SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Judith Freyman, 62, of Rocklin, has been appointed to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board. Freyman has been a principal and western operations director at Mercer/ORC Worldwide since 2001. She held multiple positions at ConAgra Refrigerated Prepared Foods from 1979 to 2001, including assistant general counsel and corporate counsel. Freyman was corporate counsel at the Jewel Corporation from 1977 to 1979. She earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $111,845. Freyman is a Republican.
Amarik Singh, 40, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the Board of Parole Hearings. Singh has been special assistant inspector general at the Office of the Inspector General since 2007. She served as a deputy district attorney at the Kern County District Attorney’s Office from 2005 to 2007 and as a deputy district attorney at the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office from 1997 to 2005. Singh was an adjunct professor at the College of the Sequoias from 2002 to 2005. She earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $111,845. Singh is a Republican.
Laurie Ann Forster, 51, of Ione, has been appointed to the 26th District Agricultural Association, Amador County Fair Board, where she has been a member since 2007. Forster has been a teacher for the Calaveras Unified School District since 1990. She is a member of the California Teachers Association, Ione Picnic Association and Native Daughters of the Golden West. This position does not require Senate Confirmation and there is no compensation. Forster is a Republican.
Marilyn Hoopes, 60, of Plymouth, has been appointed to the 26th District Agricultural Association, Amador County Fair Board, where she has been a member since 2002. Hoopes has been a private practice attorney since 1987 and owner of Karmere Vineyards and Winery since 2003. She is a member of the Amador County Wine Grape Growers Association, Amador Vintner’s Association, Amador Business Council and Plymouth Foothills Rotary. Hoopes earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law. This position does not require Senate Confirmation and there is no compensation. Hoopes is a Democrat.
Tim King, 49, of Plymouth, has been appointed to the 26th District Agricultural Association, Amador County Fair Board. King was a supervisor of the Ampine Division at SierraPine Limited from 2004 to 2011 and district manager at AmeriGas Propane from 1984 to 2004. He was a seasonal fire fighter for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection from 1982 to 1984. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. King is a Democrat.
Jamie Colburn Lubenko, 40, of Fiddletown, has been appointed to the 26th District Agricultural Association, Amador County Fair Board. Lubenko has been communications director at Renwood Winery since 2012. She was executive director of the Amador Vintner’s Association from 2005 to 2012 and public relations coordinator at Sutter Amador Hospital from 2001 to 2005. Lubenko was an account executive at KNGT Radio from 1997 to 2001. She served as a board member of the Amador Council of Tourism from 2005 to 2011. Lubenko is a member of the Amador County Fair Foundation, Plymouth Economic Committee, Plymouth Foothills Rotary and Plymouth Elementary Parent Teacher Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Lubenko is Democrat.
Mike Macon, 70, of Sonora, has been appointed to the 29th District Agricultural Association, Mother Lode Fair Board. Macon was a teacher for the Sonora Union High School District from 1999 to 2008. He was a teacher for the Jamestown Elementary School District from 1997 to 1999 and from 1971 to 1976. He was the owner of Macon Brothers Auctioneers from 1976 to 1997 and a teacher at Columbia Union School District from 1967 to 1971. This position does not require Senate Confirmation and there is no compensation. Macon is a Democrat.
Harinder Grewal, 47, of Keyes, has been appointed to the 38th District Agricultural Association, Stanislaus County Fair Board. Grewal has been senior agricultural weights and measures inspector at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office since 2003. He was executive manager at QS Market and Property Management from 1996 to 2002 and owner of American Superior Production from 1991 to 1996. Grewal is a trustee for the Turlock Unified School District, a member of the Keyes Municipal Advisory Council and a member of the Modesto City Equal Opportunity/Disability Commission. Grewal previously served as director of the Keyes Community Services District, president at the California Association of Standards and Agricultural Professionals and treasurer at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 10. Grewal earned a Master of Science degree in agricultural economics and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in economics from Guru Nanak Dev University in India and a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, Stanislaus. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Grewal is a Democrat.
Manuel “Ray” Souza Jr., 65, of Turlock, has been appointed to the 38th District Agricultural Association, Stanislaus County Fair Board, where he has been a member since 1996. Souza has been the owner of Mel-Delin Dairy since 1984. He is a member of the Western United Dairymen, District 5 board of directors and the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Souza is a Republican.
Ruben Villalobos, 38, of Modesto, has been appointed to the 38th District Agricultural Association, Stanislaus County Fair Board. Villalobos has been a partner at the Villalobos 2 Legal Group since 2002. He was assistant federal public defender at the Federal Public Defender Office, District of Nevada from 2000 to 2002 and deputy public defender at the Stanislaus County Public Defender Office from 1999 to 2000. Villalobos serves on the Modesto City Schools Board and is a member of the Doctors Medical Center board of directors, Modesto Chamber of Commerce board of directors and the Latino Community Roundtable. Villalobos earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Villalobos is a Democrat.
Linda Weidman, 62, of Hickman, has been appointed to the 38th District Agricultural Association, Stanislaus County Fair Board, where she has been a member since 2001. Weidman was a criminal investigator at the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office from 1987 to 2002 and a deputy sheriff at the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department from 1972 to 1987. She is a member of the Stanislaus Wildlife Care Center board of directors and Stanislaus County Farm Bureau. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Weidman is a Republican.