SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.
Aaron Carruthers, 41, of Sacramento, has been appointed chief deputy director of the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Carruthers served as chief deputy director of the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission from 2011 to 2014 and served in multiple positions at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2008 to 2011, including chief deputy director of the Division of Correctional Health Care Services and special advisor. He was a principal consultant at the Office of California State Senator Darrell Steinberg from 2006 to 2008 and was a consultant for the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission in 2006. Carruthers was a speechwriter and spokesperson at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2002 to 2006 and served in multiple positions at the Office of California State Assemblymember Liz Figueroa from 1997 to 2002, including legislative aide, director of field operations and district representative. He was a fellow in the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs from 1996 to 1997. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $111,900. Carruthers is a Democrat.
Diane Cummings, 62, of Citrus Heights, has been appointed chief credit officer at the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, where she has been senior loan officer since 2007 and was loan officer from 2006 to 2007. Cummings held multiple positions at the Western Sierra Bank from 2003 to 2005, including assistant vice president, senior government products underwriter and interim department manager. She was assistant vice president and approval officer at Bank of America from 2001 to 2003 and held multiple positions at First Union Small Business Capital from 1995 to 2001, including assistant vice president, employee development coordinator and senior commercial loan officer. Cummings was an associate governmental program analyst at the California Integrated Waste Management Board from 1993 to 1995, associate development specialist at the California Trade and Commerce Agency in 1993 and commercial loan officer and franchise loan officer at the Money Store Investment Corporation from 1990 to 1993. Cummings was a loan officer for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Disaster Assistance Program in 1990 and 1994 and held multiple positions at Bank of America from 1974 to 1989, including financial services officer, assistant to the branch manager, real estate loan processor, assistant to the operations officer, internal branch auditor and compliance officer. She earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100,008. Cummings is registered without party preference.
Linda Smith, 61, of Claremont, has been appointed to the California State Assistance Fund for Enterprise, Business and Industrial Development Corporation Board of Directors. Smith has been founder and president of Four-D College since 1992. She was regional director of quality assurance at ARA Living Centers from 1988 to 1992, an independent nurse consultant from 1988 to 1989 and director of nurses at Country Villa North Healthcare Center in 1988. Smith was director of nurses at Care Enterprises from 1986 to 1988, public health clinic supervisor for the County of San Bernardino from 1982 to 1986, team leader at Casa Colina Hospital for Rehabilitation Medicine from 1984 to 1985 and nurse admissions coordinator at the Chino Community Hospital from 1981 to 1983. Smith is a member of the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House Board of Trustees, the National Association of Women Business Owners, Inland Empire Chapter Board of Directors and the National Council of Negro Women, Inland Empire Chapter. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the La Salle University School of Business. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Smith is a Democrat.