Governor Newsom Announces Appointments 1.6.21

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SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Paul G. Dixon, 65, of Sacramento, has been appointed State Printer at the Department of General Services, where he has served as Assistant Deputy Director of Operations at the Facility Management Division since 2018. Dixon was Project Architect at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group Facilities Solutions from 2015 to 2018. He was Director of Facilities and Operations at the San Lorenzo Unified School District from 2012 to 2015. Dixon was Project Architect at MWA Architects from 2011 to 2012. He was a Project Architect at LPAS from 2007 to 2011. Dixon was Construction Administrator at SKW Architects from 2003 to 2007. He earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Oregon. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $148,236. Dixon is a Democrat.

Severin Borenstein, 64, of Orinda, has been reappointed to the California Independent System Operator Board of Governors, where he has served since 2019. Borenstein has been E.T. Grether Professor of Business Administration and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business since 2021, where he has served as a Professor since 1996. He was Associate and Full Professor at the University of California, Davis Department of Economics from 1989 to 1996, Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Department of Economics from 1983 to 1989 and Staff Economist at the United States Civil Aeronautics Board from 1978 to 1979. He served on the California Air Resources Board’s Emissions Market Assessment Committee from 2011 to 2013, chaired the California Energy Commission’s Petroleum Market Advisory Committee from 2015 to 2017 and served on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Advisory Committee from 2015 to 2020. Borenstein earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $40,000. Borenstein is a Democrat.

Jan Schori, 68, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the California Independent System Operator Board of Governors, where she has served since 2021. Schori was a member of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation Board of Trustees from 2009 to 2021. She was Of Counsel at Downey Brand LLP from 2008 to 2012. She held multiple positions at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District from 1979 to 2008, including Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, General Counsel, Assistant General Counsel and Attorney. Schori earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $40,000. Schori is a Democrat.

Diane Fellman, 71, of San Francisco, has been reappointed to the California Wildfire Safety Advisory Board, where she has served since 2019. Fellman was a Public Utility Regulatory Specialist at the California Public Utilities Commission from 2017 to 2018. She was Vice President of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs for the Western Region at NRG Energy Inc. from 2010 to 2017, Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs for NextEra Energy Resources Inc. from 2004 to 2010 and an Attorney in Private Practice from 1986 to 2004. Fellman was Legal Counsel at the California Public Utilities Commission from 1983 to 1986 and a Hearing Officer and Officer Manager at the California Energy Commission from 1977 to 1983. Fellman earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $400 per diem. Fellman is a Democrat.

Alexandra Syphard, 51, of La Mesa, has been reappointed to the California Wildfire Safety Advisory Board, where she has served since 2019. Syphard has been Adjunct Professor in the Geography Department at San Diego State University since 2011 and an Associate at the Conservation Biology Institute since 2018. She was a Chief Scientist at Vertus Wildfire Insurance Holdings LLC from 2018 to 2021 and a Senior Research Scientist at the Conservation Biology Institute from 2007 to 2018. She was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, SILVIS Lab in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology from 2005 to 2007 and a Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology at San Diego State University from 2007 to 2008. Syphard earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geography from San Diego State University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, a Master of Science degree in Environmental Studies from the Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Public Health degree from the Medical College of Virginia. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $400 per diem. Syphard is a Democrat.

Cynthia Glover Woods, 53, of Eastvale, has been reappointed to the State Board of Education, where she has served since 2020. Woods was Chief Academic Officer at the Riverside County Office of Education from 2016 to 2021, where she was Senior Leadership Associate from 2013 to 2016. She held multiple positions at the Alvord Unified School District from 2002 to 2013, including Assistant Superintendent, Director of Elementary Education, Coordinator of Professional Development and Elementary Principal. Woods held multiple positions at the Compton Unified School District from 1990 to 2002, including Elementary Principal, Language Arts Curriculum Specialist and Teacher. Woods is a member of the California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators and Association of California School Administrators. She earned a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University, a Master of Education degree in Educational Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Woods is a Democrat.

Catherine Bando, 66, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Catastrophe Response Council, where she has served since 2019. Bando has been Executive Director at the California Statewide Communities Development Authority since 2014 and has been Principal at Bando Public Finance since 2012. Bando was Director at Citigroup Global Markets from 2010 to 2011. She was Partner at Greencoast Capital Partners from 2009 to 2010. Bando was Managing Director at J.P. Morgan in 2008 and at RBC Capital Markets from 1990 to 2008. Bando earned a Master of Business Administration degree from American University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Bando is a Democrat.

Paul Rosenstiel, 71, of San Francisco, has been reappointed to the California Catastrophe Response Council, where he has served since 2019. Rosenstiel was Special Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom from 2019 to 2020. He was a member of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System Teachers’ Retirement Board from 2011 to 2019. Rosenstiel was Special Advisor to the Alameda County Treasurer and Tax Collector from 2017 to 2019. He was Managing Director at Stifel from 2014 to 2015 and Deputy Treasurer at the California State Treasurer’s Office from 2007 to 2009. Rosenstiel was Managing Director and Manager at De La Rosa and Company from 1995 to 2005 and 2009 to 2014. He was Policy Director at Westly for Governor from 2005 to 2006. Rosenstiel was Vice President of Public Finance at Dean Witter Reynolds from 1983 to 1986 and at The First Boston Corporation from 1986 to 1995. He was an Economist at Recht Hausrath and Associates from 1979 to 1981. Rosenstiel earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Rosenstiel is a Democrat.

Rhoda Rossman, 63, of Albany, has been reappointed to the California Catastrophe Response Council, where she has served since 2019. Rossman has been an Independent Trustee of the Matthews Asia Funds since 2006. She was a Fixed Income Specialist at Cypress Wealth Advisors from 2017 to 2018 and held several positions at PMI Mortgage Insurance from 1997 to 2010, including Corporate Investment Officer, Treasurer and Portfolio Manager. Rossman was Portfolio Manager at Montgomery Asset Management from 1995 to 1996, Vice President at the Wells Fargo Bank Investment Management Group from 1993 to 1995 and Assistant Portfolio Manager at RCM Capital Management from 1993 to 1995. She was a Credit Analyst and Portfolio Manager at Benham Capital Management from 1985 to 1987 and Assistant Vice President and Underwriter at AMBAC Municipal Bond Insurance from 1983 to 1985. Rossman earned a Master of Public Administration degree in Public Finance from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Rossman is a Democrat.

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