Gov. Newsom announces appointments

SACRAMENTO >> Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments.

Nadine Burke Harris, 45, of San Francisco, has been appointed Chair of the First 5 California Children and Families Commission. Burke Harris has served as Surgeon General of California since 2019. She was Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Youth Wellness from 2011 to 2019 and Founder and Pediatric Medical Provider for Bayview Child Health Center from 2007 to 2019. Burke Harris is a Democrat.

Elsa Mendoza Jimenez, 45, of Salinas, has been appointed to the First 5 California Children and Families Commission. Mendoza Jimenez has been Director of Health Services for the County of Monterey since 2016. She held multiple positions for the County of Monterey from 2001 to 2016, including Assistant Director of Health, Management Analyst III, Health Program Coordinator, Senior Health Educator and Chronic Disease Prevention Coordinator. Mendoza Jimenez is a member of the National Association of County and City Health Officials. She earned a Master of Public Health degree from San Jose State University. Mendoza Jimenez is a Democrat.

Brenda Wright, 78, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the Health Professions Education Foundation Board of Trustees. Wright was Senior Vice President for Corporate Philanthropy and Community Relations Leader for Wells Fargo from 2012 to 2020. She was Senior Vice President and Community Development Manager for the San Francisco Bay at Wells Fargo from 2001 to 2012 and Senior Vice President and Division Manager for Premier Banking for Wells Fargo from 1996 to 1999. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Wright is a Democrat.

Brian May, 67, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the California Exposition and State Fair Board of Directors, where he has served since 2020. May has been a Retired Annuitant at the California Department of Food and Agriculture since 2013. He was Vice President of Operations for Sacramento Republic FC from 2014 to 2019. May held multiple positions at the California Exposition and State Fair from 1989 to 2012, including Deputy General Manager, Assistant General Manager and Assistant to the General Manager. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. May is a Democrat.

Katarina V. Eleby, 32, of Signal Hill, has been reappointed to the Physical Therapy Board of California, where she has served since 2013. Eleby has been Manager of Inventory and Distribution at Savage Valley since 2020. She was a Contracts and Grants Associate at Community Partners from 2017 to 2019, a Manager of Programs and Operations at the African American Board Leadership Institute from 2012 to 2017 and a Sales Assistant at Salt & Pepper Sales from 2006 to 2012. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Nonprofit Management at Antioch University Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Eleby is a Democrat.

Alicia K. Rabena-Amen, 52, of Stockton, has been reappointed to the Physical Therapy Board of California, where she has served since 2014. Rabena-Amen has been Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Education at the University of the Pacific since 2017, Physical Therapist at Infinity Care Services Home Health and Hospice since 2010 and Senior Physical Therapist at Kaiser South Sacramento since 1998. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. RabenaAmen is a Democrat.