SACRAMENTO – Rebuilding and reinvigorating the state’s long-neglected Workforce Investment Board, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today appointed 30 of California’s brightest business, labor and education leaders to help put Californians back to work.
The California Workforce Investment Board is a private-sector led body tasked with advising the Governor on jobs and workforce development. The Board will work closely with Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to identify the needs of industry and to create career pathways that provide businesses the skilled workforce they need and while putting unemployed and underemployed Californians back to work.
In addition to the thirty new members appointed today, Mike Rossi, Senior Jobs Advisor to the Governor, was named chair of the Board. The Board also includes leaders from throughout state government and the Legislature with a commitment to creating jobs, including Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley, Employment Development Department Director Pam Harris, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott, Department of Apprenticeship Standards Director Diane Ravnik and Labor & Workforce Development Agency Secretary Marty Morgenstern.
“We will partner with employers to develop clear career pathways that lead to good jobs with good wages,” said Secretary Morgenstern. “With targeted job-skills training as provided in apprenticeship and similar programs, workers can fill jobs now and in the future and can be trained or re-trained to fill skills gaps at both the entry level and higher end of the labor market.”
As the economy recovers, California is experiencing disparities between the needs of some of our major and emerging industries and the skills of today’s workforce. The majority of the state’s growth occupations require training beyond high school, but less than a four-year college degree and offer opportunities for unemployed and underemployed Californians and returning veterans.
“To meet this skills challenge and ensure a prosperous future, we must do a much better job aligning California’s existing public education and workforce training resources with the needs of key industry sectors,” said Mike Rossi. “This requires a robust analysis of California’s labor markets and regional economies and better coordination among all our education and training programs.”
The Workforce Investment Board was established by Executive Order in response to the mandate of the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Since Governor Brown took office, California has added more jobs than any other state in the nation.
Governor Brown’s new appointees are below:
Jonathon Andrus, 44, of Yreka, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Andrus has held multiple positions at the Fairchild Medical Center since 2001, including chief executive officer and assistant administrator. He previously held management positions with Catholic Healthcare West. Andrus is a member of the Advocacy Committee for the California State Rural Healthcare Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Andrus is a Republican.
Monica Blanco-Etheridge, 52, of Clovis, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Blanco-Etheridge has been executive director at the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California since 2012. She was a hub manager and project director at Central California Legal Services Inc. from 2006 to 2011 and was a staff analyst for the City of Madera from 2005 to 2006. Blanco-Etheridge was a government liaison at The Rios Company in 2005 and was an assistant for Supervisor Juan Arambula at the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, District 3 from 1997 to 2004. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Blanco-Etheridge is a Democrat.
John Brauer, 52, of Berkeley, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Brauer has been executive director of Workforce and Economic Development at the California Federation of Labor since 2012. He was executive director at the Oakland Army Base Workforce Development Collaborative from 2001 to 2012 and was county planner at the Alameda County Housing and Community Development Department from 1995 to 2001. Brauer was a grant writer and fund developer at Catholic Charities of the East Bay from 1992 to 1995. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Brauer is a Democrat.
Kenneth Burt, 54, of Carmichael, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Burt has been political director at the California Federation of Teachers since 1997. He was ombudsman at the California Department of Insurance from 1995 to 1997 and was special assistant to insurance commissioner John Garamendi from 1991 to 1994. Burt was a senior consultant for the California State Legislature from 1990 to 1991 and was a consultant at the Speaker’s Office from 1987 to 1990. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Burt is a Democrat.
Jerome Butkiewicz, 58, of San Diego, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Butkiewicz has been workforce readiness manager at San Diego Gas and Electric since 2008. He was secretary and treasurer for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council from 1996 to 2008 and labor liaison at United Way of San Diego from 1983 to 1996. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Butkiewicz is a Democrat.
Bill Camp, 68, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Camp has been executive secretary at the Sacramento Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO since 1999. He was assistant COPE director at the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO from 1991 to 1999 and was labor liaison for the California State Senate Rules Committee from 1985 to 1999. Camp is a member of the American Leadership Forum, Mountain Valley Chapter and a member of the Office of Professional Employees International Union Local 29. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Camp is a Democrat.
Cindy Chavez, 48, of San Jose, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Chavez has been executive officer at South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council since 2009. She has been executive director at Working Partnerships USA since 2009 and executive director at the 1000 Leaders Project since 2009. Chavez was a principal at California Leadership Services from 2007 to 2009 and was vice mayor and council member of the City of San Jose from 1999 to 2006. She held multiple positions at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority from 1999 to 2006, including chair, vice chair and board member. Chavez was director of education and outreach at South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council from 1994 to 1998 and was founding staff director at Working Partnerships USA from 1994 to 1998. She was lead trainer at AFL-CIO Organizing Institute from 1993 to 1994 and a policy analyst for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors from 1990 to 1993. Chavez has been a member of the Partnership for Working Families since 2009 and has been a member of Health Trust since 2008. She was executive director at the Role Model Program from 1992 to 1993. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Chavez is a Democrat.
Jamil Dada, 56, of Riverside, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board, where he has served since 2005. Dada has held multiple positions at Provident Bank since 1996, including vice president and senior financial manager. He was vice president at American Express Financial Advisors from 1986 to 1996. Dada serves as chairman of the National Association of Workforce Boards and vice chair of the California Green Collar Jobs Council. He also co-chairs the City of Riverside’s Workforce Advisory Panel and is a member of the Riverside County Workforce Investment Board. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Dada is an American Independent.
John DiStasio, 58, of Roseville, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. DiStasio has held multiple positions at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District since 1981, including general manager and chief executive officer, assistant general manager and distribution director. He was a regional salesperson at Liquid Air of North America from 1974 to 1980. DiStasio has served as a board member of the executive committee for the American Public Power Association since 2011. He serves as president of the California Municipal Utilities Association Board, where he has been a member since 2009 and has been a member and vice chair of the Large Public Power Council since 2008. DiStasio has been a member of the Los Rios Community College Foundation Board of Directors since 2008 and a member of Northwest Public Power Association since 2003. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. DiStasio is registered decline-to-state.
Shannon Eddy, 42, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Eddy has been president at Conscious Ventures Group since 2007 and executive director at Large-Scale Solar Association since 2008. She was an advisor for energy efficiency and renewables at the California Public Utility Commission from 2004 to 2007 and was senior policy advisor at the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technology from 2000 to 2004. Eddy was senior legislative advocate at V. John White Associates from 2000 to 2004 and held multiple positions at the Sierra Club from 1996 to 2000, including director of operations and development and acting state director. She was director of development at the Mountain Lion Foundation from 1993 to 1996 and has been a member of the California League of Conservation Voters Board of Directors since 2011. Eddy was also a member of the California Biomass Collaborative Executive Board from 2003 to 2004. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Eddy is a Democrat.
Diane Factor, 60, of Santa Monica, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Factor has been director at the Worker Education and Resource Center since 2004. She was a consultant for the County of Los Angeles from 1999 to 2004 and a program manager at the University of California, Los Angeles Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program from 1991 to 1999. Factor was an industrial hygienist at AFL-CIO from 1987 to 1991 and an industrial hygiene compliance officer at the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health from 1982 to 1987. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Factor is a Democrat.
Allen Fernandez Smith, 33, of Oakland, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Fernandez Smith has been president and chief executive officer at Urban Habitat since 2011. He was executive director at the California School Age Consortium from 2009 to 2011 and senior community development specialist at the San Francisco Mayor’s Office from 2007 to 2009. Fernandez Smith was a manager at the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families from 2005 to 2007. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Fernandez Smith is a Democrat.
Louis Franchimon, 74, of Solano, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Franchimon has been business manager and executive secretary at the Napa-Solano Building Trades Council since 1990. He is an executive board member of the State Building and Construction Trades Council and a member of the Solano County Workforce Investment Board. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Franchimon is a Democrat.
Laurence Frank, 59, of Venice, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Frank has held multiple positions at the City of Los Angeles, Office of the Mayor since 2005, including deputy chief of staff and deputy mayor of neighborhood and community services. He held multiple positions at the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Labor Research and Education between 2001 and 2005, including staff director and research director. He was a private practice attorney from 1991 to 2001. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Frank is a Democrat.
Michael Gallo, 54, of San Bernardino, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Gallo has been the founding chief executive officer of Technical Employment Training Inc. since 2009 and the founding president and chief executive officer of Kelly Space and Technology since 1993. He held multiple positions at TWR Inc., Ballistic Missiles Division, Launch Services Organization from 1984 to 1993, including director of program control, section head and aerospace engineer. He was an officer in the United States Air Force from 1980 to 1984. Gallo is vice president of the San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education and serves as chairman of the economic development committee at the San Bernardino County Workforce Investment Board. He is a member of the San Bernardino County Alliance for Education Executive Board, the Inland Empire Economic Partnership Board of Directors, the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Inland Regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Corporation and the California Nanotechnology Collaborative at the San Bernardino Community College District. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gallo is a Republican.
Pamela Kan, 47, of Walnut Creek, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Kan has held multiple positions at the Bishop Wisecarver Corporation since 1991, including president, corporate programs director and assistant general manager. She served in multiple positions at Carter Hawley Hale from 1987 to 1991, including department manager and buyer. Kan has been a member of the Seven Hills School Board since 2011 and a member of the National Association of Manufacturers Board of Directors since 2004. She has been a member of Women Impacting Public Policy since 2010 and a member of the Industrial Association of Contra Costa County since 2007. Kan has been a member of the Womens’ President Organization since 2007 and is chair of the California Manufacturers and Technology Association, where she has been a member since 2007. Kan has been a member of the Power Transmission Distributor Association since 2004 and a member of the Association of High Technology Distributors since 2004. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Kan is a Republican.
Ro Khanna, 35, of Fremont, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Khanna has been of counsel for Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati since 2011 and was deputy assistant secretary at the United States Department of Commerce from 2009 to 2011. He was counsel at O’Melveny and Myers from 2004 to 2009. Khanna is a visiting lecturer at the Stanford University Department of Economics. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Khanna is a Democrat.
Stephen Levy, 70, of Palo Alto, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Levy has been director and senior economist at the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy since 1969 and was an economist at the Stanford Research Institute from 1967 to 1969. He has been a member of the NOVA Workforce Board since 2000 and has been a member of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute Board of Trustees since 2010. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Levy is a Democrat.
James Mangia, 55, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Mangia has been president and chief executive officer at St. John’s Well Child and Family Center since 1993. He was director of programs at the AIDS Project of the East Bay from 1992 to 1998. Mangia currently serves as chair of the Compliance and Quality Committee for the Los Angeles Care Health Plan and is a member of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County Board of Directors. He is a member of the National Association of Community Health Centers and a member of the California Primary Care Association. Mangia is an advisor to the Let’s Get Healthy California Taskforce. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Mangia is registered decline-to-state.
Lisa Mortenson, 40, of Encinitas, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Mortenson has been chief executive officer at American Biodiesel, Inc. dba Community Fuels since 2005. She held multiple positions at the Ceridian Corporation from 2000 to 2005, including regional vice president of business development and major accounts representative. Mortenson served in multiple positions at Unum Group from 1993 to 2000, including national practice consultant, group sales representative and individual sales representative. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Mortenson is a Democrat.
Nathan Nayman, 59, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Nayman has been head of state and local relations in California for Visa Inc. since 2008. He was executive director at the Committee on Jobs from 2000 to 2008 and was regional vice president at the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California from 1992 to 2000. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Nayman is a Democrat.
Henry R. Perea, 60, of Fresno, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Perea has served as supervisor of Fresno County since 2004 and has been director of classified personnel at the Madera Unified School District since 2008. He was director of classified personnel at the Sanger Unified School District from 1998 to 2007 and senior principle analyst at the County of Fresno Health Services, Management Division from 1996 to 1998. Perea was director of personnel at the County of Fresno Valley Medical Center from 1988 to 1996 and was senior personnel analyst at the County of Fresno Personnel Department from 1977 to 1988. He was a member of the Fresno City Council from 1997 to 2003 and a member of the Fresno County Office of Education Board of Directors from 1991 to 1996. Perea is also a member of the California State Association of Counties Board of Directors. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Perea is a Democrat.
Robert Redlo, 59, of Hercules, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Redlo has been vice president of patient relations, labor relations and workforce development at Doctors Medical Center since 2012. He held various positions at Kaiser Permanente from 1997 to 2012, including director of national workforce planning and development and director of human resources. He was chair of the University of California, Berkeley, Institute for Research on Labor and Education from 1996 to 1997 and was director of workforce planning at the University of Albany, Rockefeller College from 1993 to 1996. Redlo has been a member of the California Hospital Association since 2009 and a member of the Hercules Middle/High School Site Council since 2008. He has been a member of the Hercules Chamber of Commerce since 2011 and a member of the Hercules Education Foundation since 2010. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Redlo is a Democrat.
Richard Rubin, 72, of Mill Valley, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board, where he has served since 2007. Rubin has been president at Richard A. Rubin Associates Inc. since 1987. He was director of government relations and strategic planning at AC Transit from 1984 to 1986 and was president at Strategic Communication Services Inc. from 1981 to 1984. Rubin was director of government and public relations at J. Walter Thompson Advertising from 1976 to 1979 and director at the Navajo Nation Office of Congressional Affairs from 1974 to 1976. He served as vice chair of the California Small Business Board and vice president of the California State Bar Board of Governors. Rubin served as president of the Berkeley Repertory Theater Board of Trustees and was a member of the Kenyon College Board of Trustees. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rubin is a Democrat.
Alma Salazar, 38, of Long Beach, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Salazar has held multiple positions at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Unite-LA since 2002, including vice president of education and workforce development, director of education and workforce development and area facilitator. She was an administrative analyst at the Los Angeles County Office of Education from 1998 to 2000 and case manager and administrative aide at the Family and Youth STARS Program from 1996 to 1998. Salazar has been a board member of the Coalition for Human Rights of Los Angeles since 2011 and a member of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles since 2010. She earned a Doctor of Education degree from the California State University, Long Beach. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Salazar is a Democrat.
Hermelinda Sapien, 69, of San Jose, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Sapien has held multiple positions at the Center for Employment Training since 1968, including president, chief executive office, director and manager. She currently serves as chair of La Cooperativa Campesina de California and is a member of the National Skills Coalition. Sapien is a member of the Association of Farm Worker Opportunity Programs and the American Leadership Forum – Silicon Valley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Sapien is a Democrat.
Anette Smith-Dohring, 47, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Smith-Dohring has been workforce development manager at Sutter Health Sacramento, Sierra Region since 1998. She serves as chair of the California Hospital Association Workforce Committee, where she has been a member since 2007. Smith-Dohring has been a member of Sacramento Works Inc. since 2005 and an oversight committee member at the California Community College Health Workforce Initiative since 2001. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Smith-Dohring is registered decline-to-state.
Abby Snay, 61, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Snay has held multiple positions at Jewish Vocational Services since 1975, including executive director, assistant director, and part time councilor. She is a member of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee for the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families and a member of the National Council for Workforce Education Board of Directors. Snay is a member of the California Workforce Development Healthcare Committee and of the National Skills Coalition Board of Directors. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Snay is a Democrat.
Bruce Stenslie, 55, of Ojai, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Stenslie has been president and chief executive officer at the Economic Development Collaborative, Ventura County since 2007. He was deputy director at the California Workforce Association from 2006 to 2007 and was executive director of the Workforce Investment Board for the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office from 2004 to 2006. Stenslie served in multiple positions for the County of Ventura from 1995 to 2004, including executive director of the Workforce Investment Board, deputy director of the Human Services Agency, program management analyst, interim executive director and policy director of the Job Training and Policy Council. He was executive director at the Candelaria American Indian Council from 1988 to 2005 and has been a commissioner for First 5 Ventura County since 2009. Stenslie is a member of the California Association of Local Economic Development Executive Committee, the Community Action Ventura County Board of Directors and the California Enterprise Development Authority Board of Directors. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Stenslie is a Democrat.
Joseph Williams, 36, of Redlands, has been appointed to the California Workforce Investment Board. Williams has been chief executive officer at Youth Action Project since 2007. He was a re-entry coordinator and employment service specialist at the County of San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office from 2004 to 2007 and was an employment service specialist at the County of San Bernardino Workforce Development Department from 2003 to 2004. Williams was an employment service analyst at the County of San Bernardino Workforce Investment Business Resource Office from 2002 to 2003. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Williams is a Democrat.