SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Diane Wittenberg, 68, of San Marino, has been appointed to the California State Park and Recreation Commission. Wittenberg was executive director at the California Plug-in Electric Vehicle Collaborative from 2010 to 2012. She was executive director at the Climate Registry from 2007 to 2010 and president of the California Climate Action Registry from 2001 to 2006. Wittenberg held multiple positions at Edison International from 1985 to 2000, including vice president of corporate communications, president of Edison EV, president of the Edison Utility Alliances and vice president of corporate communications at Southern California Edison. She is a member of the Partners in Care Foundation Board of Directors. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Wittenberg is a Democrat.
Elva Yanez, 60, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California State Park and Recreation Commission, where she has served since 2011. Yanez has been president of ColibriStrategies Inc. since 2009 and project director at the California Community Foundation from 2008 to 2009. She was director of the Audubon Center at Debs Park from 2006 to 2008, with responsibility for nature-based education and community programs. Yanez held multiple positions at the Trust for Public Land from 2004 to 2006, including director of local government relations and director of the Center for Parks and Health. She held multiple positions at the Praxis Project from 2002 to 2004, including policy director and deputy director. Yanez earned a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Southern California. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Yanez is a Democrat.
Debra J. Alviso, 50, of Fresno, has been appointed to the Physical Therapy Board of California, where she has served since 2006. Alviso has been owner and physical therapist at New Horizon Physical Therapy since 1994. She is a member of the California Physical Therapy Association and the American Physical Therapy Association. Alviso earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Alviso is a Republican.
Alicia Rabena-Amen, 45, of Stockton, has been appointed to the Physical Therapy Board of California. Rabena-Amen has been adjunct faculty at the University of the Pacific since 2014, a physical therapist at Infinity Care Services Inc. since 2011 and senior physical therapist at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento since 1998. Rabena-Amen was a physical therapist at Global Healthcare Services from 2013 to 2014 and was a physical therapist at Lodi Memorial Hospital from 2007 to 2013. She earned a Master of Arts degree in physical therapy from Mount St. Mary’s College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rabena-Amen is a Democrat.
Steve Sopkin, 54, of Upland, has been appointed to the California Alarm Company Operator Disciplinary Review Committee. Sopkin has been president at Mijac Alarm since 1981 and a security consultant at the Gerson Lehrman Group since 2009. Sopkin is a member of the California Alarm Association and the Inland Empire Alarm Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Sopkin is a Republican.