SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Serena McIlwain, 50, of Sacramento, has been appointed Undersecretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. McIlwain has been director of the Office of Continuous Improvement at the U.S Environmental Protection Agency since 2017. She was assistant regional administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 from 2014 to 2017, deputy assistant secretary and chief operating officer of the Office of Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy from 2011 to 2014, where she was director of the Office of Business Partners from 2009 to 2011, and director for workforce planning and management in the Office of the Architect of the U.S. Capitol from 2003 to 2009. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree from George Mason University and a Master of Science in Administration degree from Central Michigan University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $195,000. McIlwain is a Democrat.
Val Dolcini, 56, of Washington, D.C., has been appointed Deputy Secretary for Agriculture at the California Environmental Protection Agency. Dolcini has been president and chief executive officer at Pollinator Partnership since 2017. He was administrator for the Farm Service Agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2014 to 2017, where he was state executive director for California from 2009 to 2014. Dolcini was a senior manager at Accenture LLC from 2004 to 2009, policy director in the Office of Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante from 2003 to 2004 and deputy legislative secretary in the Office of Governor Gray Davis from 2001 to 2002. He was a legislative assistant and district chief of staff in the Office of Congressman Vic Fazio from 1995 to 1999, and a legislative assistant in the Office of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi from 1994 to 1995. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Golden Gate University School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $155,004. Dolcini is a Democrat.
Patricia Monahan, 55, of Berkeley, has been appointed to the California Energy Commission. Monahan has been transportation program director at the Energy Foundation since 2010. She held various positions at the Union of Concerned Scientists from 2001 to 2010, including director of the California Office, deputy director of clean vehicles, and senior analyst. Monahan worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, as lead for the Toxic Release Inventory Program from 1997 to 2001 and as an environmental protection specialist from 1990 to 1992. She was a research associate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory International Studies Program from 1992 to 1994. Monahan earned a Master of Science degree in energy analysis and policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $153,689. Monahan is a Democrat.
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