SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:
Brian Winfield, 56, of Elk Grove, has been reappointed Chief Deputy Director, Program Services at the California Department of Developmental Services, where he has been Chief Deputy Director since 2018 and has served in several positions since 1998, including as Deputy Director, Assistant Deputy Director, Acting Deputy Director, Branch Manager, Section Chief, Assistant Section Chief and Community Program Specialist II. Winfield was Case Manager and Resource Developer at the Alta California Regional Center from 1995 to 1998 and Program Director at Cole Vocational Services from 1991 to 1995. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,248. Winfield is registered without party preference.
Hiren Patel, 51, of Sacramento, has been reappointed Chief Counsel at the California Department of Developmental Services, where he has served as Chief Counsel since 2012. Patel served as a Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 1999 to 2011. He was a Law Clerk for Chief Judge David Russell at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California from 1997 to 1999 and an Associate Attorney at Haworth Bradshaw Stallknecht and Barber from 1996 to 1997. Patel earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $184,212. Patel is a Democrat.
Caroline Castaneda, 46, of Sacramento, has been reappointed Assistant to the Director for the California Department of Developmental Services, where she has served as Assistant to the Director since 2018. Castaneda was Financial Services Branch Manager of the Administrative Division at the California Department of Developmental Services from 2011 to 2018. She was Chief of the Statewide Program Administration Section for the California Department of Mental Health, Community Services Division in 2009 and Chief of the Medi-Cal Benefits Operations Unit for the California Department of Mental Health in 2008. She held multiple positions at the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board from 2001 to 2008, including Chief of Fiscal Services for the Administration Division, Eligibility and Enrollment Unit Manager for the Eligibility Division and Bilingual Program Specialist for the Eligibility Division. She earned a Master of Arts degree in cinema studies from New York University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $128,652. Castaneda is registered without party preference.
Rachel Wagoner, 46, of Sacramento, has been appointed Director of the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). Wagoner has served as Deputy Legislative Secretary in the Office of the Governor since 2019. She was Chief Consultant for the California State Senate Committee on Environmental Quality from 2009 to 2018, Research Director at the University of Illinois, Chicago School of Public Health from 2008 to 2009 and an Advisor at the Department of Environment for the City of Chicago in 2008. Wagoner was a Consultant for the California State Senate Committee on Environmental Quality from 2007 to 2008, a Consultant for the California State Senate Committee on Health from 2004 to 2007, Director of Legislative Affairs at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control from 2002 to 2004 and a Consultant for the California State Senate Committee on Elections and Reapportionment from 2000 to 2002. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $186,389. Wagoner is a Democrat.
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