SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Matt Baker, of San Carlos, has been appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission. Baker has been Director of the Public Advocates Office for the California Public Utilities Commission since 2022. He was Deputy Secretary of Energy at the California Natural Resources Agency from 2020 to 2022. Baker was Program Officer for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation from 2012 to 2020. He was a Commissioner for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission from 2008 to 2012. Baker was Executive Director of Environment Colorado from 2004 to 2008. He was Executive Director of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group from 2000 to 2003. Baker was Hiring Director for the Fund for Public Interest Research from 1995 to 1999. He was Organizing Director of the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group from 1987 to 1995. Baker earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Pennsylvania State University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $203,253. Baker is a Democrat.
Amy Bernardino-Fabi, of Vacaville, has been appointed to the First 5 California Children and Families Commission. Bernardino-Fabi has been Executive Director of Asian Americans for Good Government since 2021. She has been Vice Chair and Commissioner of the First 5 Solano Children and Families Commission since 2021. Bernardino-Fabi was a Senior Social Worker for Orange County Social Services, Department of Children and Family Services from 1999 to 2003. She earned a Master of Social Work degree from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Bernardino-Fabi is a Democrat.
Denny Chan, of Elk Grove, has been appointed to the Civil Rights Council. Chan has been Managing Director of Equity Advocacy at Justice in Aging since 2021 and was Staff Attorney/Senior Staff Attorney there from 2014 to 2021. Chan served as a Law Clerk at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California from 2012 to 2013. He is a member of the American Society on Aging and the California Master Plan for Aging’s Equity Advisory Committee on Aging and Disability. Chan is a special advisor to AARP California and affiliate faculty for the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. Chan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Irvine. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Chan is a Democrat.
Hemant Dhingra, of Clovis, has been appointed to the Medical Board of California. Dhingra has been Chief of Medical Staff at the Saint Agnes Medical Center of Fresno since 2023, where he was Founding Program Director of Internal Medicine. He has been President of the Nephrology Group since 2014. Dhingra is a member of the American Society of Nephrology and the California Medical Association. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his Fellowship in Nephrology at Texas Tech University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Dhingra is a Democrat.
Nisha Devi Rodrigo, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. Rodrigo has been Founder of Kala Wellness since 2012 and an Eastern Medicine Practitioner with the United Nations since 2018. She was Founder at the InFocus Wellness Institute from 2004 to 2012. Rodrigo did Communications for MP Graham Allen in the House of Commons in the UK Parliament from 2000 to 2001. She was a Hansard Scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2000. Rodrigo did Communications in the White House Counsel’s Office from 1999 to 2000. She is a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being and of the Yoga Alliance Board of Directors. Rodrigo earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Loyola Marymount University and has studied Eastern Medicine Modalities since 2001. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rodrigo is a Democrat.
Lamont Nguyen, of Costa Mesa, has been appointed to the Emergency Medical Services Commission. Nguyen has been a Firefighter and Paramedic for the Long Beach Fire Department since 2018. He has been an EMT Instructor for Coastline and South Coast R.O.P. since 2015. Nguyen was an Ambulance Operator for the Huntington Beach Fire Department from 2016 to 2018. He was a Reserve Firefighter for the Fountain Valley Fire Department from 2017 to 2018. Nguyen was a Field Training Supervisor for CARE/FALK U.S.A. Ambulance from 2015 to 2016. He was a Sales Lead/Team Leader for Recreational Equipment Inc. from 2013 to 2015. Nguyen is a member of the Long Beach Firefighters Local 0372 and California State Firefighters’ Association. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from Oklahoma City University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Nguyen is registered without party preference.
Sheryll Casuga, of San Francisco, has been reappointed to the California Board of Psychology, where she has served since 2017. Casuga has been a Clinical Manager at the Regional Center of the East Bay since 2022, where she has been a Staff Psychologist since 2014. She has been an Adjunct Faculty member at John F. Kennedy University since 2012. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, California Psychological Association, Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Special Olympics of Northern California and the University of the Philippines Alumni Association – San Francisco. Casuga earned a Doctor of Psychology degree in Clinical Psychology from John F. Kennedy University, a Master of Arts degree in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Science from the University of the Philippines. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Casuga is a Democrat.
Shacunda Rodgers, of Elk Grove, has been reappointed to the California Board of Psychology, where she has served since 2019. Rodgers has been Founder of Melanin Meet Mindfulness since 2018. She was an Independent Contractor, Licensed Clinical Psychologist for Concept Healthcare from 2014 to 2016. She was a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Kaiser Permanente from 2006 to 2013. Rodgers is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Personality Assessment. Rodgers earned a Doctor of Psychology degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Vanderbilt University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rodgers is a Democrat.
Kenneth “Ken” Tang, of Alhambra, has been reappointed to the California State Teachers’ Retirement Board, where he has served since 2021. Tang has been a Teacher for the Garvey School District since 1997 and has served as a Member of the Alhambra Unified School District Board of Education since 2020. He is a Merit Badge Counselor for the San Gabriel Valley Boy Scouts of America, a member of the Asian American Association of Alhambra and the Asian Pacific America Labor Alliance. Tang earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from California State University, Los Angeles and a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from California State University, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Tang is a Democrat.
Karen Yamamoto, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the California State Teachers’ Retirement Board, where she has served since 2017. Yamamoto was a Teacher for the Washington Unified School District from 1992 to 2007. She is a member of the Japanese American Citizens League, Florin Chapter, the Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project and the Buddhist Church of Sacramento. Yamamoto earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from California State University, Sacramento and a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from California State University, Sacramento. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Yamamoto is a Democrat.
Maggie Hallahan, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the California Boating and Waterways Commission. Hallahan has been licensed by the United States Coast Guard as a Captain since 2017 and has been Chief Executive Officer of MHPV, a San Francisco LBE Company, since 1990. She has been a Photographer and Director since 1990 and a Motivational Speaker for the UN Commission on the Status of Women since 1991. She was a Photographer for the United Nations Population Fund from 1981 to 2012. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Hallahan is a Democrat.
Katie Hawkins, of Truckee, has been reappointed to the California Boating and Waterways Commission, where she has served since 2020. Hawkins has been California Program Director for Outdoor Alliance since 2023. She was National Sales Manager for Marmot Mountain from 2013 to 2018. Hawkins was International Sales Manager for Black Diamond Equipment from 2008 to 2011. Hawkins is a member of the California Department of Natural Resources 30×30 Partnership Coordinating Committee. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Washington State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Hawkins is a Democrat.
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