Christopher Earl, 38, of Rialto, has been appointed Assistant Deputy Director for the Office of the Small Business Advocate at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Earl has been Southern California Small Business Specialist at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development since 2020. He was Executive Director of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship at the Riverside Community College District from 2019 to 2020, where he held several other positions from 2012 to 2019, including Statewide Director of the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program, Director of the Office of Grants and Contracts, Assistant Director of TriTech Small Business Development, Business Development Specialist and Marketing and Events Coordinator. He was Site Coordinator at Think Together from 2011 to 2013, supporting the Inland Empire. Earl was a Project Manager at OmniPlatform Software Corporation from 2010 to 2011. He was a Business Analyst and Consultant for the Army Research Lab in 2009, serving as a member of the Integrated Technology Transfer Network hosted by California State University, San Bernardino. Earl served as a Civil Engineer at the South Carolina Department of Transportation from 2004 to 2008. He is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, Grant Professionals Association, Federal Lab Consortium Minority Business Development Committee, Inland Empire Micro Enterprise Collaborative Board and the Riverside County Economic Development Alliance. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $120,000. Earl is a Democrat.
Nina Sheridan, 26, of San Francisco, has been appointed Special Assistant to the Secretary at the California Environmental Protection Agency. Sheridan has been Press Secretary at the Office of the California Attorney General since 2021, where she served as a Deputy Press Secretary from 2020 to 2021 and as an Executive Fellow from 2019 to 2020. Sheridan was a Research Assistant for the Department of Politics at Princeton University from 2017 to 2020, where she was a Government Affairs Assistant in the Office of Public Affairs in 2019. She was a Legislative and Communications Intern for the Office of Senator Richard Blumenthal in 2018 and a Legislative Intern for the Office of Representative Mike Thompson in 2017. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100,008. Sheridan is a Democrat.
Kirin Gill, 40, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Counsel at the State Board of Education. Gill has been a Deputy Attorney General IV in the Health, Education & Welfare Section of the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General since 2018. She was a Senior Associate at Reed Smith LLP from 2013 to 2016 and an Associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati from 2008 to 2013. Gill is a member of the State Bar of California. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $184,704. Gill is a Democrat.
Laura Rodriguez, 46, of El Dorado Hills, has been appointed Senior Policy Director at the State Board of Education. Rodriguez has been Senior Director of Government Relations for the College Board since 2013. She was Director of West Coast Government and External Relations at Educational Testing Service from 2005 to 2013. She was Legislative Director for Office of Assemblymember Barbara Matthews from 2002 to 2005 and a Legislative Assistant at Birdsall, Wasco & Associates from 2000 to 2002. Rodriguez is a member of the Inside California Education Advisory Board. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $155,040. Rodriguez is a Democrat.
Linda Darling-Hammond, 70, of Stanford, has been reappointed to the State Board of Education, where she has served since 2019. Darling-Hammond has served as Charles E. Ducommun Professor Emeritus at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education since 2017, where she served as a Professor from 1998 to 2017. She has been President of the Learning Policy Institute since 2015. Darling-Hammond was Founder and Co-Director of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education from 2008 to 2017 and Faculty Sponsor for the Stanford Teacher Education Program from 1998 to 2005. She was Executive Director of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future from 1994 to 2001. Darling-Hammond held an Endowed Professorship at Teachers College, Columbia University from 1989 to 1998 and was Director of the RAND Corporation’s Education Program from 1979 to 1989. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education. Darling-Hammond earned a Doctor of Education degree is Urban Education from Temple University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Darling-Hammond is a Democrat.
Jose Francisco Escobedo, 62, of Bonita, has been reappointed to the State Board of Education, where he has served since 2021. Escobedo has been Executive Director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation since 2021. He was Superintendent for the Chula Vista Elementary School District from 2010 to 2021 and Assistant Superintendent for the South Bay Union School District from 2006 to 2010. Escobedo was Vice President of Achievement and Operations at Edison Schools Inc. from 2003 to 2006. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from San Diego State University and a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from the University of California, San Diego. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Escobedo is registered without party preference.
Audrey Dow, 48, of Hacienda Heights, has been reappointed to the California Student Aid Commission, where she has served since 2022. Dow has been Senior Vice President at the Campaign for College Opportunity since 2009. She was a Consultant for National Policy Partners and Strategic Allies at the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 2008. Dow was Programs and Policy Director at Hispanas Organized for Political Equality from 2002 to 2007. She was Special Assistant to the Secretary at the State Business, Transportation and Housing Agency from 1999 to 2002. Dow was a Client Services Representative at Contreras-Sweet Communications from 1997 to 1999. She was a Construction Project Manager at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 1996 to 1997. Dow is a member of the Board of Directors for the Alliance for a Better Community and Excelencia in Education. She earned a Master of Public Affairs degree from Princeton University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Dow is a Democrat.
Brian Holt, 46, of Bakersfield, has been appointed to the Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee. Holt has been Business Manager and Financial Secretary of IBEW Local 428 since 2021, where he was Assistant Business Manager from 2013 to 2021. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Holt is a Democrat.