News

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Jenny Cho, of Carlsbad, has been appointed Deputy Director, Division of Financial Assistance, Federal Programs, in the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Cho has been Assistant Deputy Director of Federal Relief and Recovery at the California Department of Housing and Community Development since 2022. She was Director of Real Estate Division Administration and Optimization at the San Diego Housing Commission from 2020 to 2022. Cho was a Real Estate Optimization and Special Initiatives Manager at the San Diego Housing Commission from 2018 to 2020 and a Housing Programs Analyst there in 2018. Cho was a Data Analyst for the City of Hamilton on the Early Years Research Team, Performance Planning and Evaluation from 2015 to 2016. She was a Coordinator of Immigration Strategy for the City of Hamilton from 2013 to 2015. Cho was a Teaching Assistant at McMaster University in 2012. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Health Geography from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Sciences and Geography from Concordia University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $170,400. Cho is a Democrat. 

Anastasia Carney, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Secretary of External Affairs at the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, where she has served as Senior Advisor since 2022. Carney served as Deputy Director for Civic Engagement and Strategic Partnerships in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom from 2019 to 2022. She was Marketing and Outreach Director at the Health Professions Education Foundation from 2018 to 2019 and a Program Associate at The California Endowment from 2013 to 2018. Carney served in several roles in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., including as External Affairs Coordinator from 2012 to 2013, Special Assistant to the First Lady and Special Counsel Anne Gust Brown from 2011 to 2013, and Assistant Scheduler to the Governor from 2011 to 2012. She was Director of Scheduling and Program Director in the Office of First Lady Maria Shriver from 2009 to 2011 and served as Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff in the Office of First Lady Maria Shriver from 2007 to 2008. Carney earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of San Francisco. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $147,108. Carney is a Democrat.

Sarah Keber, of Sacramento, has been appointed Assistant Secretary for Business Transformation and Strategic Development at the California Government Operations Agency. Kerber has been Senior Manager of Strategic Projects and Performance at the Sacramento Regional Transit District since 2020. She was a Budget Manager at the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency from 2019 to 2020. Kerber was a Financial Budget Analyst at the California Department of Finance from 2018 to 2019. She was a Government Relations Assistant at the California School Employees Association from 2013 to 2018. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economics of Industrial Societies from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Science in Law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $130,008. Kerber is a Democrat.

Sarah Brady, of Sacramento, has been appointed Assistant Executive Director of the Office of Governmental and International Affairs at the California Energy Resources and Conservation Development Commission (California Energy Commission). Brady has been Interim Chief Executive Officer at the California Council on Science and Technology since 2023 and has held several roles there since 2016, including Deputy Director and Director of Policy Engagement. Brady served in several roles in the Office of State Assemblymember Susan Bonilla from 2013 to 2016, including Science Fellow and Legislative Director. She earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and French from North Central College and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemistry from the University of Oregon. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $168,432. Brady is a Democrat.

Jessica Meng, of Oakland, has been appointed Senior Product Manager at the Office of Data and Innovation. Meng held several roles at Instacart from 2018 to 2023, including Senior Product Manager of Membership Growth and Partnerships, Senior Product Manager of Shopper Success and Senior Product Manager of Shopper Earnings. She was Senior Product Manager at Zalando SE from 2017 to 2018. Meng held multiple roles at Etsy from 2015 to 2017, including Product Manager of Growth and Product Manager of Ads. She held multiple roles at Shutterstock from 2012 to 2015, including Product Manager of Customer Experience, Product Manager of Mobile Web and Product Manager of Mobile Apps. Meng was Product and Operations Manager at Fashion GPS from 2010 to 2012. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Electronic Art from Carnegie Mellon University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $150,348. Meng is a Democrat. 

Khaesha Brooks, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Brooks has been an Engineering Project Manager at Siemens Mobility since 2023 and was an HVAC System Engineer there from 2016 to 2023 as well as a Manufacturing Engineer there from 2016 to 2018. She was a Battery Mechanical Engineer for Apple from 2013 to 2014 and a Mechanical Engineer for Speck Products from 2012 to 2013. Brooks earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Brooks is a Democrat.

Nathan Voegeli, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Voegeli served as a Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom from 2023 to 2024 and as Senior Advisor for Tribal Negotiations there from 2022 to 2024. He was Interim Tribal Negotiations Advisor in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom from 2021 to 2022. Voegeli held multiple roles at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife from 2018 to 2022, including Assistant Chief Counsel and Tribal Liaison, Attorney and Tribal Liaison, and Acting Chief Deputy Director. He held multiple roles in the Office of the Tribal Attorney of the Yurok Tribe from 2011 to 2018, including General Counsel and Staff Attorney. Voegeli earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a Master of Arts degree in International Policy Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Voegeli is registered without party preference.

Betty Andrews, of Santa Rosa, has been appointed to the Central Valley Flood Protection Board. Andrews has been a Consulting Engineer and Strategic Advisor since 2021. She held multiple roles at Environmental Science Associates from 2010 to 2021, including Vice President/Principal Engineer and Project Director. Andrews held multiple roles at Philip Williams and Associates Ltd. from 1990 to 2010, including Principal, Project Manager, Staff Engineer and Chair of the Board of Directors. She was a Graduate Student Intern at the California Department of Water Resources from 1988 to 1989. Andrews was Conservation Director of Friends of the River from 1981 to 1987. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Salmonid Restoration Federation and the Floodplain Management Association. Andrews earned a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Davis and a Bachelor of Science degree in Technology and Human Affairs from Washington University in St. Louis. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $55,738. Andrews is a Democrat.