SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Today, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the following appointments: First, Karla Nemeth, 47, of Sacramento, has been appointed director of the California Department of Water Resources. Nemeth has served as Governor Brown’s deputy secretary and senior advisor for water policy at the California Natural Resources Agency since 2014, where she was Bay Delta Conservation Plan project manager from 2009 to 2014.
Nemeth was environmental and public affairs director at the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District from 2005 to 2009 and community affairs manager at Jones and Stokes from 2003 to 2005. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree in public administration from the University of Washington. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $194,600. Nemeth is a Democrat.
David Beier, 69, of San Francisco, has been reappointed to the Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy, where he has served since 2014. Beier has been managing director at Bay City Capital since 2013. He was senior vice president for global government affairs, communications and philanthropy at Amgen Inc. from 2003 to 2013 and a partner at Hogan and Hartson from 2001 to 2003. Beier served as chief domestic policy advisor in the Office of U.S. Vice President Al Gore from 1998 to 2000, vice president of government affairs and public policy at Genentech Inc. from 1989 to 1998 and counsel for the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary from 1979 to 1989.
He is a member of the University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Board of Directors. Beier earned a Juris Doctor degree from Albany Law School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Beier is a Democrat.
Sean Varner, 51, of Riverside, has been reappointed to the Milton Marks “Little Hoover” Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy, where he has served since 2016. Varner has been managing partner at Varner and Brandt LLP since 2006, where he was a partner from 2001 to 2006 and an associate from 1997 to 2001. He was an associate at Ropers, Majeski, Kohn and Bentley from 1993 to 1997. Varner is director of the Monday Morning Group, chairman of the Community Foundation Serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties Board of Directors and secretary of the ExCITE Business Incubator and Accelerator Board of Directors.
He is a member of the First Tee of the Inland Empire Board of Directors, University of California, Riverside Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics, University of California, Riverside Highlander Athletics Association Board of Directors and the Young Presidents’ Organization, Pacific Gold Chapter. Varner earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Pepperdine University School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Varner is a Republican.
Appointments for Jan. 9, 2018:
Sonja Palladino, 34, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy director of legislation at the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Palladino served as legislative director in the Office of California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria from 2016 to 2017. She served as capitol director in the Office of California State Assemblymember Susan A. Bonilla in 2016, where she was legislative director from 2013 to 2016. Palladino was senior legislative assistant in the Office of California State Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield from 2011 to 2012 and legislative assistant in the Office of California State Assemblymember Lori Saldaña in 2010. She was a Rotary International ambassadorial scholar to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2008, a legislative assistant in the Office of California State Assemblymember Dave Jones from 2006 to 2008 and assistant director at Grassroots Campaigns in 2004. Palladino is a member of InterNations and the Sacramento Valley Concert Choir. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $114,012. Palladino is a Democrat.
Jim Evans, 48, of Sacramento, has been reappointed member and chair of the California Gambling Control Commission, where he has served since 2015. Evans served as chief deputy press secretary in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. from 2013 to 2015. He was a consultant in the California State Senate Office of Research in 2013 and served as deputy secretary for communications and strategic planning at the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency in 2012. Evans was a consultant in the Office of California State Senator Mark DeSaulnier from 2009 to 2012 and served as communications director in the Office of California State Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg from 2006 to 2009 and in the Office of California State Senator Joe Dunn from 2005 to 2006. He was a staff writer at the Sacramento Bee from 2003 to 2004, managing editor at the California Journal from 2002 to 2003 and a staff writer at Sacramento News and Review from 2001 to 2002 and at the Industry Standard from 1998 to 2001. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $152,473. Evans is a Democrat.
Mark A. Hartwig, 54, of Rancho Cucamonga, has been reappointed to the California Commission on Emergency Medical Services, where he has served since 2012. Hartwig has been fire chief at the San Bernardino County Fire District since 2011. He served as deputy fire chief at the Rancho Cucamonga Fire District from 2007 to 2011, where he was battalion chief from 2005 to 2007. Hartwig served in several positions at the San Bernardino County Fire Department from 1992 to 2005, including fire captain, apparatus engineer and training and safety officer. He is president of the California Fire Chiefs Association, where he was legislative director in 2016, and is a member of the Loma Linda University Emergency Medical Care Program Advisory Board and the Victor Valley Community College Paramedic Academy Advisory Board. Hartwig was chair of the California Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association in 2016. He earned a Master of Science degree in emergency medical services from California State University, Long Beach. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Hartwig is a Republican.
Carole A. Snyder, 55, of West Covina, has been reappointed to the California Commission on Emergency Medical Services, where she has served since 2016. Snyder has been program manager of emergency preparedness at PIH Health Hospital, Whittier since 2009, where she has held several positions since 2003, including educator and staff nurse for the Emergency Department. She was a charge nurse in the White Memorial Medical Center Emergency Department from 1994 to 2002, a sexual assault nurse examiner at Mission Community Hospital from 1996 to 1998 and staff nurse in the Beauregard Memorial Hospital Emergency Department from 1993 to 1994. Snyder is a member of the Emergency Nurses Association and the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Commission. She earned a Master of Science degree in emergency management administration from California State University, Long Beach. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Snyder is registered without party preference.
Brent Stangeland, 47, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Commission on Emergency Medical Services. Stangeland has been staff chief for the department training chief at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection since 2016, where he has held several positions since 1993, including deputy chief, battalion chief, safety officer, fire captain, paramedic, academy instructor, fire apparatus engineer, firefighter, seasonal firefighter and safety officer for the Incident Management Team. He served as interim fire marshal for the Cameron Park Fire Department from 2006 to 2009 and as a paramedic instructor at the Good Samaritan Training Center from 1998 to 1999. Stangeland is a chair of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Operation, Safety, Health and Training Advisory Committee and a member of the Safety Special Group, Firefighting Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Stangeland is a Republican.
Michael W. Kirst, 78, of Stanford, has been reappointed to the California State Board of Education, where he has served since 2011. Kirst has been a professor emeritus at Stanford University since 2009, where he has been a professor since 1969. He was staff director for the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Manpower, Employment, and Poverty from 1967 to 1969. Kirst is a member of the National Academy of Education. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in political economy from Harvard University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Kirst is a Democrat.
Patricia A. Rucker, 57, of Lincoln, has been reappointed to the California State Board of Education, where she has served since 2011. Rucker has been a legislative advocate for the California Teachers Association since 2008, where she was a consultant for instruction and professional development from 1997 to 2008. She was a teacher for the Del Paso Heights School District from 1983 to 1997. Rucker is a member of the American Association of University Women and Voices for Culture and Diversity. She earned a Master of Education degree in curriculum and instruction from California State University, Sacramento. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rucker is a Democrat.
Ting L. Sun, 52, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the California State Board of Education, where she has served since 2015. Sun has been executive director at the Natomas Charter School since 2012, where she was director of educational programs from 2006 to 2012, 2000 to 2003 and 1993 to 1997. She was a senior consultant at Cambridge Education from 2007 to 2009, vice president of leadership and quality at the California Charter Schools Association from 2003 to 2006, an educational programs consultant at the California Department of Education from 1997 to 2000 and a teacher at the Natomas Charter School from 1993 to 1997 and at Natomas Junior High School from 1988 to 1993. She earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of California, Davis and a Master of Education degree from Stanford University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Sun is registered without party preference.
Estela Mara Bensimon, 68, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the Educational Commission of the States. Bensimon has been director of the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education since 1999, where she has been associate dean since 1996 and professor of higher education since 1995. She was senior research associate for the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Pennsylvania State University from 1992 to 1995, where she was a research associate from 1989 to 1992. Bensimon was an associate professor at the Pennsylvania State University College of Education from 1992 to 1995, where she was an assistant professor from 1989 to 1992. She held multiple positions at Teachers College, Columbia University from 1986 to 1989, including assistant director, research associate and adjunct assistant professor. Bensimon was a post-doctoral fellow and staff associate at the University of California, Los Angeles Center for the Study of Community Colleges from 1984 to 1985. She was a project manager for the Urban Community College Transfer Opportunities Program at the Ford Foundation in 1983 and director of Bilingual Education Programs in the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education from 1978 to 1980. Bensimon was director of education at the Puerto Rican Congress of New Jersey from 1975 to 1978 and program director at Aspira Inc. of New Jersey from 1973 to 1975. She is a fellow for the American Educational Research Association. Bensimon earned a Doctor of Education degree in higher education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Master of Arts degree in student personnel services from Montclair State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Bensimon is a Democrat.
Kimberly Salomonson, 50, of Clovis, has been reappointed to the California Advisory Commission on Special Education, where she has served since 2016. Salomonson has been director of pupil personnel services for the Sanger Unified School District since 2011 and adjunct faculty at National University since 2007. She was adjunct faculty at Fresno Pacific University from 2009 to 2014. Salomonson held several positions at the Sanger Unified School District from 2000 to 2011, including project manager, curriculum support provider and school psychologist. She earned a Master of Arts degree in school psychology and a California pupil personnel services credential from Fresno Pacific University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Salomonson is a Democrat.
Louis Steven Winlock, 63, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the California Advisory Commission on Special Education, where he has served since 2014. Winlock has been executive director at the Sacramento County Office of Education, School of Education and Leadership Institute since 2009. He was an associate superintendent for the Elk Grove Unified School District from 1991 to 2009. Winlock earned a Doctor of Education degree in educational leadership and curriculum from the University of Southern California and a Master of Education degree in education administration from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Winlock is a Democrat.
Appointments for Jan. 8, 2018:
Elizabeth Perez, 39, of Vista, has been appointed deputy secretary of minority veterans at the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Perez has been president and founder at GC Green Incorporated since 2010. She was a member of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Delegation in Israel in 2016 and a 2013 White House Veteran Champion of Change. Perez was a director in business development at 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 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 Commerce of California San Diego Chapter, American Legion Post 365 and the California Nations Indian Gaming Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $130,008. Perez is a Democrat.
Caroline I. Castaneda, 44, of Sacramento, has been appointed assistant director at the California Department of Developmental Services, where she has been manager of the financial services branch since 2009. Castaneda served as chief for the statewide program administration section at the California Department of Mental Health in 2009, where she was chief of the Medi-Cal benefits operations unit in 2008. She was chief of fiscal services at the California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board from 2007 to 2008, where she was manager of the eligibility and enrollment unit from 2004 to 2007. Castaneda earned a Master of Arts degree in cinema studies from New York University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $119,520. Castaneda is registered without party preference.
Sarah Sharpe, 39, of Fresno, has been appointed technical advisor at the California Public Utilities Commission. Sharpe has been associate director at the Central California Asthma Collaborative since 2016 and director of communication and outreach at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health Children’s Health and Air Pollution Study since 2015. She was environmental health program director at Fresno Metro Ministry from 2008 to 2016, campaign and outreach associate at the Coalition for Clean Air from 2005 to 2008 and a Spanish teacher for the New York City Department of Education. Sharpe was an organizer at Service Employees International Union, Local 250 from 2002 to 2003 and a community organizer at United Farm Workers AFL-CIO from 2000 to 2002. Sharpe earned a Master of Arts degree in Spanish education from Brooklyn College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $140,952. Sharpe is a Democrat.
Christopher V. Downey, 55, of Piedmont, has been reappointed to the California Commission on Disability Access, where he has served since 2013. Downey has been a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley Department of Architecture since 2011 and principal architect at Architecture for the Blind since 2009. He was managing principal at Michelle Kaufmann Designs in 2008, founding partner at Ashdown Downey Architecture and Design from 2003 to 2007 and held several positions at Holt Hinshaw from 1993 to 2003. Downey is president of the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired Board of Directors and a member of the American Institute of Architects San Francisco Chapter. He earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Downey is a Democrat.
M. Scott Lillibridge, 53, of Auburn, has been appointed to the California Commission on Disability Access. Lillibridge has been a branch manager at Rick Engineering Company since 2016, where he was project engineer from 1990 to 1999. He was a senior forward planner at KB Home from 2015 to 2016, where he was a project manager from 2003 to 2004. Lillibridge was a land development manager at K. Hovnanian Homes from 2013 to 2015, project manager at Marques Pipeline Inc. from 2012 to 2013 and president at C and L Development Solutions Inc. from 2009 to 2012. He was a land development manager at Pardee Homes from 2001 to 2009 and a project manager at Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. from 1999 to 2001. Lillibridge is a member of the American Public Works Association, Urban Land Institute, North State Building Industry Association, California Building Industry Association, National Association of Home Builders, Rotary International and the American Society of Civil Engineers. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Lillibridge is a Republican.
Stephanie Landregan, 65, of Glendale, has been reappointed to the State Mining and Geology Board, where she has served since 2015. Landregan has been program director of landscape architecture at the University of California, Los Angeles Extension since 2008. She served as division chief of landscape architecture at the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority from 1999 to 2008 and was a senior landscape architecture associate at Lawrence R. Moss and Associates from 1995 to 1999. Landregan was a landscape architecture designer at Landesign from 1993 to 1995, a planning graphic design associate at the Santa Monica City Planning Department from 1989 to 1993, a museum designer and fabricator at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science from 1985 to 1989 and aerial photography manager at Bohannan Huston Inc. from 1982 to 1985. Landregan was a graphics designer at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology from 1980 to 1982 and a cartographer illustrator at the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources from 1978 to 1979. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Landregan is a Democrat.
