SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Chris Chambers, of Lincoln, has been appointed Director of Correctional Policy Research and Internal Oversight at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where he has served as Deputy Director of the Office of Research since 2020 and was Associate Director from 2017 to 2020. Chambers held several positions at the California Department of Justice from 1994 to 2017, including Data Processing Manager and Assistant Bureau Chief. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $189,000. Chambers is registered without party preference.
Tammy Campbell, of Visalia, has been appointed Warden of California State Prison, Corcoran, where she has been Acting Warden since 2022 and has served in several positions since 2000, including Chief Deputy Warden, Correctional Administrator, Captain of the Investigative Services Unit, Custody Captain, Correctional Lieutenant, Correctional Sergeant, Correctional Counselor II, Specialist, Correctional Counselor I and Correctional Officer. She was a Correctional Officer at Centinela State Prison from 1996 to 2000. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $175,332. Campbell is registered without party preference.
William D. Parham, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Wellbeing. Parham has been a Professor in the School of Education as well as Director of the Center for Trauma Informed Education at Loyola Marymount University since 2011. He has served as the inaugural Director of the Mental Health and Wellness Program for the National Basketball Players Association since 2018. Parham was a Psychologist and Associate Director for the University of California, Los Angeles Counseling and Psychological Services from 1981 to 2006. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and a Fellow in three divisions: Counseling Psychology, Society for Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity. Parham earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Counseling Psychology from Southern Illinois University, a Master of Arts degree in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Ecology from University of California, Irvine. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Parham is a Democrat.
Gladys Mitchell, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, where she has served since 2016. Mitchell was a Staff Services Manager II in the California Department of Health Care Services Information Management Services Division from 2013 to 2014. She was a Staff Services Manager II in the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs Information Management Services Division from 2012 to 2013 and in the Department’s Licensing and Certification Division from 2010 to 2012. She was a Health Program Specialist II in the California Correctional Health Care Services Medical Service Division from 2009 to 2010. She is a member of the St. Hope Public Schools Board of Directors. Mitchell earned a Master of Social Work degree from California State University, Sacramento and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Mitchell is a Democrat.
Nanci Nishimura, of San Mateo, has been reappointed to the California Commission on Uniform State Laws, where she has served since 2019. Nishimura has been a Partner at Cotchett, Pitre and McCarthy since 2002. She was an Attorney at The Rossbacher Firm from 1990 to 2002. Nishimura was a Legislative Analyst for U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye on the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs in 1988. She was a Law Clerk for the U.S. International Trade Commission in 1987. Nishimura is a founding member and co-chair of the Leaders Forum and a member of the California Science Center Foundation Board of Trustees, Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco Board of Trustees, and the City and County of San Francisco Asian Art Commission. Nishimura earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California, and a Juris Doctor degree from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Nishimura is a Democrat.
Patricia Barahona, of Modesto, has been appointed to the State Bar of California Board of Trustees. Barahona has been Chief Executive Officer at the Youth Leadership Institute since 2019, where they have held several positions since 2011, including Chief People Officer, Director of San Francisco Programs and Youth Advocacy Coordinator. They were Youth Organizer for Forward Together from 2011 to 2012. Barahona was Public Education Coordinator and Community Outreach Coordinator for the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault from 2004 to 2008. They earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s & Gender Studies from Rutgers University and a Master of Arts degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the School for International Training. Barahona is a member of the LYRIC: Center for LGBTQQ+ Youth Board of Directors. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $50 per diem. Barahona is a Democrat.
Maria Bee, of Oakland, has been appointed to the California Law Revision Commission. Bee has been Chief Assistant City Attorney at the Oakland City Attorney’s Office since 2018, where she has served in several positions since 2014, including Special Counsel and Supervising Attorney. She was Chief of Victim Services in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office from 2006 to 2014. Bee served as a Deputy City Attorney in the Oakland City Attorney’s Office from 2000 to 2006. She is a member of the Alameda County Bar Association and the Charles Houston Bar Association. Bee earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Bee is a Democrat.
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