SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Lys Mendez Palomo, of Los Angeles, has been appointed Communications Director at the California Air Resources Board. Mendez Palomo has been a freelance Communications Strategist and Consultant since 2019. She was a Senior Manager of Government Partnerships at Bird from 2018 to 2019. Mendez Palomo was Chief Communications Officer at the Liberty Hill Foundation from 2017 to 2018. She was a Senior Account Executive at Rally from 2014 to 2017. Mendez Palomo was an Urban Planner and Outreach Coordinator with the Plan for a Healthy Los Angeles from 2013 to 2014. She was Deputy Press Secretary and Policy Analyst in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office from 2011 to 2013. Mendez Palomo was a Public Information Specialist for the County of Riverside from 2008 to 2010. She was a Development Associate at Esperanza Community Housing Corporation from 2006 to 2007. Mendez Palomo was a Reporter at The Press Enterprise from 2004 to 2006. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $151,728. Mendez Palomo is a Democrat. Eric Sklar, of St. Helena, has been reappointed to the California Fish and Game Commission, where he has served since 2015. He has been CEO of Napa Valley Fume LLC since 2017. Sklar served as a Member of the California Wildlife Conservation Board from 2016 to 2021. He was Founder of Yount Ridge Cellars from 2013 to 2017. Sklar was Founder and Managing Partner at Alpha Omega Winery from 2005 to 2013. He was a City Council Member and Vice Mayor for the City of St. Helena from 2003 to 2010. Sklar was a Planning Commissioner for the City of St. Helena from 2002 to 2003. He was Co-Founder of Infohaze Inc. from 1999 to 2001. Sklar was an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University from 1997 to 1999. He was Founder and CEO of Burrito Brothers from 1988 to 1999. Sklar earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per month. Sklar is a Democrat.Dawn Blake, of Hoopa, has been reappointed to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, where she has served since 2022. Blake has been Forestry Director for the Yurok Tribe since 2021. She served in several roles for the Hoopa Valley Tribe from 2003 to 2021, including Wildlife Biologist and Wildlife Bio-Technician. Blake is a member of the Hoopa Tribal Education Association Board of Directors, the Intertribal Timber Council and the Wildlife Society. She earned a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources from Humboldt State University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Blake is a Democrat.Michael Jani, of Santa Cruz, has been reappointed to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, where he has served since 2018. Jani has been a Senior Forestry Advisor at Mendocino and Humboldt Redwood Companies since 2017, where he held several positions from 1999 to 2017, including President and Chief Forester. Jani held several positions at the Big Creek Lumber Company from 1975 to 1999, including Chief Forester and Forester. He formerly served as a Firefighter at the Davenport Fire Station. Jani is a member of the California Licensed Forester Association, the Forest Stewardship Council and the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Jani is a Republican.Elizabeth F. Pardi, of Davis, has been reappointed to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, where she has served since 2021. Pardi has been Associate Director of The Nature Conservancy since 2011. She was a Graduate Student Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley from 2009 to 2011 and a Research Associate for the Congressional Budget Office in 2009. Pardi was a Policy Associate for The Nature Conservancy from 2005 to 2009. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Pardi is registered without party preference.
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