SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Madeline Drake, 31, of Sacramento, has been appointed Assistant Secretary of Biodiversity and Habitat at the California Natural Resources Agency. Drake has been Interim Biodiversity Coordinator at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife since 2021. She was a Senior Fish and Wildlife Biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 2017 to 2021 and a California Sea Grant Fellow at the California Department of Parks and Recreation from 2016 to 2017. Drake earned a Master of Science degree in Animal Biology from the University of California, Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $135,000. Drake is a Democrat.Kirsten Macintyre, 49, of Sacramento, has been appointed Assistant Secretary for Press and Communications at the California Natural Resources Agency. Macintyre has been Communications Manager at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife since 2009. She was Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Communications, Education and Outreach at the Department of Fish and Wildlife from 2013 to 2014, Staff Operations Specialist at the California Department of General Services from 2007 to 2010 and Assistant Director for External Affairs at the California State Department of Mental Health from 2005 to 2007. Macintyre was a Public Information Officer at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System from 2003 to 2005 and a Public Information Officer for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in 2003, where she was a Marketing Analyst from 2000 to 2001. She is a member of the Association for Conservation Information and the National Conservation Leadership Institute. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $135,000. Macintyre is a Democrat.Jennifer Phillips, 35, of Sacramento, has been appointed Assistant Secretary of Climate Change at the California Natural Resources Agency. Phillips has been Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Climate Alliance since 2020. She was Senior Scientist at the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research from 2018 to 2020, Climate Policy Advisor at the California Ocean Protection Council from 2015 to 2018 and Special Assistant to the Administrator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 2014 to 2015, where she was Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellow from 2013 to 2014. Phillips was a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2010 to 2012. She earned a Master of Science degree in environmental Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $138,012. Phillips is a Democrat.Dawn Blake, 50, of Hoopa, has been appointed to the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Blake has been Forestry Director for the Yurok Tribe since 2021. She was a Wildlife Biologist for the Hoopa Valley Tribe from 2006 to 2021, where she was a Wildlife Bio-Technician from 2003 to 2006. Blake is a member of the Hoopa Tribal Education Association Board of Directors, the Intertribal Timber Council and the Wildlife Society. She earned a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources from Humboldt State University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Blake is a Democrat.Jeremiah Hallisey, 83, of Alamo, has been appointed to the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Hallisey has been President at Hallisey and Johnson since 1971. He is a member of the San Francisco Bar Association, the Energy Bar Association and the California Construction Industry Labor Management Cooperation Trust Board of Trustees. Hallisey earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Master of Arts degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Hallisey is a Democrat.Julissa de Gonzalez, 32, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director for Legislation and External Affairs at the Office of Tax Appeals. De Gonzalez has served as Director of Legislation and Policy at the Department of Pesticide Regulation since 2020. She was Acting Legislative Director of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment from 2021 to 2022. De Gonzalez was an External Affairs Specialist at Covered California from 2019 to 2020. She was a Research Analyst of the Little Hoover Commission from 2017 to 2019. De Gonzalez was a Legislative Aide in the Office of Senator Robert Hertzberg from 2016 to 2017. She held several positions in the Office of Senator Barbara Boxer from 2012 to 2016, including Field Representative and Staff Assistant. De Gonzalez is a member of Metro EDGE. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $142,008. She is a Democrat. Colette A. Kavanaugh, 39, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Kavanaugh has been Owner and Electrologist at Colibri Electrology since 2022 and an Associate Personnel Analyst at the California State Library since 2020. She was On-Call Library Assistant at the Sacramento Public Library from 2019 to 2020. Kavanaugh was an Associate Personnel Analyst at the Department of Health Care Services from 2016 to 2020. She held several positions at the Employment Development Department from 2015 to 2016, including Personnel Specialist and Staff Services Analyst. Kavanaugh is a member of the American Electrology Association and the Northern California Chapter of the Electrologists’ Association of California. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Kavanaugh is a Democrat.
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