Governor Newsom Announces Appointments 8.3.20


SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Nolice J. Edwards, 63, of Sacramento, has been appointed senior advisor at the Government Operations Agency. Edwards has served as chief of the Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation since 2015. She was deputy assistant secretary in the Office of External Communications at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2012 to 2015. Edwards was chief of staff at Service Employees International Union Local 1000 from 2010 to 2012. She was chief of staff in the Office of California State Assembly Speaker Karen Bass from 2004 to 2010. Edwards was a lobbyist at Aaron Read and Associates from 2003 to 2004. She was deputy legislative secretary in the Office of Governor Gray Davis from 1999 to 2003. Edwards was chief of staff in the Office of California State Assemblymember Carl Washington from 1996 to 1999 and in the Office of California State Assemblymember Diane Martinez from 1993 to 1996. Edwards was a lobbyist at the Peace Officers Research Association of California from 1983 to 1993. She is chair of the Sacramento Women and Girls Advancement Coalition. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $165,000. Edwards is a Democrat.

Shlomo Melmed, 72, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee, where he has served since 2010. Melmed has been dean and executive vice president at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center since 1998. He is a member of the Pituitary Society, Endocrine Society, Association of American Physicians, American College of Physicians and American Society for Clinical Investigation. Melmed earned a bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery (MB, ChB) degree from the University of Cape Town. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Melmed is registered without party preference.

Laura A. Mosqueda, 50, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee. Mosqueda has been dean at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine since 2018, where she was chair of family medicine and associate dean of primary care from 2014 to 2018. Mosqueda is a member of the Sigma XI Scientific Research Honor Society, American Academy of Family Practice, American Geriatrics Society and Gerontological Society of America. She earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Mosqueda is a Democrat.

Joseph D. Panetta, 66, of San Diego, has been reappointed to the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee, where he has served since 2014. Panetta has been president and chief executive officer at Biocom since 1999. He was vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs at Mycogen Corporation/ Dow AgroSciences from 1988 to 1999. Panetta is a member of the Genlantis Board of Directors. He earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Pittsburgh. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Panetta is a Republican

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