SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Lisa Ann L. Mangat, 50, of Elk Grove, has been appointed Chief Deputy Director of Policy and Administration at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Mangat has served as Director at the California Department of Parks and Recreation since 2015, where she has held several positions since 2013, including Acting Director and Special Advisor to the Director. She was Program Budget Manager at the California Department of Finance from 2008 to 2013. Mangat was Principal Fiscal Consultant at the California State Assembly Republican Fiscal Office from 2005 to 2008. She was Senior Fiscal and Policy Analyst at the Legislative Analyst’s Office from 2002 to 2005. Mangat was Staff Budget Analyst at the California Department of Finance from 1999 to 2002. Mangat earned a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $193,524. Mangat is registered without party preference.
Lori A. Nezhura, 55, of Rancho Cordova, has been appointed Deputy Director of Planning, Preparedness and Prevention at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, where she has served as Legislative Coordination Manager since 2014. Nezhura held several positions at the California Student Aid Commission, including Customer Solutions and Training Manager from 2013 to 2014, Legislative Director and Legislative Liaison from 2009 to 2013 and Legislative, Policy and Financial Analyst from 2006 to 2009. Nezhura was a Teacher at a Carden Christian Academy from 1996 to 2006. She was an English as a Second Language Teacher in Saitama Prefecture, Japan from 1994 to 1996. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $161,220. Nezhura is registered without party preference.
Michelle H. Nguyen, 30, of Roseville, has been appointed Small Business Specialist, Northern Regional Advisor for the California Office of the Small Business Advocate at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Nguyen has served as Program Manager at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development since 2019, where she was Small Business Analyst from 2018 to 2019. She was International Special Projects Coordinator at the Los Rios Community College District’s Center for International Trade Development from 2013 to 2018. Nguyen earned a Master of Business Administration degree from California Southern University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $99,996. Nguyen is a Democrat.
Elizabeth Williamson, 31, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Strategic Initiatives at the California Natural Resources Agency, where she has served as Deputy Secretary of External Affairs since 2018. Williamson held multiple positions in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. from 2012 to 2018, including Deputy Director of External Affairs, External Affairs Coordinator and Constituent Affairs Representative. She served as Constituent Affairs Representative in the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010 and as an adjunct instructor at California State University, Sacramento from 2009 to 2010. She has been a pole vault coach at California State University, Sacramento since 2012. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $128,652. Williamson is a Democrat.
Andrea B. Ambriz, 36, of Los Angeles, has been appointed Deputy Secretary of External Affairs at the California Natural Resources Agency. Ambriz has been a Chief Operating Officer and a Consultant at River LA since 2019. She was Chief of Staff at SEIU Local 2015 from 2017 to 2019 and Deputy Director of Private Sector Engagement in the White House Office of Public Engagement from 2015 to 2016. She held multiple positions in the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 2011 to 2014, including Director of Policy and Strategic Engagement for the myRA Program in the Office of Domestic Finance, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs in the Office of Legislative Affairs, Special Assistant for Appropriations and International Affairs in the Office of Legislative Affairs and Consultant to the Office of Financial Education and Consumer Policy in the Office of Domestic Finance. Ambriz was a Strategic Planning Consultant for the San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks in 2010 and a Legislative Aide at the California State Legislature from 2005 to 2009. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $164,376. Ambriz is a Democrat.
Laura Rambin, 51, of Oakland, has been appointed to the California Building Standards Commission. Rambin has been Principal at Studio Bondy Architecture since 2013. She was an Architect at Starkweather Bondy Architecture from 2003 to 2013, an Architect at SMWM from 2000 to 2003 and a Designer at Michael Stanton Architecture from 1996 to 2000. Rambin is a member of the American Institute of Architects. She earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Rambin is a Democrat.
Rossana G. D’Antonio, 56, of Malibu, has been appointed to the Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. D’Antonio has been Deputy Director at the Los Angeles County Public Works Department since 2016, where she held multiple positions from 2001 to 2016, including Assistant Deputy Director and Principal Engineer. She holds dual registrations as a Civil and Geotechnical Engineer. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Industry Advisory Council at Cal Poly Pomona, Women’s Media Center – SheSource, and the Society of Women Engineers. D’Antonio earned a Master of Business Administration degree in leadership and organizational behavior from Pepperdine University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. D’Antonio is a Democrat.
Maria Preciosa S. Solacito, 53, of Palmdale, has been appointed to the California Veterinary Medical Board. Solacito has been Senior Veterinarian at the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control since 2013. She was a Shelter Veterinarian at the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control, Lancaster from 2008 to 2012. Solacito is a member of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association, Southern California Filipino Veterinary Medical Association, Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, California Animal Welfare Association and the Philippine Veterinary Medical Association. She earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of the Philippines, College of Veterinary Medicine. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Solacito is a Democrat.
Brenda Davis, 65, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Horse Racing Board. Davis has been Principal at the Brenda Davis Law Group since 2007. She was managing counsel at the California Farm Bureau Federation from 1999 to 2007. Davis was a Legislative Advocate and Negotiator in the Executive Office of the Attorney General at the California Department of Justice from 1996 to 1999. She is a member of the California State Bar, New Mexico State Bar, Mercy Foundation Board of Trustees, Forest Foundation Board of Directors, and the Arden-Arcade Community Planning Advisory Council. Davis earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Davis is a Republican.
Wendy Mitchell, 49, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Horse Racing Board, where she has served since 2019. Mitchell has been principal of WM Consulting Inc. since 2006. She served on the California Coastal Commission from 2011 to 2016 and the Los Angeles South Valley Area Planning Commission from 2009 to 2011. Mitchell was Vice President of Public Policy for the National Association of Women Business Owners from 2008 to 2010 and served on the Board of Directors for the California League of Conservation Voters from 2007 to 2018 and the Women’s Political Caucus in 2018. She was Chief of Staff for State Senator Denise Ducheny from 2003 to 2005. Mitchell earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Mitchell is a Democrat.
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