SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Katie Dawson, 65, of Oakland, has been appointed to the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Dawson has been the principal of Dawson Dental Hygiene Practice since 2009. She was a dental hygienist for Dr. Damani Mitchell from 2001 to 2009, Dr. James Sweeney from 1995 to 2002, and Dr. Michael Hine from 1991 to 2002. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Dawson is a Democrat.
Adam Dondro, 29, of Sacramento, has been appointed assistant secretary of external affairs at the California Technology Agency. Dondro has served as acting deputy director of external affairs at the California Technology Agency since 2010. He was a budget committee consultant for the Assembly Committee on Budget at the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2010. He was a legislative aide for Assemblymember John Laird from 2005 to 2008. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $101,208. Dondro is a Democrat.
Joseph Federico, 30, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Federico has been the chief financial officer of the Federico Beauty Institute since 2009, where he was director of financial aid from 2006 to 2009 and has served on the board of directors since 2004. He has been a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools and the California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators since 2006. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Federico is a Democrat.
Lee Gutierrez, 53, of Temecula, has been appointed deputy secretary of minority veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Gutierrez is a retired colonel with over 29 years of commissioned service in the United States Army, serving in twelve countries. He has been the division chief of the Joint Interagency Coordination Group at Pacific Command Headquarters since January 2011. Gutierrez has served in multiple command roles ranging from brigade to platoon and joint staff positions, including director of cultural awareness and counterinsurgency and executive assistant officer to Commander General of the First United States Army, Lieutenant General Honoré. This position does not require Senate confirmation and compensation is $100,428. Gutierrez is a Republican.
Tonya Hoover, 49, of Sacramento, has been appointed state fire marshal for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Hoover has been acting state fire marshal since 2009. She was assistant state fire marshal from 2007 to 2009. Hoover was fire marshal and battalion chief for the Moraga-Orinda Fire District from 1998 to 2007 and served as deputy fire marshal at the University of California at Berkeley from 1990 to 1998. This position requires Senate confirmation and the salary is $129,796. Hoover is a Republican.
Jamillah Moore, 40, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Student Aid Commission. Moore has been president of the Los Angeles City College since 2007. She was director of legislative and community college services at School Services of California in 2007. Moore was senior vice chancellor at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office from 2004 to 2007, and concurrently served as interim superintendent and interim president of the Compton Community College District from 2005 to 2006. She also served as director of government relations at the Los Angeles County Office of Education from 1998 to 2004. Moore has been a member of the Community College League of California, the American Association of Community Colleges and also served on the National Council on Black American Affairs and the National Association for Professional Women from 2009 to 2011. She received her doctorate in education from the University of San Francisco. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Moore is a Democrat.
Ishan Shah, 19, of Fremont, has been appointed to be a student representative on the California Student Aid Commission. Shah is pursuing a degree in political science at Ohlone College. Shah served as a commissioner on the Human Relations Commission in Alameda County from 2010 to 2011. He has served as a student senator for the Student Senate for the California Community Colleges from 2010 to 2011. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Shah is a Democrat.
Alexander Sherriffs, 60, of Fowler, has been appointed to both the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). He will be serving as the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District member on CARB. Sherriffs has been a physician in private practice in Fowler since 1983 and with the Central California Faculty Medical Group since 1985. He has also been a professor at the Fresno campus of University of California, San Francisco since 1983. Sherriffs received his medical degree at the University of California, Davis. Both positions require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Sherriffs is a Democrat.
Pouneh Simpson, 40, of Sacramento, has been appointed chief of financial operations for the Veterans Homes Division at the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Simpson has served as chief of administrative services division for the State Personnel Board since 2009. She was chief of fiscal services at the California Emergency Management Agency from 2007 to 2009, chief of administration at the Office of the Inspector General from 2005 to 2007, manager of forms and publication at the Board of Equalization from 2004 to 2005, special projects manager at the California State Controller’s Office from 2000 to 2004 and a budget analyst at Department of Finance from 1997 to 1999. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $108,561. Simpson is a Republican.
Michele Siqueiros, 38, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Student Aid Commission. Siqueiros has been the executive director of the Campaign for College Opportunity since 2008, and served as associate director from 2004 to 2008. She was a senior project coordinator for the Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment from 2001 to 2004, a program manager for Public Allies of Los Angeles from 1999 to 2001, assistant director of constituency services for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials from 1997 to 1998 and an adult educator for the Los Angeles Unified School District from 1995 to 1999. Siqueiros is a board member for the Institute of Higher Education Policy and is a member of the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project and the Alliance for a Better Community. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Siqueiros is a Democrat.
Johnny Garcia Vasquez, 22, of Berkeley, has been appointed to be a student representative on the California Student Aid Commission. Vasquez is pursuing a degree in ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently working as a student assistant at Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at Berkeley School of Law. He was a community outreach program assistant for the Health Initiative of the Americas in 2011. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Vasquez is a Democrat.
Mary Winkley, 47, of Sacramento, has been appointed assistant secretary of program and portfolio management at the California Technology Agency. Winkley has served as deputy secretary of state for information technology and policy at the Secretary of State since 2009. She was chief deputy director of operations at the California Department of Health from 2008 to 2009, partner at MGT of America from 1999 to 2007, chief of staff for Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal from 1998 to 1999 and a principal consultant in the Legislative Analyst’s Office from 1997 to 1998. She served as a senior consultant to Assemblymember Debra Bowen from 1992 to 1997. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $125,004. Winkley is a Democrat.
Karen Wong, 55, of Sacramento, has been appointed director of the public safety communications office at the California Technology Agency. Wong has been deputy director of public safety communications office at the California Technology Agency since 2009. She worked in a number of roles at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2002 to 2009, including deputy director of administrative services in the heath care division, program administrator for the office of correctional safety and assistant secretary and deputy director at the office of risk management and environmental health and safety. Wong served as chief of the telecommunications branch from 1998 to 2002. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $125,592. Wong is registered decline-to-state.