SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Manuel Alvarez, 38, of Lafayette, has been appointed Commissioner of the California Department of Business Oversight. Alvarez has been general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary at Affirm Inc. since 2014. He was an enforcement attorney at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2011 to 2014, a deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2010 to 2011 and an associate at Dentons LLP from 2007 to 2010. Alvarez earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $191,109. Alvarez is a Democrat.
John “Bud” Colligan, 64, of Santa Cruz, has been appointed Senior Advisor for International Affairs and Trade in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Colligan was previously co-founder and co-chairman of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership from 2014 to 2019. He was a partner at Accel Partners from 1998 to 2015 and chief executive officer at Macromedia from 1989 to 1997. He held multiple positions at Apple from 1983 to 1988, including marketing analyst, international product manager-Macintosh and director of higher education marketing. Colligan earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is a stipend of $48,000. Colligan is a Democrat.
Isabel Guzman, 48, of La Crescenta, has been appointed Director of the Office of Small Business Advocate in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Guzman has been co-founder and director at GovContractPros, LLC since 2018 and an independent consultant working with client such as Larta Institute since 2017. She was deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Small Business Administration from 2014 to 2017 and director of strategic initiatives and advisor to founding chairwoman at ProAmerica Bank from 2009 to 2014. She was manager and advisor to founder at Illulian from 2003 to 2005, taking a sabbatical in 2004 to consult during the launch of Fortius Holdings. She served as a deputy appointments secretary in the Office of Governor Gray Davis from 2002 to 2003. She was studio manager and managing partner at Miauhaus Studios LLC from 1998 to 2002, continuing as managing partner through 2010. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $170,004. Guzman is a Democrat.
Toby Halvarson, 41, of Shingle Springs, has been appointed deputy director for legislation at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Halvarson has been legislative director in the Office of California State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson and principal consultant to the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management since 2016. He was counsel for the California State Senate Committee on Judiciary from 2013 to 2016 and judicial law clerk for the Honorable Edward M. Chen at the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California from 2012 to 2013. He was an attorney and advisor in the Office of the Solicitor for the U.S. Department of the Interior from 2003 to 2007. Halvarson was a member of the Coast Guard Reserve from 1998 to 2006. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Master of Arts degree in political philosophy from the Catholic University of America. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $129,600. Halvarson is a Democrat.
Michael Jani, 66, of Santa Cruz, has been reappointed to the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, where he has served since 2018. Jani has been senior forestry advisor at the Mendocino Redwood Company and the Humboldt Redwood Company since 2017, where he held several positions from 1999 to 2017, including president and chief forester. Jani held several positions at the Big Creek Lumber Company from 1975 to 1999, including chief forester and forester. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Jani is a Republican.
Darcy Wheeles, 44, of Alameda, has been reappointed to the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, where she has served since 2016. Wheeles has been a director at CEA Consulting since 2015, where she was a senior associate from 2005 to 2014 and an associate from 1998 to 2003. Wheeles was an urban planner for Pacific Municipal Consultants from 2003 to 2004, an independent consultant from 1997 to 1998 and program assistant for the Environmental Policy Center from 1996 to 1997. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Wheeles is registered without party preference.
Kim Perigo, 49, of San Diego, has been appointed to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors. Perigo has been a professor of communication studies at San Diego Mesa College since 2006 and a lecturer at San Diego State University from 2002 to 2005. She is a member of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges and the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. Perigo earned a Doctor of Education degree with an emphasis in community college leadership and a Master of Arts degree in communication from San Diego State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Perigo is a Democrat.
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