SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments: AnnMaria DeMars, 63, of Santa Monica, has been appointed to the State Athletic Commission. DeMars has been President at the Julia Group since 2008 and at 7 Generation Games since 2013. DeMars was Partner at Spirit Lake Consulting from 2002 to 2008. DeMars is a member of the American Statistical Association, National Indian Education Association, Judo Black Belt Association and United States Judo Association. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Minnesota and Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts degrees in educational psychology from the University of California, Riverside. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. DeMars is a Democrat. Stephen “Chris” Gruwell, 49, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the State Athletic Commission. Gruwell has been Chief Executive Officer at New Deal Advisers since 2016. He was President of Platinum Advisors from 2004 to 2016. Gruwell was Chairman of Newsom for Mayor re-election in 2007 and Finance Director of Newsom for Mayor in 2003. He was an Infantry Team Leader in the U.S. Army from 1991 to 1994. Gruwell is a board member of the Bay Area Council and the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation, and a Trustee of the Laborers Union Community Service and Training Foundation. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gruwell is a Democrat.Alireza Asgari, 46, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists, where he has served since 2018 and was President from 2020 to 2021. Asgari has been a Senior Structural Engineer at the Department of Health Care Access and Information since 2011. He was a Senior Structural Engineer at URS Corporation from 2005 to 2011 and an Engineer at Walter P. Moore Civil Engineering from 2004 to 2005. Asgari is a member of the Structural Engineers Association of Central California. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in civil engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Tehran. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Asgari is a Democrat.Dayle C. Armstrong, 62, of San Dimas, has been reappointed to the Physical Therapy Board of California, where he has served since 2021. Armstrong has been a Physical Therapist at the Arcadia Unified School District since 2018 and owner of Armstrong Physical Therapy Practice since 1986. She was Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy Education at the Western University of Health Sciences from 2001 to 2019. Armstrong is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and Neuro-Developmental Treatment Association. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in rehabilitation sciences from the University of Medical Sciences Arizona, a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the Western University of Health Sciences and a Master of Science degree in physical therapy from the University of Southern California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Armstrong is a Democrat.
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