SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Robert Gower, 53, of Susanville, has been appointed warden at the California Correctional Center, Susanville, where he has served as acting warden since 2012. Gower served in multiple positions at High Desert State Prison from 2002 to 2012, including acting warden, chief deputy warden, correctional administrator, facility captain, correctional lieutenant and correctional counselor. He held multiple positions at the California Correctional Center, Susanville from 1986 to 2002, including correctional lieutenant, correctional sergeant and correctional officer. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $130,668. Gower is a Republican.
Christopher Conlin, 53, of San Diego, has been appointed deputy director at the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, Department of Parks and Recreation. Conlin was vice president of 3D Global Solutions Inc. from 2011 to 2012. He served as assistant chief of staff of operations at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Western Recruiting Region from 2008 to 2011 and was commanding officer of weapons and field training battalion at Camp Pendleton from 2006 to 2008. Conlin served at U.S. Joint Forces Command as deputy director, joint experimentation from 2005 to 2006 and director of multinational interagency implementation from 2003 to 2005. Conlin was commanding officer, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines for the First Marine Division from 2002 to 2003 and director of Marine Corps training at the Pacific Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado from 1999 to 2002. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $114,024. Conlin is registered decline-to-state.
Michael Wells, 54, of Sacramento, has been appointed undersecretary at the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Wells has served in multiple positions at the California Military Department since 1991, including deputy commander of the Youth and Community Programs Task Force, director of manpower and personnel, chief of logistics, legislative liaison to the director of governmental and international affairs, plans officer and chief of environmental programs. He has also served as commander of the 223rd Infantry Regiment and Camp, San Luis Obispo since 2011. Wells was chief of intelligence at the joint force headquarters of the California Military Department from 2009 to 2011 and chief of intelligence operations at NATO headquarters in Sarajevo from 2008 to 2009. He served as assistant chief of intelligence for the 40th Infantry Division at the Joint Training Base in Los Alamitos from 2006 to 2008 and commander of the 250th Military Intelligence Battalion at Camp Victory from 2004 to 2006. Wells served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1983 to 1991. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and a Master of Science degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $158,484. Wells is a Democrat.