center from 1987 to 1997, including nursing supervisor of ambulatory services, nurse manager of adult acute care, registered nurse and charge nurse. Stover served in the U.S. Air Force from 1979 to 1983. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, American Association of Occupational Health Nurses and the California Association of Nurse Practitioners. Stover earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in nursing from Loma Linda University and a Master of Science degree in nursing from California State University, Long Beach. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Stover is registered without party preference.
Aleta Carpenter, 70, of Redding, has been appointed to the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. Carpenter was a community education specialist at the Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency from 2007 to 2012 and a lobbyist and managing partner at Carpenter Snodgrass and Associates from 1982 to 2003. She is a member of the California Heritage Youth Build Academy, Women’s Fund, American Women Artists, Youth Violence Prevention Council and the Shasta County Tobacco Education Coalition. Carpenter earned a Master of Arts degree in communication studies from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Carpenter is a Democrat.
Paula Amezola De Herrera, 41, of Culver City, has been appointed to the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. Amezola De Herrera has been a master of public health career services coordinator and advisor for the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine since 2015. She was a program and financial manager for the University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism from 2009 to 2015, a program and evaluation manager for the Cancer Information Service at the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California from 2006 to 2009 and an epidemiologist at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center from 2002 to 2006. Amezola De Herrera is a member of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission for Culver City, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality Leadership Institute, Latina Task Force, American Public Health Association and the California Dialogue on Cancer, Cervical Cancer Committee. She earned a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Amezola De Herrera is a Democrat.
Ronna Mee Brand, 68, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Structural Pest Control Board, where she has served since 2012. Brand has been state director at the California Association of Realtors since 2006 and founder, owner and broker at Brand Realty since 1984. She is a member of the Beverly Hills-Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. The position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Brand is a Democrat.
Curtis Good, 60, of Costa Mesa, has been reappointed to the California Structural Pest Control Board, where he has served since 2010. Good has been president at Newport Exterminating since 1980. He is a member of the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation and the Pest Control Operators of California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Good is a Republican.
Alexander B. Walker-Griffin, 19, of Hercules, has been appointed to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. Walker-Griffin has been a student at Contra Costa College and a public policy intern at the Richmond City Council since 2016. He was an intern in the Office of Congressman Mark DeSaulnier in 2016. Walker-Griffin was a retail sales associate at Tillys and an intern at the Richmond Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2015. He was a history tutor at the Hercules High School Library from 2013 to 2014. Walker-Griffin is president of the student body at Contra Costa College and the Contra Costa College Community Organizing and Political Action Club. He is a legislative affairs director for the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, Region III and a member of the West County Democratic Club, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County and the Gladeo League. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Walker-Griffin is a Democrat.
Andrew Moreno, 34, of Fresno, has been appointed to the Osteopathic Medical Board of California. Moreno has been managing director at the Moreno Law Group since 2015. He was a project manager at the Economic Vitality Corporation of San Luis Obispo County from 2012 to 2014 and a grants manager at RM Associates from 2005 to 2012. He earned a Master of Arts degree in communication and leadership studies from Gonzaga University and a Master of Arts degree in environmental management and sustainability from Harvard University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Moreno is a Democrat.
Cheryl Williams, 62, of San Diego, has been reappointed to the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, where she has served since 2014. Williams has been an insurance consultant for the American Family Life Assurance Company since 2015. She was a community relations coordinator at the San Ysidro Health Center from 2010 to 2015, a constituent service manager at the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2010, assistant campaign field manager for Mary Salas for State Assembly from 2005 to 2006 and community development consultant at the Jacobs Foundation, San Diego from 2001 to 2004. Williams was president and chief executive officer at the San Diego Circuit Board Service from 1981 to 2000 and hearing and placement assistant for the San Diego Unified School District from 1977 to 1981. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Williams is a Democrat.
Kitman Chan, 65, of San Francisco, has been reappointed to the California Acupuncture Board, where he has served since 2013. Chan has been deputy publisher of the Meizhou Huaren Wenyi magazine since 2007 and owner at Kitman Chan CPA since 1984. He is a member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Institution of Certified Public Accountants and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, San Francisco. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Chan is registered without party preference.
Jeannie Kang, 46, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Acupuncture Board, where she has served since 2013. Kang has been chief executive officer and president at Serenity Total Acupuncture Treatment Center since 1998 and a guest lecturer at South Baylo University, Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine, and Dongguk University, Los Angeles since 2007. Kang was a doctor of acupuncture and oriental medicine lecturer at Yosan University, a lecturer at the California State Oriental Medical Association in 2007 and a temporary advisor to the World Health Organization for the Traditional Medicine-International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) Project from 2005 to 2010. Kang is a member of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and the California State Oriental Medical Association. She earned a Master of Science degree in traditional oriental medicine from South Baylo University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Kang is a Democrat.
Amy Matecki, 51, of El Sobrante, has been reappointed to the California Acupuncture Board, where she has served since 2016. Matecki has been chief of the Integrative Medicine Division at Alameda Health System since 2014, where she has been an attending physician since 2004 and was a chief resident for internal medicine from 2003 to 2004. She has been medical director for complementary and integrative medicine at the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center since 2008. Matecki has been a consultant for integrative medicine and an internal medicine hospitalist at Northern California Hematology and Oncology Consultants Inc. since 2004. She is president of the International Center for Integrative Medicine, a fellow of the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine and a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, National Federation of Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine Organizations, Society for Integrative Oncology, Society of Chinese American Physician Entrepreneurs and the California Medical Association. She earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Qingdao University Medical College and a Master of Science degree in traditional Chinese medicine from the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Matecki is registered without party preference.
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments on July 13:
Tad Egawa, 50, of Sacramento, has been appointed chief counsel at the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Egawa has served as general counsel at the California Department of Housing and Community Development since 2015. He was assistant commissioner of legal affairs at the California Bureau of Real Estate from 2013 to 2015, a deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2009 to 2013 and a shareholder at McDonough, Holland and Allen PC in 2009, where he was of counsel in 2007 and 2008. Egawa was assistant general counsel at the Ryland Group Inc. from 2004 to 2007 and an associate at Jeffer, Mangels, Butler and Marmaro LLP from 1999 to 2004, at Tuttle and Taylor from 1998 to 1999 and at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter and Hampton LLP from 1996 to 1997. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $178,092. Egawa is a Republican.
Shea Benton, 28, of San Diego, has been appointed senior business development specialist at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Benton has served as economic development manager at the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation since 2015. He was a field representative in the Office of Congressman Scott Peters from 2013 to 2015 and a district representative in the Office of California State Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher from 2011 to 2012. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $90,000. Benton is registered without party preference.
Lynne Ashbeck, 62, of Clovis, has been reappointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, where she has served since 2010. Ashbeck has been senior vice president of community engagement and population wellness at Valley Children’s Healthcare since 2017 and has served in several positions at the Clovis City Council since 2001, including member and mayor. She was vice president of population health at Community Medical Centers from 2015 to 2017, regional vice president at the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California from 2006 to 2015 and public policy facilitator and mediator at the California State University, Sacramento Center for Collaborative Policy from 2003 to 2006. Ashbeck served as director of extension programs at Fresno State University from 2003 to 2006 and director of education at Valley Children’s Hospital from 1997 to 2003. She is a member of the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, Maddy Institute Board of Directors, Valley Public Radio Community Advisory Council, co-founder and chair of the Fresno Community Health Improvement Partnership and co-founder of the United Way of Fresno County Women’s Initiative. Ashbeck earned a Master of Arts degree in peacemaking and conflict resolution from Fresno Pacific University and a Master of Science degree in nutrition from Fresno State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Ashbeck is a Republican.
Vito Chiesa, 52, of Hughson, has been appointed chair of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, where he has served as a member since 2012. Chiesa has been a member of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors since 2008 and manager at Chiesa Ranch Inc. since 1987. He is chairman of the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority and a member of the Stanislaus County Agricultural Advisory Board, California State Association of Counties Board of Directors and the Stanislaus County Fish and Wildlife Committee. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Chiesa is a Republican.
Amarpreet Dhaliwal, 54, of San Joaquin, has been reappointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, where he has served since 2015. Dhaliwal has served as mayor pro tem of the City of San Joaquin since 2016 and has held several other positions as a member of the City Council since 2000, including mayor. He has been president of Raj and Ruby Dhaliwal Inc. since 2014 and owner of D’s Mini Mart since 1991.This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Dhaliwal is registered without party preference.
John Eisenhut, 71, of Turlock, has been reappointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, where he has served since 2015. Eisenhut has been manager of grower relations at Hilltop Ranch Inc. since 1994 and owner of Eisenhut Farms since 1975. He is a member of the California Air Resources Board. Eisenhut earned a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, Stanislaus and a Master of Arts degree in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Eisenhut is a Democrat.
Andrew Mendoza, 47, of Stockton, has been reappointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, where he has served since 2015. Mendoza has been a community and government relations manager at Kaiser Permanente Central Valley Area’s Public Affairs Office since 2006. He served as a business and development manager at the City of San Jose Redevelopment Agency from 2000 to 2006 and chief of staff for San Jose City Council member Charlotte Powers from 1995 to 2000. Mendoza earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of San Francisco. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Mendoza is a Republican.
David Nelson, 63, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, where he has served since 2010. Nelson has been senior vice president at AG Spanos Companies since 2008. He was director of commercial real estate at Vulcan Inc. from 2007 to 2008. Nelson was senior vice president at Playa Capital Company from 2000 to 2007, where he was vice president from 1998 to 2000. He was senior development manager at the Walt Disney Company from 1989 to 1998. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Nelson is registered without party preference.
Patricia Poire, 59, of Bakersfield, has been appointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. Poire has been corporate and public affairs at Grimmway Farms since 2008. She was special projects manager for the City Shafter from 2006 to 2008 and land project manager at Lennar Homes from 2002 to 2006. Poire is a member of the Kern County Farm Bureau, Kern Economic Development Corporation and Kern Council of Governments’ Regional Planning Advisory Committee. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Poire is a Republican.
Charles Riojas, 52, of Fresno, has been appointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. Riojas has been a business agent for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 100 since 1999. He is a member of the California Workforce Development Board. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Riojas is a Democrat.
Cherylee Wegman, 64, of Wasco, has been appointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. Wegman has served as a community resource manager for the Kern Valley State Prison since 2006 and as a member of the Wasco City Council since 1998. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Wegman is a Democrat.
Jim Yovino, 61, of Fresno, has been appointed to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. Yovino has been superintendent of schools at the Fresno County Office of Education since 2013, where he was a deputy superintendent of schools from 2006 to 2013. He held multiple positions at the Central Unified School District from 2000 to 2006, including assistant superintendent of human resources and director of personnel and secondary education. Yovino served as principal at Houghton-Kearney Elementary School from 1996 to 1998 and as an administrator at Washington Intermediate School from 1996 to 1998, where he was a teacher on special assignment from 1995 to 1996 and a physical education instructor from 1991 to 1995. He is a member of the Cradle to Career Board, Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame Board, Fresno Kremen Noted Alumni, Fresno State Health and Human Services Dean’s Council of Ambassadors, Halo Café Pet Food Pantry, Bonner Center for Character Education and Citizenship, Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, Fresno Rotary, Fresno Chamber of Commerce, El Concilio, Fresno Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Maddy Institute, Fresno State President’s Commission on Teacher Education, Central Valley Promise, the Foundation for the Fresno County Office of Education, Fresno Area Compact and the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Yovino is a Republican.
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments on July 11:
John Spangler, 49, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy secretary of legislation and government relations at the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Spangler has been chief consultant for the California State Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs since 2011. He served as a regulatory program analyst in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2009 to 2011. Spangler was a teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District from 2007 to 2009. He served as a deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2002 to 2005, as staff counsel at the Office of the Inspector General from 2000 to 2002 and as staff counsel at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control from 1998 to 2000. Spangler earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $140,004. Spangler is a Democrat.
Narinderpal K. Sufi, 43, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy state librarian at the California State Library. Sufi has been a volunteer adult literacy development advisor at the Sutter County Library since 2017. She was director of libraries and community development at Luton Culture from 2013 to 2017 and held several positions at the London Borough of Brent’s Department of Libraries, Arts and Heritage from 2003 to 2013, including group library manager, library manager and librarian. She earned a Master of Arts degree in information management from Thames Valley University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $120,000. Sufi is not registered to vote.
Linda Darling-Hammond, 65, of Stanford, has been reappointed to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, where she has served since 2011. Darling-Hammond has been president and chief executive officer at the Learning Policy Institute since 2016 and a professor at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education since 1998. She was founder of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education in 2008 and of the School Redesign Network of Stanford University in 2000. Darling-Hammond was faculty sponsor for the Stanford Teacher Education Program from 1998 to 2005 and executive director at the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future from 1994 to 2001. She was co-director of the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching and a professor at the Teachers College, Columbia University from 1989 to 1998. Darling-Hammond is a member of the National Academy of Education and the American Educational Research Association. She earned a Doctor of Education degree in urban education from Temple University. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Darling-Hammond is a Democrat.
Elizabeth Perez, 38, of Vista, has been appointed to the California Veterans Board. Perez has been president and founder of GC Green Incorporated since 2010. Perez was a director of business development for Xnergy from 2007 to 2011 and a branch manager at Ferguson Contractors from 2005 to 2007. She was an aviation logistics specialist for the U.S. Navy from 1997 to 2005. Perez was a member of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Delegation in Israel in 2016 and a 2013 White House Veteran Champion of Change. She is a Truman National Security Project fellow and a member of the California Sustainable Energy Entrepreneur Development Initiative Board, Disabled Veterans Business Alliance of California, San Diego Chapter Board, American Indian Chamber of California, San Diego Chapter, American Legion Post 365 and the California Nations Indian Gaming Association. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Perez is a Democrat.
Nilda Valmores, 54, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Domestic Violence Advisory Council. Valmores has been executive director at My Sister’s House since 2004. She was director for community development at Mercy Housing California from 1999 to 2004 and a development director at Community Resource Project Inc. from 1997 to 1999. Valmores was a project coordinator at the California School Boards Association from 1994 to 1997 and an independent living program specialist at the California Community Colleges Foundation from 1992 to 1994. She was a foster care project manager at the Children’s Research Institute of California from1990 to 1992. Valmores is a member of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence and the Soroptimist International of Sacramento. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Valmores is a Democrat.
Kilolo Brodie, 44, of Turlock, has been appointed to the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Brodie has served in several positions for the Master of Social Work Program at California State University, Stanislaus since 2010, including department chair, master of social work program director, director of field education and associate professor. She was an assistant professor at California State University, East Bay from 2008 to 2010, where she was a project coordinator of the Title IV-E Child Welfare Stipend 2004 to 2008. Brodie was a supervised visitation program social worker at the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative in 2004 and a lecturer at the Catholic University of America and at Eastern Mennonite University in 2003. She was a family group conference project manager at Columbia Heights Shaw Family Support Collaborative from 2001 to 2003 and a graduate assistant at Howard University from 2000 to 2001. Brodie served in several positions at the Stanislaus County Community Services Agency Child Protective Services Division from 1998 to 2000, including emergency response intake worker and family reunification case worker. Brodie is a member of the National Down Syndrome Congress, National Association of Social Workers, Stanislaus County Special Education Local Plan Area Community Advisory Committee, California Faculty Association African American Caucus and the California Faculty Association Disabilities Caucus. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in social work from the Howard University School of Social Work and a Master of Social Work degree from California State University, Stanislaus. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Brodie is a Democrat.
Shaheen E. Lakhan, 31, of Redlands, has been appointed to the Health Professions Education Foundation Board of Trustees. Lakhan has been chair of neurology at the California University of Science and Medicine since 2016, where he has held several positions since 2015, including associate professor of neurology and medical education and assistant dean of clerkship curriculum. He has been volunteer clinical faculty of neurosciences at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine and a volunteer clinical associate professor of neurology at the Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific since 2016. Lakhan has been medical staff for neurology and pain medicine at the City of Hope National Medical Center and at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center since 2015. He has been an instructor of neuroanatomy at the University of California, Los Angeles Extension since 2011. Lakhan was a clinical fellow in anesthesia and neurology medical staff at Harvard Medical School and a clinical fellow in pain medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2014 to 2015. He was clinical instructor of neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine from 2012 to 2014 and resident physician of neurology at the Cleveland Clinic from 2010 to 2014. Lakhan is a member of the American Academy of Neurology. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, a Doctor of Philosophy degree in biological sciences from Universidad Central de Nicaragua, a Master of Science degree in biophysical sciences from Touro College and a Master of Education degree in education technology from the University of Southern Queensland. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Lakhan is registered without party preference.
