SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Friday announced the following appointments: First, Sonia Huestis, 38, of Courtland, has been appointed deputy director of bureau relations at the California Department of Consumer Affairs.
Huestis has served in multiple positions at the California State Controller’s Office since 2000, including section chief for the operations support unit, staff services manager II for the unclaimed property system replacement project, staff services manager I in the reporting services unit and staff services analyst. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $90,000. Huestis is a Democrat.
Kathleen Keeshen, 53, of Davis, has been appointed deputy director and chief counsel of the Office of Legal Services at the California Department of Public Health. She has served as deputy director and chief counsel since 2007. Keeshen served in multiple positions at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 1999 to 2007, including chief deputy general counsel, chief counsel, assistant chief counsel and staff counsel III. She was deputy county counsel I, II, III, and IV for Solano County from 1990 to 1999. Keeshen earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Golden Gate University School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $140,004. Keeshen is a Democrat.
Tamie McGowen, 42, of Folsom, has been appointed assistant deputy director of public affairs at the California Department of Transportation. She has served as assistant deputy director since 2007. McGowen has served at the California Department of Transportation in multiple positions since 1992, including division chief of public affairs, special assistant to the deputy for the office of civil rights, deputy assistant and resource manager, certification analyst, personnel services specialist and support services assistant. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100,440. McGowen is registered decline-to-state.
Linné Stout, 52, of Sacramento, has been appointed chief deputy director at the California Department of Community Services and Development. She has served as the acting chief deputy director since 2011. She served in multiple positions at the California Department of Social Services from 2001 to 2011, including chief and acting chief of the child protection and family support branch, chief of the resources development training support bureau, staff services manager I for the children and family services division and accounting administrator I. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $113,736. Stout is a Democrat.
Monica Wagoner, 50, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy director of legislative and government affairs at the California Department of Public Health. She has served as acting deputy director since 2007. Wagoner was the government affairs representative for the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians in 2006. She was the manager of state government affairs at Blue Shield of California from 1997 to 2005 and vice president of political education at the California Association of Health Plans from 1992 to 1997. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $108,576. Wagoner is a Democrat.
John Wagner, 49, of Sacramento, has been appointed director at the California Department of Community Services and Development. He has served as the interim director since 2011. Wagner was director at the California Department of Social Services from 2007 to 2011. Wagner was a commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance from 2002 to 2007. He was assistant secretary at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services from 1995 to 2002 and a policy analyst at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services from 1992 to 1995. Wagner earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $142,964. Wagner is registered decline-to-state.
Laura Whittall-Scherfee, 51, of Carmichael, has been appointed deputy director of finance assistance at the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Whittall-Scherfee has served in multiple positions at the California Housing Finance Agency since 1995, including housing finance chief, housing finance officer, housing finance specialist and housing finance associate. She was a supervisor and asset manager at the California Federal Bank from 1990 to 1995 and asset manager at the American Real Estate Group from 1983 to 1990. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $110,400. Whittall-Scherfee is a Democrat.
