SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Melissa Gear, 45, of Elk Grove, has been appointed Deputy Director of Board and Bureau Relations at the Department of Consumer Affairs. Gear has been Chief Deputy Legislative Director at the Department of Insurance since 2014. She was a Legislative Advocate at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System from 2008 to 2014. Gear was a Legislative Coordinator and Fiscal Coordinator at the California Attorney General’s Office from 2005 to 2008. She was a Fiscal and Policy Analyst at the Legislative Analyst’s Office from 2003 to 2005. Gear was an Executive Fellow and Legislative Representative at the California Department of Education from 2002 to 2003. She is a Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program Senior Fellow. Gear earned a Master of Public Health and Administration degree from New York University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $140,016. Gear is a Democrat.
George Parisotto, 61, of Santa Barbara, has been reappointed Administrative Director at the Division of Workers’ Compensation, where he has served in that role since 2016. Parisotto was Acting Chief Counsel at the Division of Workers’ Compensation from 2012 to 2016. He was a Workers’ Compensation Claims Examiner for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Program at the U.S. Department of Labor from 2004 to 2007. Parisotto was Industrial Relations Counsel for the Division of Workers’ Compensation from 1998 to 2004, and from 2007 to 2012. He was an Associate at Thierman Law Firm from 1990 to 1998. Parisotto earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $175,879. Parisotto is a Democrat.
Erica Stivison, 32, of San Francisco, has been appointed User Experience Designer at the Office of Data and Innovation. Stivison has been a Senior UX Designer at Visa since 2021, where she held several positions from 2016 to 2022, including UX Designer and Visual Designer. She was a Graphic Designer at Arts and Recreation from 2011 to 2016. Stivison is a member of YCore, Code for San Francisco and AIGA. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $139,908. Stivison is a Democrat.
Matthew Chen, 34, of Moreno Valley, has been appointed to the California Veterans Board. Chen has been a Caseworker in the Office of Congressman Mark Takano since 2019 and a Planning Commissioner for the City of Moreno Valley since 2022. He served as Sergeant and Career Planner in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2011 to 2019. Chen is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8547. Chen earned a Master of Education degree in Sports Administration from the University of Miami. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Chen is a Democrat.
Trevor L. Chandler, 35, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the State Board of Pharmacy. Chandler has been Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Citizen since 2022. He was Regional Outreach Director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2022. Chandler was an Associate Regional Field Director at the Human Rights Campaign from 2011 to 2017. He was Compliance Director at Paul Hodes for the U.S. Senate from 2010 to 2011. Chandler was a Community Outreach Representative for the Office of Congressman Paul Hodes from 2009 to 2010. He is a member of Equality California’s Board of Advisors and the San Francisco Eastern Neighborhoods Community Advisory Committee. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Chandler is a Democrat.
Kartikeya “KK” Jha, 43, of Fresno, has been appointed to the State Board of Pharmacy. Jha has been District Director of Operations at Omnicare – a CVS Health Company since 2019. He was Director of Operations at NimbleRx from 2018 to 2019. Jha earned a Master of Science degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Long Island University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Jha is a Democrat.
Jacob Rostovsky, 31, of Palm Springs, has been appointed to the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Rostovsky has been Founder, Chief Executive Officer and licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at Queer Works since 2018. He has been a Diversity Consultant at Jake R. Consulting since 2008. Rostovsky has been an Advocate and Psychotherapist at Jacob R. Therapy and Consulting since 2017. He is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Rostovsky earned a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Antioch University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rostovsky is a Democrat.
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