Governor Newsom announces appointments 8.29.24

Governor Newsom announces appointments 8.29.24

SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Summer Mothwood, of San Francisco, has been appointed Principal Analytics Engineer at the Office of Data and Innovation. Mothwood has been a Customer Relationship Management Data Engineer at the Mozilla Foundation since 2024. She was a Marketing Data Analytics Engineer for the Nature Conservancy from 2022 to 2024. Mothwood was Senior Insights Analyst of Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn from 2021 to 2022. She was an Insights Analyst at Pinterest from 2018 to 2021. Mothwood was a Data Analyst at the Yerba Buena Center for Arts from 2014 to 2018. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Hampshire College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $156,000. Mothwood is a Democrat.

Matthew Zhou, of Oakland, has been appointed Assistant Chief Data Officer at the Office of Data and Innovation, where he has been Data and Analytics Governance Lead since 2023. Zhou was Senior Data Engineer at Peloton Interactive from 2021 to 2023. He was a Tech Policy Fellow for Aspen Tech Policy Hub from 2021 to 2022. Zhou was Engineer Manager at VillageMD from 2018 to 2021. He was a Data Engineer for the New York Times from 2017 to 2018. Zhou was a Health Informatics Administrator for the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University from 2016 to 2017. He earned a Master of Public Health degree in Health Informatics from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Northwestern University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $144,096. Zhou is a Democrat.

Isaiah Green, of Fresno, has been appointed Assistant Deputy Director and Central Valley Regional Advisor at the California Office of the Small Business Advocate. Green has been an Organizational Culture Manager at the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission since 2024 and has served in several roles there since 2020, including Community Engagement Manager, Director of Community Peace Initiatives and Advance Peace Program Manager. Green was a Professional Athlete for the Toronto Argonauts from 2014 to 2016 and for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2012 to 2014. Green was a Professional Athlete for the Indianapolis Colts and for the Buffalo Bills in 2012. He is a commissioner of the Fresno Housing Authority and a member of the Board of Directors of the Golden Charter Academy, United Way of Fresno and Madera, and Valley Teen Ranch. Green earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from California State University, Fresno. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $123,600. Green is a Democrat.

David Neill, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Counsel at the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. Neill has been an Assistant Chief Counsel at the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services since 2021. He was an Attorney Investigator at the California Office of Legislative Counsel, Workplace Conduct Unit from 2019 to 2021. Neill was a Supervising Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2014 to 2019. He was Deputy Chief Counsel at the California Department of Human Resources from 2013 to 2014. Neill served as Supervising Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 2006 to 2013 and was a Deputy Attorney General there from 2001 to 2006. He was a Senior Associate at Littler Mendelson P.C. from 1997 to 2001. Neill is a member of the Sacramento County Bar Association. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of California, Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $212,484. Neill is a Democrat.

Barnie Gyant, of Vallejo, has been appointed to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Gyant served in several roles for the U.S. Forest Service from 1991 to 2022, including Associate Deputy Chief of the National Forest System, Deputy Regional Forester for Resources of the Pacific Southwest Region, Deputy Regional Director of Ecosystem Management of the Pacific Southwest Region, Forest Supervisor of the Siuslaw National Forest, Deputy Forest Supervisor of the White Mountain National Forest, District Ranger of the Dry River Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, District Ranger of the Oconee Ranger District in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, Deputy District Ranger of the Apalachicola National Forest, Forest Fisheries Program Manager of the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests, and District Fisheries Biologist of the Croatan National Forest. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Biology from East Carolina University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gyant is registered without party preference.

Alan Driscoll, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the State Mining and Geology Board. Driscoll has been Vice President at Forsgren Associates since 2015 and a Division Manager there since 2010. He was a Program Manager at Forsgren Associates from 2001 to 2010. Driscoll was a Project Manager at Tetra Tech Inc. from 2000 to 2001 and at HydroGeoLogic Inc. from 1995 to 1999. He was a Staff Geologist at Dames & Moore Inc. from 1992 to 1994. Driscoll is a member of the Board of Directors of the Nevada Mining Association and a member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, the Geological Society of Nevada and the Society of American Military Engineers. He earned a Master of Science degree in Geology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Purdue University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Driscoll is a Republican.

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