SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Harjinder Shergill-Chima, of Rocklin, has been appointed Director of the California State Lottery. Shergill-Chima has served as Chief Deputy Director of the California State Lottery since 2019. She served as Assistant General Counsel at the California Government Operations Agency from 2018 to 2019. Shergill-Chima was an Attorney at the California Department of Transportation from 2004 to 2018. She was an Associate at Rich, Fuidge, Morris & Iverson Inc. from 2002 to 2004 and at Reinecke & Daily in 2001. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Sacramento and a Juris Doctor degree from Whittier Law School. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $199,741. Shergill-Chima is a Democrat.
Alexandre Rasouli, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California State Lottery Commission, where he has served since 2023. Rasouli has been an Orthopedic Surgeon at 90210 Precision Ambulatory Surgical Centers since 2016. He has been an Orthopedic Surgeon at Spalding Ambulatory Surgical Center since 2016. Rasouli has been Spinal Surgeon at RasouliSpine since 2021. He has been a Consultant Reviewer at the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery since 2008. Rasouli was an Orthopedic Surgeon at the Spine Center at Cedars-Sinai from 2008 to 2021. He was on the Medical Staff at The Spine Institute from 2008 to 2011. Rasouli is a member of the North American Spine Society. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from Stanford University and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rasouli is not registered to vote.
Steven Quinn, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Executive Secretary at the California Native American Heritage Commission. He has served as a Staff Services Manager at the California Native American Heritage Commission since 2022. Quinn was a Staff Services Manager at the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration from 2020 to 2022. He was an Associate Governmental Program Analyst at the California Native American Heritage Commission from 2018 to 2020 and at the California Department of Public Health in 2018. Quinn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $132,000. Quinn is registered without party preference.
Erik Ekdahl, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the Western Water Cooperative Committee. Ekdahl has been Deputy Director of the Division of Water Rights at the California State Water Resources Control Board since 2017, where he served as Director of the Office of Research Planning and Performance from 2016 to 2017, and as an Engineering Geologist from 2008 to 2016. Ekdahl earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree and Master of Science degree in Geology from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology from Carleton College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Ekdahl is a Democrat.
Ellen Junn, of Santa Monica, has been reappointed to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, where she has served since 2020. Junn has been a Commissioner on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission since 2021. She was President of California State University, Stanislaus from 2016 to 2023. Junn was Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for California State University, Dominguez Hills from 2014 to 2016. She was Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at San Jose State University from 2012 to 2014. Junn was Associate Provost at Fresno State University from 2008 to 2011. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree and a Master of Arts degree in Cognitive and Developmental Psychology from Princeton University. Junn is a member of the board of directors of California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, an executive committee member of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and a member of ITHAKA Higher Ed Insights, American Psychological Association, and the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Junn is a Democrat.
Per F. Peterson, of Berkeley, has been reappointed to the Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee, where he has served since 2008. Peterson has been Chief Nuclear Officer at Kairos Power since 2017 and a Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley since 1990. He was Executive Associate Dean at the University of California, Berkeley from 2015 to 2017. Peterson is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Nuclear Society. He earned a Doctor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no state compensation. Peterson is a Democrat.
Benito Delgado-Olson, of Oakland, has been reappointed to the Low Income Oversight Board at the California Public Utilities Commission, where he has been Chair since 2019 and has served since 2015. Delgado-Olson has been Executive Director of SupplyBank.org since 2009 and Chief Executive Officer of SBO Development Company LLC, Oakport.org, since 2020. He is immediate past chair of the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation and a member of the University of California, Berkeley Cal Alumni Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $400 per diem. Delgado-Olson is a Democrat.
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