Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California's rural counties.
Sarah Fogarty, of Lone Pine, has been appointed to the 18th District Agricultural Association, Eastern Sierra Tri-County Fair Board of Directors. Fogarty has been an Elementary School Teacher for the Lone Pine Unified School District since 2014. She was an Elementary School Teacher for the Carson City School District from 2005 to 2010. Fogarty earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business from the University of Nevada, Reno and a Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Fogarty is a Republican.
Judith Freyman, of Rocklin, has been reappointed to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board, where she has served since 2012. Freyman was Western Operations Director for Mercer ORC Western Occupational Safety and Health Group from 2001 to 2012. She was Assistant General Counsel at ConAgra Refrigerated Foods from 1980 to 2001. Freyman earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Chicago and a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $153,287. Freyman is registered without party preference.
Jana Ganion, of Arcata, has been appointed Senior Advisor for Offshore Wind. Ganion has been Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs at the Blue Lake Rancheria since 2004. Ganion is Co-Chair of the U.S. Department of Energy, Indian Country Energy and Infrastructure Working Group and Alternate Director of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority Board of Directors. She is a member of the PG&E Sustainability Advisory Council, SB 350 Disadvantaged Communities Advisory Group, U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management California Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force, and the California Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program Technical Advisory Council. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Western Washington University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $180,000. Ganion is a Democrat.
James “Jim” McQuillen, a Yurok enrolled tribal citizen from Del Norte County, has been reappointed to the State Board of Education, where he has served since 2020. McQuillen has served as Director of Education for the Yurok Tribe since 2004. He has previously served as an American Indian Education Administrator, Family Therapist, and Consultant to the Del Norte County Unified School District. McQuillen has also served as a School Administrator for the Del Norte County Unified School District, Lecturer at Humboldt State University, and Director of the Child and Family Services Program at United Indian Health Services. McQuillen is an active cultural practitioner hailing from a ceremonial lead family from the Lower Klamath River. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Sacramento State University. He is a licensed Marriage Family Therapist and holds a Pupil Personnel Services credential. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. McQuillen is a Democrat.
Serge Mistivar, of Lemoore, has been appointed Chief of Primary Care Services for the California Department of State Hospitals, Coalinga, where he has served as Chief Physician and Surgeon since 2022. He was a Physician and Surgeon at the California Department of State Hospitals, Coalinga from 2020 to 2022. He was Medical Director of the Adult Medicine Division/Physician for the Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida from 2014 to 2020. He was Medical Director of Urgent Care at EAMC-Lanier Hospital - Urgent Care from 2012 to 2014 and a Physician for the Roman Medical Group from 2010 to 2011. He was a Physician for the Florida Community Health Center from 2007 to 2010. Mistivar is a member of the American Medical Association and the American Osteopathic Association. He earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from Hunter College of the City University of New York. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $356,724. Mistivar is registered without party preference.
Fallon Okwuosa, of Rocklin, has been appointed Assistant Deputy Director for Public Affairs at the Department of General Services. Okwuosa has served as an Information Officer at the Department of General Services since 2021. She held several roles at NBCUniversal, Inc. for “Access Hollywood” and “Access Hollywood LIVE” from 2013 to 2019, including Segment Producer, Associate Segment Producer and Editorial Assistant. Okwuosa was a Researcher and Booker at CBS Television Distribution for “The Doctors” talk show in 2013. She was a Production Assistant at Reelz from 2012 to 2013. Okwuosa earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication and Journalism from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $108,480. Okwuosa is a Democrat.
Judith Recchio, of Davis, has been appointed Deputy Director and Chief Counsel, Office of Legal Services at the California Department of Health Care Services, where she has been Interim Deputy Director and Chief Counsel since 2023, and a Senior Assistant Chief Counsel since 2018. She was a Deputy Attorney General and Supervising Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice from 2006 to 2018. She was Of Counsel at Harrang, Long, Gary & Rudnick from 2005 to 2006. She was Partner at Tomlinson Zisko LLP from 2003 to 2005 and at Skjerven Morrill LLP from 2001 to 2003. Recchio earned a Juris Doctor degree from Santa Clara University 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 $217,896. Recchio is a Democrat.
Haydee Rodriguez, of El Centro, has been reappointed to the State Board of Education, where she has served since 2020. Rodriguez has been a Teacher at Central Union High School District since 2005. She was a Teacher at Holtville High School from 2003 to 2005. Rodriguez was a Teacher at East Palo Alto Academy from 2001 to 2003. She is a member of the California Teachers Association, Journalism Education Association, and National Council for the Social Studies. Rodriguez earned a Master of Arts degree in Education from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science from San Diego State University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rodriguez is a Democrat.