Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments:
Jason Haider, 30, of San Diego, has been appointed to the California Workforce Development Board. Haider has been founder and chief executive officer at Xenco Medical since 2011. He is a member of the California Association for Local Economic Development. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Haider is a Democrat.
Norayma Cabot, 42, of Hacienda Heights, has been appointed to the State Interagency Coordinating Council on Early Intervention. Cabot has been adjunct faculty at East Los Angeles Community College since 2015 and executive director at Plaza de la Raza Child Development Services Inc. since 2013. She was program director at Community Development Institute Head Start from 2011 to 2013. Cabot was program manager of the Center Services Department at the Los Angeles Urban League Head Start and State Preschool from 2010 to 2011 and director of the Rio Hondo Community College District from 2007 to 2010. She was education manager and school readiness coordinator at Orange County Head Start Inc. from 1995 to 2007. Cabot is a member of the California Head Start Association and the National Head Start Association. She earned a Master of Education degree in early childhood education from California State University, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Cabot is a Democrat.
Alma Martinez, 40, of Dinuba, has been appointed to the State Interagency Coordinating Council on Early Intervention. Martinez has been project manager for community benefit and outreach at Community Medical Centers since 2014. She was producer and director at Azteca America Fresno from 2004 to 2010, talk show host and producer at Radio Bilingue Inc. from 2002 to 2014 and a news reporter and news anchor at KMSG-TV 59 Fresno from 1997 to 2001. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Martinez is registered without party preference.
Duane Friel, 66, of Temecula, has been appointed to the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists. Friel has been a district representative for the International Union of Operating Engineers since 2018, where he has held several positions since 2001, including business representative and apprenticeship coordinator and instructor. He is a member of Inmate Rehabilitation through Occupational and Academic Development Systems, Department of Industrial Relations Occupational Safety and Health Administration Advisory Committee, Riverside Workforce Development Board, Assembly Speaker’s Commission on Labor Education and the Temecula Valley Fraternal Order of Moose. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Friel is a Democrat.
Michael Brown, 66, of Santa Barbara, has been reappointed to the California Ocean Protection Council, where he has served since 2012. Brown has been principal and partner at Brown and Wilmanns Environmental LLC since 2006, He was principal at Michael S. Brown and Associates from 1999 to 2006, director of environmental research and development at Patagonia Inc. from 1993 to 1999 and served as manager of environmental affairs for the City of Irvine from 1990 to 1992. Brown earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in city and regional planning and a Master of Regional Planning degree from Cornell University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Brown is a Democrat.
Nancy Vogel, 51, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation Board of Directors. Vogel has been director of communications at the Resources Legacy Fund since 2017. She was deputy secretary for communications at the California Natural Resources Agency from 2015 to 2017 and assistant director for public affairs at the California Department of Water Resources from 2012 to 2015. Vogel was a principal consultant for the California State Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes from 2008 to 2012, a reporter at the Los Angeles Times from 2000 to 2008 and a staff writer at the Sacramento Bee from 1991 to 2000. Vogel earned a Master of Arts degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Vogel is a Democrat.
Benjamin Clay, 73, of San Diego, has been appointed to the San Diego River Conservancy Governing Board, where he has served since 2010. Clay was owner at Carpi and Clay Government Relations from 1984 to 2005. He was vice president of government relations at Torrey Enterprises from 1982 to 1984 and director of intergovernmental relations for the County of San Diego from 1976 to 1982. Clay served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1973. He is chair of the USS Midway Foundation and a member of the San Diego Maritime Museum and the San Diego Symphony Board. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Clay is registered without party preference.
Clarissa Falcon, 46, of Bonita, has been appointed to the San Diego River Conservancy Governing Board. Falcon has been owner and principal consultant at Falcon Strategies since 2010. She was district director in the Office of California State Senator Denise Ducheny from 2003 to 2010, a public policy analyst at the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation from 2000 to 2003 and a field representative in the Office of California State Assemblymember Denise Ducheny from 1994 to 2000. Falcon is a member of the South Bay Family YMCA Board of Directors, South County Economic Development Council, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce, Circulate San Diego and the University of California, San Diego Chancellor’s Community Advisory Board. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Falcon is a Democrat.
Elsa Saxod, 74, of San Diego, has been appointed to the San Diego River Conservancy Governing Board. Saxod has been president at Saxod Enterprises since 1978. She is a member of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Saxod is a Democrat.
