Governor Newsom announces appointments 10.28.25

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Gavin Payne, of San Luis Obispo, has been reappointed to the California Cradle-to-Career Data System Governing Board, where he has served since 2022. Payne has been Consultant at GPC Advisors LLC since 2016. He was Director of United States Policy, Advocacy, and Communications at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from 2013 to 2016. Payne was Chief Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction at the California Department of Education from 2003 to 2010. He was Chief of Staff to the California State Senate Majority Caucus Chair Jack O’Connell from 1996 to 2002. Payne is a member of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the Data Quality Campaign. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Payne is a Democrat.

Christopher Nellum, of Oakland, has been reappointed to the California Cradle-to-Career Data System Governing Board, where he has served since 2024. Nellum has been Executive Director of EdTrust-West since 2020, where he has held several positions since 2017, including Deputy Director of Research and Policy and Senior Director of Higher Education Research and Policy. He was an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego from 2021 to 2024. Nellum was a Policy Research Director at Young Invincibles from 2016 to 2017. He was a Senior Policy Research Analyst for the American Council on Education from 2014 to 2016. Nellum is a Board Member of the James B. McClatchy Foundation and Swipe Out Hunger, and Member of the Board of Advisors at GENup. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Higher Education Public Policy from the University of Michigan, a Master of Science degree in Counseling and Education from California State University, Long Beach and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of California, Santa Barbara. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Nellum is a Democrat.

Robert Tagorda, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the California Cradle-to-Career Data System Governing Board, where he has served since 2021. Tagorda has been Chief Academic Officer at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles since 2022 and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Revival Strategy Consulting since 2021. He held several positions at Long Beach Unified School District from 2006 to 2021, including Executive Director of Equity, Access, and College and Career Readiness, Program Administrator in the Office of the Superintendent, and Assistant to the Superintendent. Tagorda held several positions at MAXIMUS from 2000 to 2004, including Manager and Research Consultant. He earned a Master of Public Policy degree in Business and Government from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Claremont McKenna College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Tagorda is registered without party preference.

Catalina Cifuentes, of Riverside, has been reappointed to the California Cradle-to-Career Data System Governing Board, where she has served since 2021. Cifuentes has been Executive Director of College and Career Readiness at the Riverside County Office of Education since 2018, where she was Leadership Associate of College and Career/School Counseling from 2014 to 2018. She held multiple positions at the Corona Norco Unified School District from 2002 to 2014, including School Counselor, AVID Coordinator, and English Teacher. Cifuentes was an English Learner Coordinator and a Middle School Teacher at the Riverside Unified School District from 1999 to 2002. She is a member of the Scholarshare Investment Board, Western Association of College Admissions Counseling, American School Counseling Association, and National College Attainment Network. Cifuentes earned a Master of Arts degree in School Counseling from Azusa Pacific University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from California State University, San Bernardino. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Cifuentes is a Democrat.

Claire Ramsey, of South San Francisco, has been appointed chair of the Early Childhood Policy Council. Ramsey has been Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of Social Services since 2021. She was a Senior Staff Attorney at Justice in Aging from 2016 to 2021. Ramsey was an Associate at ADZ Law LLP from 2015 to 2016. She was a Staff Attorney at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County from 2012 to 2015. Ramsey held several positions at the Child Care Law Center from 2006 to 2012, including Senior Staff Attorney and Equal Justice Public Works Fellow. Ramsey is a member of the South San Francisco Library Board. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, a Master of Arts degree in Drama at San Francisco State University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Ramsey is a Democrat.

Ristyn Woolley, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the Early Childhood Policy Council. Woolley has been Director of the California Head Start Collaboration Office at the California Department of Social Services since 2023, where she was a Child Development Consultant in the Policy Office from 2021 to 2023. She was a Child Development Consultant in the Early Learning and Care Division at the Department of Education from 2019 to 2021. Woolley held several positions at the YMCA of the East Bay from 2015 to 2019, including Child Development Services Manager and Education Analyst. Woolley was an Assessor and Assessment Coordinator for SEED of Early Literacy Initiative at the Kenneth Rainin Foundation from 2014 to 2015. She was an Associate Governmental Program Analyst at the California Department of Mental Health from 2010 to 2012. Woolley was an Associate Governmental Program Analyst at the California Department of Education from 2008 to 2010. She was a Primary Intervention Specialist at the Elk Grove Unified School District from 2004 to 2005. Woolley earned a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Mills College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of the Pacific. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Woolley is registered with no party preference.

Stephen Propheter, of Lincoln, has been appointed to the Early Childhood Policy Council. Propheter has been Director of the Early Education Division at the California Department of Education since 2019, where he has held several positions since 2015, including Associate Director of the Early Learning and Care Division and Staff Services Manager of Fiscal and Administrative Services Division. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Propheter is registered with no party preference.

Karla Pleitez Howell, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the Early Childhood Policy Council. Howell has been Chief Executive Officer of First 5 Los Angeles since 2023. She was Branch Chief of the Child Care and Development Division at the California Department of Social Services from 2021 to 2023. Pleitez Howell was Chief of Policy and Programs at Advancement Project from 2014 to 2021. She was a Supervising Staff Attorney for Public Counsel from 2006 to 2014. Pleitez Howell was a Directing Attorney at El Rescate from 2004 to 2006. She is a member of the Los Angeles County Prevention and Promotion System Governing Committee and Los Angeles Chamber. Pleitez Howell earned a Juris Doctor degree from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Howell is a Democrat.

Diana Ramos, of Laguna Beach, has been appointed to the Early Childhood Policy Council. Ramos has been the California Surgeon General since 2022 and Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine since 1999. She was Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GamiFi Health from 2018 to 2022. Ramos was a Per Diem Physician at Kaiser Permanente from 1998 to 2022. She held several positions at the California Department of Public Health between 2017 and 2022, including Public Health Administrator in the Center for Healthy Communities and Public Health Medical Officer. Ramos was Director of Reproductive Health, Child and Adolescent Health, at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health from 2005 to 2017. She was Chief Medical Officer at Alpha Medical Center Inc. from 2003 to 2005. Ramos was Senior Regional Medical Research Specialist at Pfizer Inc. from 2000 to 2003. She was Staff Obstetrician at Clinica Humanitaria from 1999 to 2000. Ramos is an Executive Board Member for the California Maternal Care Quality Collaborative. She earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from University of Southern California, a Master in Public Health degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, a Master of Business Administration degree from University of California, Irvine, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Arts and Science, from the University of Southern California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Ramos is registered without party preference.