SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — This week, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the following appointments: First, Alexander Pal, 36, of Carmichael, has been appointed chief counsel at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, where he has been acting chief counsel since 2018 and served in several positions from 2013 to 2018, including assistant chief counsel and attorney.
Pal was an associate attorney at the Law Offices of Stawicki and Maples from 2009 to 2013. He is a member of the State Bar of California. Pal earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $177,144. Pal is a Democrat.
Barbara J. Burgel, 65, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. Burgel has been an independent occupational health consultant since 2017. She has been professor emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco since 2017, where she served as a professor from 1981 to 2017 and as a nurse practitioner from 1979 to 2017, including at the Occupational Medicine Clinic, Community Occupational Health Project and at the Progress Foundation. Burgel has been an external auditor for occupational health at ERM CVS since 2010. She is a member of the American Academy of Nursing, American Association of Occupational Health Nurses and the American Nurses Association. Burgel earned Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science degrees in nursing from the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Burgel is a Democrat.
April A. Lopez, 52, Yorba Linda, has been appointed to the California Advisory Commission on Special Education. Lopez has been owner at Stadium Chiropractic and Sports Medicine Rehabilitation since 1998. She is chair of the Placentia-Yorba Linda and Brea Special Education Community Advisory Committee and a member of the Special Olympics Southern California Board of Directors. Lopez earned a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the Southern California University of Health Sciences. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Lopez is registered without party preference.
On August 17, Gov. Brown announced the following Appointments
Eric L. Rood, 47, of Yuba City, has been appointed chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards at the California Department of Industrial Relations, where he has been acting chief since 2017 and has served in several positions since 2000, including assistant chief and chief of public works, regional manager, hearing officer, deputy labor commissioner and industrial relations representative. Rood was a business tax representative at the State Board of Equalization from 1994 to 2000 and a student assistant at the California Employment Development Department from 1993 to 1994. He is president of the Interstate Labor Standards Association and secretary of the California Apprenticeship Council. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $138,732. Rood is registered without party preference.
Heather Williams, 29, of Sacramento, has been appointed associate director of communications at the California Natural Resources Agency. Williams has been an information officer at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection since 2016, where she has served in several positions since 2012, including resources communications analyst, acquisitions analyst and public information technician. She is a member of the Sacramento Disability Advisory Commission. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $75,000. Williams is a Democrat.
Nancy Corrigan, 64, of Glendora, has been appointed to the California Board of Accountancy. Corrigan has been a partner at Singerlewak LLP since 2015. She was a partner and co-owner at Jeffery, Corrigan and Shaw LLP from 1985 to 2015, manager at Apodaca, Finocchiaro and Company from 1978 to 1985, and staff accountant at Swenson and Clark from 1977 to 1978. Corrigan is a member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, California Board of Accountancy’s Enforcement Advisory Committee, California State Polytechnic University’s Accounting Department Advisory Council and Teen Challenge of Southern California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Corrigan is a Republican.
Mary M. Geong, 69, of Piedmont, has been appointed to the California Board of Accountancy. Geong has been principal owner at Mary Geong, CPA since 2013 and financial advisor at HD Vest Financial Services since 1999. She held several positions at the Franchise Tax Board from 1994 to 2013, including tax auditor, audit supervisor and program specialist. Geong was manager of administration at World Savings and Loan from 1989 to 1994 and manager of accounting at the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco from 1984 to 1989. Geong is president of the Oakland Rotary Endowment and a member of the California Society of CPAs Statewide Committee of Taxation and Personal Financial Planning, Piedmont Asian American Club, East Bay Association of Enrolled Agents, Asian Real Estate Association of the East Bay, Ascend Pan-Asian Leaders, Northern California Chapter and Tax Aid. Geong earned a Master of Business Administration degree in management and a Master of Science degree in taxation from Golden Gate University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Geong is a Democrat.
Jamie Callahan, 32, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Science Center Board of Directors. Callahan has served as director of external affairs in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. since 2015, where she was special advisor to the executive secretary from 2013 to 2015. She was a campaign aide for Jerry Brown for Governor in 2010, legislative assistant at the Crane Group from 2007 to 2010 and a research assistant for the British Parliamentary Labour Party in 2006. Callahan is a member of the California K-12 High Speed Network Advisory Board. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the George Mason University School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Callahan is a Democrat.
Jennifer Lin, 42, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Science Center Board of Directors. Lin has been a partner at Gonring, Spahn and Associates since 2006. She was director of corporate affairs at DreamWorks SKG from 1996 to 2006. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Lin is a Democrat.
Patricia Roski, 54, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Science Center Board of Directors. Roski has served as managing director at Majestic Realty Co. since 2007. She was of counsel at Glaser, Weil, et al from 1997 to 2007 and attorney in the Real Estate Transactional Department at Allen Matkins from 1994 to 1997. Roski earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Roski is a Republican.
Fabian Wesson, 64, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Science Center Board of Directors, where she has served since 2002. Wesson has been an assistant executive deputy at South Coast Air Quality Management District since 2016. She was a consultant to California State Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León from 2015 to 2016, to California State Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg from 2009 to 2015 and to California State Assemblymember Mervyn Dymally from 2005 to 2009. Wesson was an administrative director at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles from 1998 to 2004. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Century City Alumnae Chapter Board, 10th Council District Women’s Steering Committee, Mothers In Action and the New Frontier Democratic Club. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Wesson is a Democrat.
Emma M. Fete, 33, of Lodi, has been appointed to the 2nd District Agricultural Association, San Joaquin County Fair Board of Directors. Fete has been a 4-H Youth Developmental advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension since 2017. She was a graduate teaching assistant and instructor at Ohio State University from 2012 to 2017 and an assistant teacher for the Hiroshima Board of Education from 2010 to 2012. Fete was a broadcast producer and assistant program director at WOSU Public Media from 2007 to 2010 and an assistant IT director at the Ohio Senate Minority Caucus in 2007. She earned Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts degrees in communications from Ohio State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Fete is a Democrat.
Jeff Wagner, 57, of Linden, has been appointed to the 2nd District Agricultural Association, San Joaquin County Fair Board of Directors. Wagner has been president and chief executive officer at Wagner Mechanical Inc. since 1991. He is a member of the San Joaquin AgFest. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Wagner is registered without party preference.
Michael Holcomb, 37, of Napa, has been appointed to the 25th District Agricultural Association, Napa Town and Country Fair Board of Directors. Holcomb has been a real estate broker at Strong and Hayden Commercial Real Estate since 2010. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Holcomb is registered without party preference.
