SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments: Joseph Tyler, 50, of Rancho Cordova, has been appointed Director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, where he has been Deputy Director of Fire Protection Programs since 2017 and has served in several positions since 1991, including Assistant Deputy Director of Fire Protection Programs, Staff Chief, Assistant Chief, Battalion Chief, Fire Captain, Paramedic, Fire Apparatus Engineer, Fire Fighter II and Fire Fighter I. He was a Paramedic at North Valley Ambulance/American Medical Response from 1994 to 1997. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $226,349. Tyler is registered without party preference. Cassie Dunham, 49, of Elk Grove, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Center for Health Care Quality at the California Department of Public Health, where she has served as Acting Deputy Director of the Center for Health Care Quality since 2021 and as Chief of Field Operations for the Department since 2016. She served in several positions at the California Department of Public Health from 2008 to 2016, including Policy Section Chief and Branch Chief. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $172,008. Dunham is registered without party preference.Yang Lee, 41, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Financial Officer at the California Department of Social Services, where he has been Assistant Director of Policy and Quality Assurance at the Fiscal Affairs Branch since 2020. He held several positions at the California Department of Finance from 2008 to 2020, including Principal Program Budget Analyst and Finance Budget Analyst. Lee was a Legislative Analyst at the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2008. He was a Capital Fellow in the California State Assembly from 2005 to 2006. Lee earned a Master of Public Policy degree from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $164,712. Lee is a Democrat.Ernie Cruz, 49, of Chino, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Community Services Division at the California Department of Developmental Services. Cruz has been Special Consultant and Assistant Deputy Director at the Department of Developmental Services since 2019. He held several positions at the San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center from 1996 to 2019, including Quality Assurance Specialist, Transportation Manager, Manager of Community Resources, Associate Director of Community Services and Director of Community Services. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $160,320. Cruz is registered without party preference.Leinani Walter, 50, of Elk Grove, has been appointed Chief Equity Officer for Service Access and Equity at the California Department of Developmental Services. Walter has been Assistant Deputy Director of Service Access and Equity at the Department of Developmental Services since 2020. She was Director of Program Operations at the Association of Regional Center Agencies from 2017 to 2020. Walter authored Building A System for Tomorrow – Supporting People with Developmental Disabilities to Lead Inclusive Lives in 2018. She was a Client’s Rights Advocate II at Disability Rights California from 1999 to 2017. Walter was a Service Coordinator for Valley Mountain Regional Center from 1996 to 1999. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $151,200. Walter is a Democrat.Cedric Rutland, 40, of Lake Forest, has been appointed to the Health Workforce Education and Training Council. Rutland has been a Pulmonary Critical Care Physician, Medical Consultant and Chief Executive Officer at Rutland Medical Group, West Coast Lung since 2019. He has been President and Co-Founder at the Association for Healthcare Social Media since 2019. Rutland has been a National Spokesperson at the American Lung Association since 2018. He was Critical Care Director at Riverside Community Hospital GME in 2019. Rutland was a Physician at Pacific Pulmonary Medical Group from 2015 to 2019. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $25 per diem. Rutland is a Democrat.Juan Cruz, 49, of Santa Clara, has been appointed to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Cruz has been Superintendent of the Franklin-McKinley School District since 2015. He was Associate Superintendent of Educational Services at the East Side Union High School District from 1997 to 2015. Cruz earned a Master of Education degree in High School Teacher Leadership from San Jose State University. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Cruz is a Democrat.
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