SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Ida Antoniolli Clair, 56, of Elk Grove, has been appointed State Architect at the Department of General Services, Division of the State Architect, where she has served as Acting State Architect since 2019 and Principal Architect since 2016. Clair was Senior Architect at the Department of General Services from 2013 to 2016. She was Project Manager at Cynthia Easton Architects from 1999 to 2013. Clair was Project Architect at Itaya-Espalin and Associates Inc from 1990 to 1997. She is a member of the Association of Women in Water, Energy and Environment, the 2021 vice president/president-elect of the American Institute of Architects Central Valley and co-founder of the Certified Access Specialist Institute. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $182,964. Clair is a Democrat.
Geneva E. Thompson, 31, of Arcata, has been appointed Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs at the California Natural Resources Agency. Thompson is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and has been Associate General Counsel at the Yurok Tribe since 2019. She held multiple positions at Wishtoyo Foundation from 2016 to 2019, including Staff Attorney and Legal Fellow. Thompson is a board member of the National Native American Bar Association and former chair of its Young Lawyers Committee. She is a member of the American Bar Association and a member and past president of the California Indian Law Association. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $135,000. Thompson is a Democrat.
Nancy L. Vogel, 53, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Secretary for Water at the California Natural Resources Agency, where she has been Director of the Governor’s Water Portfolio Program since 2019 and was Deputy Secretary of Communications from 2015 to 2017. Vogel was Director of Communications at Resources Legacy Fund from 2017 to 2019, Assistant Director of Public Affairs at the California Department of Water Resources from 2012 to 2015 and Principal Consultant at the California Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes from 2008 to 2012. She was a Staff Writer at the Los Angeles Times from 2000 to 2008 and at The Sacramento Bee from 1991 to 2000. Vogel earned a Master of Arts degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $168,000. Vogel is a Democrat.
Chris Walter, 48, of Rancho Palos Verdes, has been reappointed Deputy Administrator at the Veterans Home of California, West Los Angeles, where he has served in that position since 2015. He has been a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army and the California Army National Guard since 2019, where he served in several roles from 1989 to 2016, including Infantry Battalion Commander, Officer and Enlisted Soldier. Walter was Vice President of Logistics and Military Liaison at the Special Olympics World Games in 2015. He was a Systems, Test and Project Engineer at Northrop Grumman Information Systems from 2006 to 2015. Walter was a Systems Integration Engineer at CACI Inc. from 2000 to 2006. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $141,588. Walter is registered without party preference.
Lori J. Templeton, 51, of Yountville, has been appointed Home Administrator at the Veterans Home of California, Redding. She has served as Director of Residential Services at the Veterans Home of California, Yountville since 2020. She was a Liaison Officer in Southern California with Work for Warriors at the California Military Department from 2019 to 2020. Templeton was Deputy Commander of the Soldier Incentives Assistance Center at the California Military Department from 2017 to 2019. She was a Company Commander at the California Army National Guard from 2014 to 2016 and 2018 to 2020. Templeton was Training, Assessment, Counseling Officer at the Oakland Military Institute from 2013 to 2016. She was a Middle School Teacher and Community Day School Supervisor at Red Bluff Unified Elementary School District from 2006 to 2013. Templeton has served in the Reserve Army National Guard since 2010. Templeton earned a Master of Education degree from Simpson University. She is a member of the National Guard Association of California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $138,648. Templeton is a Democrat.
Kathleen M. Otermat, 63, of Georgetown, has been appointed Administrative Assistant to the Secretary and the Undersecretary at the Government Operations Agency. Otermat has been an Executive Assistant at the California Department of Motor Vehicles since 2019. She was an Executive Assistant and Clerk of the Board for the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board from 2016 to 2019. Otermat was a Program Technician III at the California Contractors State License Board from 2015 to 2016. She was a Project Manager for Apple Computer Inc. from 2001 to 2006. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $86,880. Otermat is a Democrat.
Alana G. Troutt, 52, of Carmichael, has been appointed Deputy Secretary for External Affairs at the California Government Operations Agency. Troutt has served as a Special Consultant at the Government Operations Agency since 2019. She was Policy Director at the Office of Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer from 2015 to 2019. Troutt was a Senior Consultant at the Office of Senator Holly Mitchell from 2013 to 2015 and at the Office of Senator Curren Price from 2012 to 2013. Troutt was Principal at the Troutt Group LLC from 2007 to 2012. She was Executive Vice President at VoicePlate LLC from 2010 to 2012. Troutt was a Principal Consultant at the Office of Assemblymember Mervyn Dymally from 2004 to 2006. She was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Turning Point Communications from 2001 to 2004. Troutt was an Adjunct Professor at the Universidad Metropolitana from 2000 to 2001. She was an Elementary School Teacher for the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education from 1988 to 1996. Troutt is treasurer of the Rio Americano High School PTSA and a board member at Healthy African American Families. Troutt earned a Master of Business Administration degree in accounting from Universidad Metropolitana. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $151,728.
Scott W. Adams, 50, of San Rafael, has been appointed Deputy Director of Broadband and Digital Literacy at the California Department of Technology. He was Scholar in Residence at the Rebuild NorthBay Foundation in 2020. Adams has been a Public Affairs Consultant at Scott Adams Consulting since 2018 and from 2008 to 2010. Adams was Director of Governmental and External Affairs at Comcast from 2010 to 2018. He was Outreach Director for the “California’s Water: A Crisis We Can’t Ignore” campaign in 2007. Adams was Statewide Political Director on the Yes on Proposition 87, Clean Alternative Energy Initiative Campaign in 2006. He was a Field Representative in the Office of Assemblymember Joseph Canciamilla from 2003 to 2005. Adams is a board member of the San Francisco Asian Pacific American Heritage Foundation. He earned a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $141,588. Adams is a Democrat.
James “Jim” A. Bumgardner, 58, of Los Angeles, has been appointed Senior Engineer at the Office of Digital Innovation. Bumgardner has been a Full-Stack Engineer Contractor since 2020. He was Director of Application Development and Principal Senior Software Engineer at Walt Disney Imagineering from 2010 to 2020. Bumgardner was a Senior Front End Developer at Yahoo! from 2006 to 2008. He was Principal Software Engineer at Aptiv Digital from 2002 to 2006. He was Chief Technology Officer at Palace.Com from 1996 to 1998. Bumgardner was a Technical Producer for Time Warner Interactive from 1990 to 1996. Bumgardner is a member of Spec LA. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $147,576. Bumgardner is a Democrat.
Jeffery R. Marino, 39, of Los Angeles, has been appointed Insights Program Manager at the Office of Digital Innovation. Marino has served as Insights Product Lead at the Office of Digital Innovation since 2020. He has been a Columnist at the Boulevard Sentinel since 2015 and Head of Research and Development for Symbihom since 2019. He was Senior Content Lead and Data Journalist at ZipRecruiter from 2018 to 2019. Marino was Insights and Communications Lead at Redfin from 2014 to 2017. He was an Editor at First Tuesday from 2010 to 2014. Marino earned a Master of Arts degree in literature and critical theory from the University of California, Santa Cruz. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $146,000. Marino is registered without party preference.
David M. Chriss, 61, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director for the Office of Internal Affairs at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Chriss was Chief of the Division of Investigation at the California Department of Consumer Affairs from 2016 to 2020, where he served as Deputy Chief from 2012 to 2015, Supervising Investigator I from 2005 to 2007 and Senior Investigator from 2004 to 2005. He held several positions at the Office of the Inspector General from 2007 to 2012, including Senior Deputy Inspector General and Deputy Inspector General. He was Senior Special Investigator for the California Department of Social Services from 2000 to 2004. Chriss was a Police Sergeant and Supervising Investigator at the Lincoln Police Department from 1997 to 2000. He was an Investigator at the Medical Board of California in 1997. Chriss is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association and the California Peace Officers’ Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,092. Chriss is a Democrat.
Christopher J. Christophersen Sr., 60, of Tracy, has been reappointed to the California Apprenticeship Council, where he has served since 2014. Christophersen has been Business Manager at the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 16 Northern California since 2002. He was President of the Auto, Marine and Specialty Painters Local 1176 from 1998 to 2002 and an Apprentice-Journeyman at Forman Automotive Painter from 1980 to 1998. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Christophersen is a Democrat.
Don Scott Gordon, 60, of Lake Forest, has been reappointed to the California Apprenticeship Council, where he has served since 2010. Gordon has been Executive Director of the Laborers Training and Retraining Trust of Southern California since 2001. He was Operations Manager at Hardy and Harper from 1996 to 2001 and District Manager at the Associated General Contractors of California from 1994 to 1995. Gordon is a member of the California Education Foundation Board. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gordon is a Democrat.
Charles V. Martin III, 49, of Newport Beach, has been reappointed to the California Apprenticeship Council, where he has served since 2013. Martin has been Owner of Martin Consulting Services since 2011 and Executive Director at the Finishing Contractors Association of Southern California since 2009, at the California Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association since 2005 and at the Air Conditioning and Sheet Metal Association, Los Angeles and Kern County since 2016. Martin was a Professional Trustee at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 441 from 2007 to 2013, Executive Director of the California Landscape and Irrigation Council from 2007 to 2012 and Vice President at McMorgan and Company from 2000 to 2005. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Martin is a Republican.
Larry L. Hopkins, 59, of Riverside, has been appointed to the California Apprenticeship Council. Hopkins has been Director of Training at Operating Engineers Training Trust since 2013, where he has held several positions from 1997 to 2013, including Instructor, Training Coordinator and Assistant Director of Training. He is a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 12. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Hopkins is a Democrat.
Frank J. Quintero III, 75, of Glendale, has been reappointed to the California Apprenticeship Council, where he has served since 2013. Quintero served in multiple positions for the City of Glendale from 2001 to 2014, including Mayor and City Council Member. He was Director of the Alliance for Education from 1976 to 2002. He served on the California Workforce Investment Board from 1999 to 2010. He served with the 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Quintero is a Democrat.
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