SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Laurena Bolden, of Highland, has been appointed to the California Native American Heritage Commission. Bolden has served as Second Governing Council Member and Culture Pillar Co-Lead with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians since 2022. She is a three-term member of the San Manuel Education Board and currently serves as Vice Chair. Bolden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, San Bernardino. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Bolden is registered without party preference. Reid Milanovich, of Palm Springs, has been appointed to the California Native American Heritage Commission. Milanovich has served as Chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians since 2022. Milanovich served as Tribal Council Vice Chair there from 2019 to 2022 and was a member of the Tribal Council from 2014 to 2019. Milanovich earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from California Baptist University. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Milanovich is registered without party preference. Lisa Lien-Mager, of Davis, has been appointed Deputy Secretary for Forest and Wildfire Resilience at the California Natural Resources Agency. Lien-Mager has served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications at the California Natural Resources Agency since 2021 and as Deputy Secretary for Communications there since 2017. She was Director of Communications at the Association of California Water Agencies from 2012 to 2017 and Communications Supervisor there from 2008 to 2012. Lien-Mager earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $186,000. Lien-Mager is a Democrat.Tony Andersen, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Communications at the California Natural Resources Agency. Andersen has served as Deputy Director for Strategic Communications at CAL FIRE since 2022. He was Strategic Communications Director for the State of Oregon Debris Management Task Force from 2020 to 2022 and at the City of Portland Water Bureau from 2018 to 2020. Andersen was an international marketing Consultant in Medellin, Colombia from 2017 to 2018 and a Communications Officer for environmental public health at the Oregon Health Authority from 2016 to 2017. Andersen was a Public Affairs Director and Public Information Officer at the Oregon Department of Forestry from 2013 to 2016 and Communications Lead for education reform initiatives in the Oregon Governor’s Office from 2012 to 2013. Andersen earned a Master of Science degree in Writing and Strategic Communication from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Planning, Public Policy and Management, and Creative Writing from the University of Oregon. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $168,432. Andersen is a Democrat. Douglas Ito, of Sacramento, has been appointed State Oil and Gas Supervisor at the California Department of Conservation, Geologic Energy Management Division. Ito has served as Director of the Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2019 and was interim Deputy Executive Director of Safety and Consumer Protection at the Commission in 2022. Ito was Assistant Division Chief of the Transportation and Toxics Division at the California Air Resources Board from 2014 to 2019 and served as Chief of the Freight Branch there from 2013 to 2014 and as Chief of the Air Quality and Transportation Planning Branch from 2010 to 2013. Ito earned a Master of Science degree in Transportation Technology and Policy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from the University of California, Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $224,976. Ito is a Democrat.Justin Ong, of Oakland, has been appointed Chief Policy Advisor in the Public Advocates Office at the California Public Utilities Commission. Ong has served as Senior Advisor in the Public Advocates Office at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2022. He earned a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $140,004. Ong is registered without party preference. Alexis Strauss Hacker, of Piedmont, has been reappointed to the Board of Environmental Safety, where she has served since 2022. Strauss Hacker served in several roles at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1979 to 2019, including Acting Regional Administrator, Deputy Regional Administrator, Water Division Director, and Manager of Superfund Enforcement Programs. Strauss Hacker earned a Master of Arts degree in Urban Planning and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $85,232. Strauss Hacker is registered without party preference.Stefan Galvez-Abadia, of Oakland, has been appointed Director of Environmental Services at the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Galvez-Abadia has been Deputy District Director in the Environmental Division of District 11 at the California Department of Transportation since 2021. He served in several positions at the California Department of Transportation from 1989 to 2021, including Environmental Manager for the Toll Bridge Program from 2008 to 2021, District Division Chief, District 4 from 2019 to 2021, Chief of the Office of Environmental Analysis, District 4 from 2013 to 2019, Branch Chief of the Office of Biological Sciences and Permits, District 4 from 2003 to 2008 and Senior Environmental Planner, District 4 from 1998 to 2003. He is a member of the Association of Environmental Professionals. Galvez-Abadia earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from Texas State University, San Marcos. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $184,332. Galvez-Abadia is a Democrat.
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