SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Nicolas T. Maduros, 49, of Davis, has been reappointed director at the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, where he has served since 2017. Maduros was chief of staff at the U.S. Small Business Administration from 2014 to 2017. He was president at Delta Policy Group from 2010 to 2014. Maduros was director and partner at Quinn Gillespie and Associates from 2000 to 2010. He was an associate at Arnold and Porter from 1998 to 2000. Maduros earned a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. Maduros was confirmed to this position by the Senate in 2018 and the compensation is $204,828. Maduros is a Democrat.
Jared A. Goldman, 48, of Napa, has been appointed general counsel at the California Health and Human Services Agency. Goldman has served as deputy director and chief counsel at the Department of Health Care Services since 2016. Goldman was a partner at Best, Best and Krieger LLP from 2012 to 2016. He served in several positions at the California Prison Health Care Receivership from 2006 to 2012, including chief counsel and staff counsel. Goldman was deputy county counsel at the Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office from 2001 to 2006. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $199,368. Goldman is a Democrat.
Sebastián Sánchez, 37, of Los Angeles, has been appointed associate secretary for farmworker liaison and immigrant services at the Labor and Workforce Development Agency. Sánchez has been staff attorney at Bet Tzedek Legal Services since 2015. He was staff attorney at California Rural Legal Assistance from 2014 to 2015. Sánchez held several positions at Make the Road New York from 2012 to 2014, including staff attorney, Berkeley Law Foundation fellow, and workplace justice advocate. He was a paralegal for the Immigrant Protection Unit at the New York Legal Assistance Group from 2007 to 2009. Sánchez is a member of the Mexican American Bar Association. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University Law School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $141,120. Sánchez is a Democrat.
Miranda Flores, 37, of Folsom, has been appointed deputy secretary of legislation at the California Natural Resources Agency. Flores has been legislative director in the Office of State Assemblymember Bill Quirk since 2017, where she held several positions from 2012 to 2017, including interim chief of staff, legislative aide and executive assistant. She was executive assistant in the Office of State Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg from 2010 to 2012, office manager and scheduler in the Office of State Senator Jenny Oropeza from 2008 to 2010 and lead capitol security technician for the California State Senate Sergeant-at-Arms from 2003 to 2008. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $141,588. Flores is a Democrat.
Kenneth Holbrook, 42, of Roseville, has been appointed tribal advisor at the California Public Utilities Commission. Holbrook has been president at Native Forest Resources Inc. since 2019. He was executive director at Maidu Summit Consortium from 2012 to 2019. Holbrook is founding member and vice president at Tásmam Kojóm Foundation and chief information officer and director of the board at Native Land Trusts Council. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $109,356. Holbrook is a Democrat.
Gabriel R. Ravel, 37, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy secretary and general counsel at the Government Operations Agency. Ravel has been general counsel at the California Health and Human Services Agency since 2019, where he was acting general counsel in 2018. Ravel served as deputy director and general counsel at the California Department of Managed Health Care from 2014 to 2018. He held several positions at Covered California from 2011 to 2014, including attorney, acting general counsel and assistant general counsel. Ravel was an attorney at the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board from 2010 to 2011 and at the Northwest Justice Project in 2010. Ravel served as a law clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington from 2009 to 2010. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $189,852. Ravel is a Democrat.
Jennifer Bollinger, 38, of Sacramento, has been appointed chief counsel at the Department of General Services. Bollinger has served as assistant chief counsel at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services since 2018. She was board counsel at the California Fire and Rescue Training Authority from 2016 to 2019. Bollinger held several positions at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services from 2017 to 2018, including acting assistant chief counsel, senior counsel and acting contracts and procurement division chief. She was a financial services and business litigation attorney at LeClairRyan from 2015 to 2016. Bollinger was an attorney at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System from 2013 to 2015 and at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System from 2010 to 2013. Bollinger held several positions at Porter Scott Attorneys from 2008 to 2010, including litigation associate and legal intern. Bollinger earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $180,000. Bollinger is a Democrat.
Mona Smith Houston, 52, of Fontana, has been appointed warden of the California Institution for Men at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where she has been acting warden since 2019. Houston held several positions at the California Rehabilitation Center from 2010 to 2019, including chief deputy warden, correctional administrator, correctional health services administrator II, and correctional services administrator I. She held several positions at the California Institution for Men from 2002 to 2010 and from 1996 to 2000, including business manager II and accounting office supervisor. Houston held several positions at the Regional Accounting Office under the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 1991 to 1996 and from 2000 to 2002, including senior accounting officer specialist, accountant I supervisor, senior accountant clerk, and account clerk II. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $162,024. Houston is a Democrat.
Jeffrey W. Lynch, 52, of Cameron Park, has been appointed warden of California State Prison Sacramento at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where he has been acting warden since 2018 and has served in several positions there from 1994 to 2018, including chief deputy warden, associate warden, correctional captain, correctional counselor II supervisor, and correctional counselor. He was facility captain for the Classification Services Unit at the Division of Adult Institutions from 2010 to 2011. Lynch was a correctional officer at California State Prison, Corcoran from 1994 to 1996. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $162,024. Lynch is a Republican.
Kathleen Barajas, 59, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the State Independent Living Council. Barajas has been an accountant and web designer since 1985. She was an accountant at Busy Bee Trucking LLC from 2000 to 2003. Barajas was junior accountant at Victor Robinette CPA CVA CFP from 1999 to 2000. She was a student worker and typist at the Perez Medical Therapy Unit from 1984 to 1990. She is a member of the Personal Assistance Services Council, Ms. Wheelchair California Leadership Institute and California for Disability Rights Inc. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Barajas is a Democrat.
Dwight H. Bateman, 59, of Modesto, has been appointed to the State Independent Living Council. Bateman served in several positions at the Department of Rehabilitation from 2009 to 2020, including grant administrator, volunteer appeals board member and volunteer disaster services functional assessment service team member. He held several positions at the Disability Resources Agency for Independent Living from 1995 to 2007, including executive director, service provider and board member. Bateman is a member of the National Council on Independent Living and Stanislaus County In-Home Supportive Services Advisory Committee. He is chair of the Rehabilitation Appeals Board. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Bateman is a Democrat.
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