SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Jemahl Ämen, 50, of Sacramento, has been reappointed Deputy Director of the Facility Management Division at the California Department of General Services, where he has served in that position since 2016. He has held multiple positions at the California Department of General Services, including Deputy Director for Legislative Affairs from 2013 to 2015 and Acting Deputy Director for the Real Estate Services Division from 2015 to 2016. Ämen was California Director of Outreach at the Center for Responsible Lending from 2008 to 2013, Northern California Program Director at American Sunrise Communities from 2007 to 2008 and a Consultant for California State Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez from 2004 to 2007. Ämen served as a Special Assistant in the Office of California State Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson from 2001 to 2004, where he served as a Legislative Assistant from 1998 to 2001. He was a Consultant for the California State Assembly Governmental Organization Committee from 2000 to 2001. Ämen earned a Master of Science degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $158,628. Ämen is a Democrat.
Monica Hassan, 38, of Sacramento, has been reappointed Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the California Department of General Services, where she has served in that position since 2017. Hassan was Director of External Affairs at California Volunteers from 2014 to 2017. She held several positions at the California Department of General Services from 2012 to 2014, including Information Officer I and Staff Services Manager I. Hassan was an Associate Governmental Program Analyst at the California Employment Development Department from 2009 to 2012, where she served as Research Analyst in 2009. Hassan held several positions at the California Department of Justice from 2001 to 2008, including Research Analyst and Staff Services Analyst. She earned a Master of Science degree in Communication and Public Relations from Purdue University. Hassan is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, the California Association of Public Information Officials, the National Association of Government Communicators, the Public Relations Society of America and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $130,788. Hassan is registered without party preference.
Robert Ramirez, 40, of Orangevale, has been appointed Chief at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Office of Labor Relations. Ramirez has been Labor Relations Manager II at California Correctional Health Care Services since 2020. He was Acting Human Resources Chief at the California Prison Industry Authority in 2020. Ramirez held several positions in the Office of Labor Relations at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation between 2011 and 2020, including Labor Relations Manager I, Staff Services Manager I and Labor Relations Specialist. He held several positions at the Office of Human Resources at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation between 2007 and 2011, including Associate Personnel Analyst and Associate Governmental Program Analyst. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $140,676. Ramirez is a Republican.
Justin Huft, 31, of Colton, has been appointed to the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Huft has been a Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Program Director at Creative Care Calabasas since 2016, Adjunct Lecturer for the Psychology and Sociology Departments at California State University, Fullerton since 2016 and Adjunct Lecturer for the Psychology Department at El Camino Community College since 2018. He was an Adjunct Lecturer in Psychological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine from 2019 to 2020, and in Psychology at Saddleback College from 2016 to 2018. He is a member of the California Marriage and Family Therapy Association, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, American Sociological Association and Pacific Sociological Association. Huft earned a Master of Arts degree in marriage and family therapy from Chapman University and a Master of Arts degree in sociology from Arizona State University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Huft is a Democrat.
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