SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Edward D. Swenson, 59, of Palo Alto, has been appointed Assistant Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Swenson has been Senior Director of Service Logistics and Operations at Cisco since 2020, where he held several positions from 1991 to 2019, including Director, Manager and Engineer. He earned Master of Science degrees in Management and Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,572. Swenson is a Democrat.
Elizabeth “Lizzy” Williamson, 32, of Walnut Grove, has been appointed Strategic Initiatives and Policy Advisor at the California Department of General Services. Williamson has served at the California Natural Resources Agency since 2018, where she has held multiple positions, including Deputy Secretary for Strategic Initiatives and Deputy Secretary for External Affairs. 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 $145,008. Williamson is a Democrat.
Jose Francisco Escobedo, 60, of Bonita, has been appointed to the State Board of Education. Escobedo has been Executive Director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation since 2021. He was Superintendent for the Chula Vista Elementary School District from 2010 to 2021 and Assistant Superintendent for the South Bay Union School District from 2006 to 2010. Escobedo was Vice President of Achievement and Operations at Edison Schools Inc. from 2003 to 2006. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from San Diego State University and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from the University of California, San Diego. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Escobedo is registered without party preference.
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