Governor Newsom Announces Appointments 2.8.22

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Jeanne Rizzo, 75, of Tiburon, has been appointed Chair of the California Environmental Safety Board. Rizzo was President and Chief Executive Officer for Breast Cancer Prevention Partners from 2001 to 2019 and Co-Chair of the Federal Advisory Committee for the Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee from 2010 to 2013. She served on and was Chair of the California Breast Cancer Research Program Council from 2008 to 2011. Rizzo was Owner of JR Productions and Great American Music Hall from 1972 to 2001. Rizzo is a member of the Seventh Generation Social Mission Board. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $171,590. Rizzo is a Democrat.

Sushma Bhatia, 43, of Cupertino, has been appointed to the California Environmental Safety Board. Bhatia has been Head of Strategy and Operations for Google since 2019. She was Business Strategy Senior Manager at Accenture from 2014 to 2019 and Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Dreeya from 2013 to 2016. Bhatia was Toxics Reduction Program Manager for the San Francisco Department of the Environment from 2011 to 2013, where she was Manager from 2003 to 2011. She was an Air Quality Engineer at BlueScape Environmental Inc. from 2001 to 2003. Bhatia earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $83,153. Bhatia is a Democrat.

Alexis Strauss Hacker, 65, of Piedmont, has been appointed to the California Environmental Safety Board. Hacker held several positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1979 to 2019, including Acting Regional Administrator, Deputy Regional Administrator, Director for Regional Water Division and Environmental Protection Specialist. Hacker is a member of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $83,153. Hacker is registered without party preference.

Xochitl Carrion, 42, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the California Law Revision Commission. Carrion has been Lead Attorney at the ALTO Alliance LLC since 2022, where she was a Staff Attorney from 2021 to 2022. Carrion was an Assistant District Attorney at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office from 2015 to 2021 and an Associate at Goldfarb & Lipman LLC from 2007 to 2015. Carrion earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Carrion is a Democrat.

David Huebner, 61, of Palm Springs, has been appointed to the California Law Revision Commission. Huebner has been an Arbitrator and Mediator, affiliated with JAMS, since 2017. He was a Partner at Arnold & Porter from 2014 to 2016. Huebner served as U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and the Independent State of Samoa from 2009 to 2014. He was a Partner at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP from 2005 to 2009. Huebner was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law from 1999 to 2007. He was a Partner at Coudert Brothers from 1992 to 2005, where he also served as its Chairman and CEO. Huebner earned a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Huebner is a Democrat.

Mohamed Abousalem, 54, of San Jose, has been appointed to the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Abousalem has been Vice President for Research and Innovation at San Jose State University since 2019. He was Assistant Vice Chancellor of Research for Industry Alliances and Tech Commercialization at the University of Santa Cruz from 2016 to 2019. Abousalem was Chief Executive Officer at Tecterra Inc. from 2010 to 2016. He held several positions at Hemisphere GPS from 2010 to 2017, including Vice President of Corporate Development and Human Resources and Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. Abousalem held several positions at Magellan Corporation between 1998 and 2007, including Senior Director of OEM Solutions, Senior Director of Worldwide Engineering, Director of Marketing and OEM Marketing Manager. He was Manager of Research and Development at Position Inc. from 1997 to 1998. Abousalem was Senior Geomatics Engineer at NCS International from 1996 to 1997. He was Geomatics Engineer at Pulsearch Navigation from 1993 to 1996. Abousalem earned a Master of Science degree in Surveying Engineering and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Geomatics Engineering from the University of Calgary, as well as a Master of Business Administration degree from Santa Clara University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Abousalem is a Democrat.

Marvin Southard, 72, of Avila Beach, has been appointed to the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Southard was Professor of Practice at the University of Southern California from 2015 to 2019. He was Director of Mental Health for the County of Los Angeles from 1998 to 2015. Southard was Director of Mental Health for the County of Kern from 1993 to 1998. He was Vice President of Clinical Programs at El Centro Human Services Corporation from 1982 to 1991. Southard was Director of Substance Use Programs at Catholic Social Services from 1975 to 1980. He earned a Master of Social Welfare degree in Community Organization and Social Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Social Work from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Southard is a Democrat.

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