SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — On Tuesday, Jan. 2, Calif. Governor Gavin Newsom announced the following appointments, including to Office of the State Public Defender, the California Student Aid Commission, the Commission on Disability Access, and to the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors.
Galit Lipa, of Culver City, has been appointed State Public Defender in the Office of the State Public Defender, where she has served as Executive Director of the Indigent Defense Improvement Division since 2021. She was Program Director at the Public Welfare Foundation from 2019 to 2021. Lipa was a Supervising Attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia from 2017 to 2019, where she served as an Attorney from 2012 to 2017. She was Interim Director at the Stanford Law School Criminal Defense Clinic from 2011 to 2012. Lipa was a Lecturer in Law at the Stanford Law School Criminal Defense Clinic and Three Strikes Clinic from 2007 to 2011. She is a member of the National Association for Public Defenders, the California Public Defenders Association and California Attorneys for Criminal Justice. Lipa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Laws degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $213,960. Lipa is a Democrat.
Catalina Cifuentes, of Riverside, has been reappointed to the California Student Aid Commission, where she has served since 2016, and has been appointed to the Scholarshare Investment Board. Cifuentes has served on the Cradle-to-Career Data System Governing Board since 2021. She has been Executive Director of College and Career Readiness at the Riverside County Office of Education since 2014. Cifuentes was a School Counselor and Teacher at Corona Norco Unified School District from 2003 to 2014. She was a Teacher at the Sierra Middle School for Riverside Unified School District from 1999 to 2002. Cifuentes is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling and Western Association of College Admission Counseling. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Educational Counseling from Azusa Pacific University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from California State University, San Bernardino. The California Student Aid Commission position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. The Scholarshare Investment Board position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Cifuentes is a Democrat.
Shannon Gary, of Oakland, has been reappointed to the California Student Aid Commission, where he has served since 2021. Gary has been Associate Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students at the University of San Francisco since 2021, where he was Associate Vice Provost for Student Life and Dean of Students from 2017 to 2021. He was Associate Dean of Students at Montclair State University from 2012 to 2017. Gary held multiple positions at Drexel University from 2007 to 2012, including Associate Dean of the Pennoni Honors College and Assistant Dean for Honors Programming. He was an Academic Advisor at Temple University from 2005 to 2007. Gary was Assistant Director of Career Services at Lafayette College from 2003 to 2005. He was Human Resources Administrator at the Vanguard Group from 1997 to 2002. Gary is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., the Board of Trustees for Muhlenberg College, and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. He earned a Doctor of Education degree and a Master of Science degree in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Psychology from Muhlenberg College. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gary is a Democrat.
Angel Rodriguez, of Palm Springs, has been reappointed to the California Student Aid Commission, where he has served since 2021. Rodriguez has been Associate Vice Chancellor of Government Relations and Strategic Communications for the San Bernardino Community College District since 2022, where he has held multiple positions since 2016, including Senior Director and Director of Marketing, Public Affairs and Government Relations. He was Associate Director of State and Regional Government and Community Relations at the University of California, Riverside from 2014 to 2016. Rodriguez was Strategic Communications Specialist for the City of Riverside Mayor’s Office in 2012. He held multiple positions at the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce from 2007 to 2012, including Government Affairs Manager, Communications Manager and Community Development Coordinator. Rodriguez is a member of the Campaign for College Opportunity Advisory Council, the University of California, Riverside School of Education Advisory Board, the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California Board, and the Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity Fund. He earned a Master of Education degree in Higher Education Administration and Policy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Service and Political Science from the University of California, Riverside. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rodriguez is a Democrat.
Christopher “Chris” Downey, of Piedmont, has been reappointed to the Commission on Disability Access, where he has served since 2013. Downey has been Principal of Architecture for the Blind since 2010 and a Featured Speaker at FRESH Speakers since 2014. He was an Architect at SmithGroup from 2009 to 2010. Downey was Managing Principal of Architecture Office at Michelle Kaufmann Design in 2008. He was Co-Founder and Partner at Ashdown Downey Architects from 2003 to 2007. He held several roles at Holt Hinshaw from 1993 to 2003, including Principal, Senior Project Manager and Architect. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, San Francsico. Downey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture from North Carolina State University and a Master of Arts degree in Architecture 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, of Rocklin, has been reappointed to the California Commission on Disability Access, where he has served since 2018. Lillibridge has been Associate Principal/Assistant Vice President at RICK Engineering Company since 2016. He was Senior Forward Planner at KB Home from 2015 to 2016. Lillibridge was a Land Development Manager at K. Hovnanian Homes from 2013 to 2015. He was Project manager at Marques Pipeline from 2012 to 2013. Lillibridge was a Full Partner at C&L Development Solutions Inc. from 2009 to 2012. He was Land Development Manager at Pardee Homes from 2001 to 2003 and from 2004 to 2009. Lillibridge was Project Manager at KB Home from 2003 to 2004, at Kimley-Horn and Associates from 1999 to 2001 and at RICK Engineering Company from 1990 to 1999. Lillibridge is a member of the American Council of Engineering Companies, American Public Works Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, Urban Land Institute, and Rotary International. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Lillibridge is a Republican.
Arturo Barajas, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors, where he previously served from 2022 to 2023. Barajas has been Government Affairs Manager at FanDuel Inc. since 2021. He served as a Deputy Secretary at the California Department of Food and Agriculture from 2019 to 2021. Barajas was a Legislative Aid for State Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula from 2016 to 2019. He is a member of the 52nd District Agricultural Association. Barjas earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Systems Management from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Barajas is a Democrat.
Rina DiMare, of Clarksburg, has been appointed to the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors, where she previously served from 2020 to 2022. DiMare has been a Proprietor at Elevation Ten Winery since 2015. She was a Managing Partner/Owner at Government Strategies Inc. from 2001 to 2015. DiMare was a Consultant and Legislative Assistant in the California State Assembly from 1991 to 1997. She is President of the Clarksburg Winery Collective and a member of the California Winegrape Growers Association. DiMare earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Latin American Studies from California State University, Chico. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. DiMare is a Democrat.
Che Salinas, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors, where he has served since 2022. Salinas has been Special Counsel and Senior Legislative Advisor at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP since 2021 and has been Counsel there since 2011. He was a Senior Advisor at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development from 2020 to 2021. Salinas was Chief Deputy Secretary of Legislative Affairs for Operations in the Office of the Governor from 2019 to 2020. Salinas was Counsel for the Office of State Senator Ed Hernandez from 2010 to 2011. He was Counsel for the Office of Majority Leader Dean Florez in the California State Senate from 2009 to 2010. Salinas was a Consultant for the California State Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 2006 to 2009. He was a Legislative Aide in the Office of State Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata from 2004 to 2006. He serves on the board of Improve Your Tomorrow. Salinas earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Salinas is a Democrat.
Michael Romano, of San Francisco, has been reappointed to the Committee on the Revision of the Penal Code, where he has served as Chair since 2019. Romano has been Director of the Three Strikes Project at Stanford Law School since 2007. He was Of Counsel at Riordan & Horgan from 2005 to 2008. Romano served as a Law Clerk for Judge Richard Tallman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2003 to 2004. He was a Legal Researcher for the Innocence Project from 2000 to 2001. Romano was a Staff Writer for Seattle Weekly from 1993 to 1999. He was a founding board member of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition and is a member of the California State Bar Association. Romano earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Wesleyan University, a Master of Laws degree from Yale Law School and a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Romano is a Democrat.
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NEWS BASED ON PRESS RELEASE AS ISSUED BY OFFICE OF GOV NEWSOM
