SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Geneva E. B. Thompson, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs at the California Natural Resources Agency, where she has served as Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs since 2021. Thompson is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and has been Associate General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe since 2019. She was a Staff Attorney and Legal Fellow at the Wishtoyo Foundation from 2016 to 2019. Thompson earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $165,000. Thompson is a Democrat.
John Lowden, of Wilton, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Security and Law Enforcement Division at the California State Lottery. Lowden has been a Bureau Chief at the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training since 2021. He served in several roles at the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office between 1994 and 2021, including Assistant Sheriff, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, Detective and Deputy Sheriff. Lowden earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California Coast University and a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Liberty University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $170,016. Lowden is a Republican.
Kimberly “Kim” Craig, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors. Craig has been a Full Partner at Arc Strategies since 2018. She was Chief Deputy Cabinet Secretary in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. from 2016 to 2018. Craig held several roles from 2010 to 2015 in the office of then-Assembly Speaker, Majority Leader, and Assemblymember Toni Atkins, including Special Assistant and Chief of Staff. Craig was a Lobbyist at KP Public Affairs from 2012 to 2014 and Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of State Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny from 2005 to 2010. She was a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of San Diego City Councilmember Toni Atkins from 2000 to 2005. Craig was a Field Representative in the Office of State Assemblymember Denise Moreno Ducheny from 1996 to 2000. She is a member of Inter-Governmental Advocates. Craig earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of California, San Diego and a Master of Public Administration degree from San Diego State University. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Craig is registered without party preference.
Mark Chase, of Oakland, has been appointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board. Chase has been a Business Analyst for the City of Palo Alto since 2020, where he held several positions between 2017 and 2020, including Public Safety Communications Manager, Lead Public Safety Dispatcher and Public Safety Dispatcher. He has been a Part-Time Public Safety Dispatcher at various locations since 2013, including at Mountain View Police Department, Piedmont Police Department and Belmont Police Department. Chase was a 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Dispatcher for the City of Fremont from 2005 to 2008. He was a Flight Attendant with United Airlines from 1998 to 2005. Chase is a member of the California Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Sociology from Ball State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Chase is a Democrat.
Walter “Budge” Currier, of Granite Bay, has been appointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board. Currier has been Assistant Director, Public Safety Communications in the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services since 2022. Currier was a 9-1-1 Branch Manager at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services from 2011 to 2022. He was Communication Engineer and Project Manager at AECOM from 2007 to 2011. Currier was an Assistant Professor at Liberty University from 2006 to 2007. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1985 to 2006. Currier is President of the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators and a member of the National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators, the National Emergency Number Association and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Currier is registered without party preference.
Rodney Ellison, of West Sacramento, has been appointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board. Ellison has been Chief and Central Division Commander at the California Highway Patrol since 2023, where he served as Assistant Chief from 2020 to 2023. He is a founder and was president of the Central Valley Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives from 2017 to 2018. Ellison earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Washington. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Ellison is a Democrat.
Rosa Ramos, of Danville, has been reappointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board, where she has served since 2021. Ramos has been a Fire Dispatch Manager at Alameda County Fire since 2013. She was a Communications Dispatcher II at the Richmond Police Department from 2003 to 2013. Ramos is a member of the National Emergency Number Association and President of the California Chapter. Ramos earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of Phoenix. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Ramos is a Democrat.
Kurt Wallace, of Corona, has been appointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board. Wallace has been Police Communications Manager for the City of Anaheim since 2009, where he held several roles between 1997 and 2009, including Police Communications Supervisor, Senior Police Dispatcher and Police Dispatcher. He served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1990 to 1996. Wallace is a member of the National Emergency Number Association and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials – International. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Wallace is a Republican.
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