Governor Newsom announces appointments 12.31.24

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Anthony Chavez, of Auburn, has been appointed Chief Deputy Director at the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement. Chavez has been Director of Operations at California Volunteers since 2021. He was Director of Finance and Administration at California Volunteers from 2011 to 2021. Chavez earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from California State University, Humbolt. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $190,536. Chavez is a Democrat.

Thomas Cameron, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Deputy Executive Director at the Strategic Growth Council. Cameron has been Assistant Director for Strategic Initiatives at the California Department of Aging since 2022, where he was Deputy Director of Administration from 2019 to 2022. Cameron was the Chief of Administration for the Board of State and Community Corrections from 2015 to 2019. He held multiple roles at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation between 2012 and 2015, including Chief of Support Services and Contracts and Business Services Manager. Cameron was Fiscal Officer at California High-Speed Rail Authority from 2011 to 2012. Cameron held multiple roles at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation between 2006 and 2011, including Budget Manager, Lead Budget Analyst, Budget Analyst, Contracts and Procurement Analyst, Buyer, and Procurement Technician. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $180,012. Cameron is a Democrat. 

Mariam El-Menshawi, of Granite Bay, has been appointed Chief of the Office of Victims and Survivor Rights and Services at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. El-Menshawi is a Hearing Officer at California Hearing Officers since 2024, Director of Legal Services at the California Victim Resource Center, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law since 2024, and an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law since 2018. She has held three additional positions at the Victim Resource Center at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law from 2012 to 2024 including Executive Director from 2023 to 2024, Director from 2013 to 2022, and Assistant Director from 2012 to 2013. El-Menshawi is a member of the United States Attorney’s Office Hate Crime Task Force, the California Office of Emergency Services Statewide Victims of Crime Act Steering Committee, and the Consortium on Victims’ Rights and Services. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, her Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $173,004. El-Menshawi is registered without party preference.

Jan Schori, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the Independent System Operator Governing Board, where she has served since 2021. Schori was a Trustee of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation from 2009 to 2020. She was Of Counsel at Downey Brand LLP from 2008 to 2012. Schori held multiple positions at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District from 1979 to 2008, including Chief Executive Officer and General Manager from 1994 to 2008, and General Counsel from 1988 to 1994. She is a Board Member of the Climate Action Reserve. Schori earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law and her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $50,000. Schori is a Democrat. 

Severin Borenstein, of Orinda, has been reappointed to the Independent System Operator Governing Board, where he has served since 2019. Borenstein has been a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley – Haas School of Business since 1996. He was an Associate/Full Professor at the Department of Economics, University of California, Davis from 1989 to 1996. Borenstein was an Assistant Professor, at the Department of Economics, University of Michigan from 1983 to 1989. He was a Staff Economist at the United States Civil Aeronautics Board from 1978 to 1979. Borenstein earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his Bachelor of the Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $50,000. Borenstein is a Democrat.