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Sacramento, California - Governor Gavin Newsom Wednesday announced the following appointments: 

Amarik Singh, 49, of Placerville, has been appointed Inspector General at the Office of the Inspector General. Singh has been Senior Assistant Inspector General at the Office of the Inspector General since 2019, where she was Special Assistant Inspector General from 2016 to 2019 and served as Special Assistant Inspector General from 2007 to 2012. She was a Commissioner on the Board of Parole Hearings from 2012 to 2015. Singh served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Kern County District Attorney’s Office from 2005 to 2007 and as Adjunct Faculty at the Tulare-Kings County Police Academy from 2002 to 2005. Singh was a Deputy District Attorney at the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office from 1997 to 2005. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $192,382. Singh is a Republican.

Justin R. Paddock, 41, of Sacramento, has been appointed Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Household Goods and Services at the Department of Consumer Affairs. Paddock has been Chief of Licensing and Examinations at the Contractors State License Board since 2018. Paddock was an Attorney at Shaw Law Group from 2017 to 2018 and a Lobbyist at the California Association of Realtors in 2017. He was Chief of the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation from 2015 to 2017 and Assistant Deputy Director of Legislative and Regulatory Review at the Department of Consumer Affairs from 2013 to 2015. Paddock earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $132,000. Paddock is registered without party preference.

Kula Koenig, 37, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the State Board of Pharmacy. Koenig has been Senior Director of Impact at the United Way California Capital Region since 2018. Koenig founded Social Justice PolitiCorps in 2020. She was District Director for the Office of Assemblymember Roger Dickinson from 2012 to 2014 and Project Manager at Capitol Campaigns from 2007 to 2010. She was Divestment Associate at Genocide Intervention Network from 2006 to 2007. Koenig earned a Master of Business Administration degree in nonprofit management from George Washington University. She is a member of Black Women Organized for Political Action. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Koenig is a Democrat.

Patricia “Tricia” Wynne, 64, of Aptos, has been appointed to the California Board of Registered Nursing. Wynne was Deputy State Treasurer in the Office of the State Treasurer from 2006 to 2013. She was Special Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the California State Attorney General from 1998 to 2006. Wynne was a Policy Director to State Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Lockyer from 1994 to 1998. Wynne was Senate Judiciary Committee Counsel for Chairman Bill Lockyer from 1983 to 1994. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Wynne is a Democrat. 

Tulio A. Valdez, 48, of Palo Alto, has been appointed to the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board. Valdez has been an Associate Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine since 2017. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Universidad Javeriana. Valdez is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Valdez is a Democrat.

Amy E. White, 40, of Sloughhouse, has been appointed to the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board. White has been Service Chief for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology for the Veterans Health Administration, Northern California Region since 2021 and has been Chief Executive Officer and Audiologist at Elk Grove Hearing Care since 2015. She served as a Clinic Co-Coordinator and Instructor at California State University, Sacramento from 2020 to 2021. White was a Clinic Director at the University of the Pacific's Hearing and Balance Center from 2010 to 2015. She was an Audiologist at Placer Speech and Hearing Services from 2009 to 2010 and an Audiology Supervisor at Sacramento Ear Nose and Throat from 2008 to 2009. She was an Audiologist and fourth-year extern at the California Ear Institute from 2007 to 2008. White earned a Doctor of Audiology degree from Utah State University. She is a member of the California Academy of Audiology, American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. White is registered without party preference. 

Joey E. Hunter, 54, of Hemet, has been appointed to the Private Security Disciplinary Review Committee, South. Hunter is Director of Security, Safety and Emergency Preparedness at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital. He was Director of Security with Allied Universal Security at the Riverside Community Hospital in 2017. Hunter was a Director of Security, Safety and Emergency at Dignity Health – St. Bernardine Medical Center from 2001 to 2016. Hunter served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1985 to 1990. He is a member of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Hunter is a Democrat.