Governor Newsom announces appointments 4.3.25

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Trista H. Woessner-Gonzalez, of Granite Bay, has been appointed Director of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, where she has served in several roles including as Chief Deputy Director since 2021 and as Chief of the Tax Policy Bureau from 2016 to 2021. Woessner-Gonzalez held several positions at the California State Board of Equalization from 1992 to 2016, including CROS Business Project Manager, Procurement Manager, Audit and Information Section Supervisor, Tax Policy Division Technical Advisor, Audit Support Unit Supervisor, Audit Support Specialist, Audit Reviewer, and Sales and Use Tax Auditor. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, Chico. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $226,092. Woessner-Gonzalez is a Democrat. 

James Hacker, of Sacramento, has been appointed Undersecretary of the California State Transportation Agency. Hacker has been a Deputy Cabinet Secretary in the Office of Governor Newsom since 2023. He was a Principal Consultant at the California State Senate Budget Committee from 2017 to 2023. Hacker was a Finance Budget Analyst at the California Department of Finance from 2015 to 2017. He was a Fiscal and Policy Analyst in the California Legislative Analyst’s Office from 2014 to 2015. He was a Consultant at Deloitte from 2009 to 2013. Hacker earned a Master of Public Administration degree in Energy and Environmental Policy from Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs and Economics from George Washington University. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $218,388. Hacker is a Democrat.

Emily Desai, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Deputy Director at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Desai has been Senior Deputy Director for Strategic Program Planning and External Affairs at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development since 2024, where she has held several roles since 2019, including Deputy Director of International Affairs and Trade, Trade and Investment Representative for Europe, Middle East, and India, and Special Advisor of International Affairs and Investment. She was Senior Project Manager of International Affairs and Trade for the Government Accountability Office from 2014 to 2019. Desai was a Senior Policy Analyst for the Pacific Institute and the United Nations Global Compact CEO Water Mandate in 2014. She was a Senior Associate at the Nonprofit Finance Fund from 2010 to 2012. Desai is a Presidential Leadership Scholar, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the State International Development Organization, and a member of the United States Investment Advisory Council and the United States Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee on International Trade. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration and International Business from the University of Arizona. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $190,536. Desai is a Democrat.

Trisha Smith, of Antelope, has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Administrative Services at the California Department of Veterans Affairs, where she has held multiple positions since 2015 including Assistant Deputy Secretary, Human Resources, Assistant Human Resources Director, and Staff Services Manager II. Smith held multiple roles at the California Department of Human Resources from 2009 to 2015, including Personnel Officer and Personnel Program Analyst. She held multiple positions at California Highway Patrol from 1994 to 2009, including Associate Personnel Analyst, Staff Services Analyst, Personnel Supervisor, Personnel Specialist and Office Assistant. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $160,048. Smith is a Democrat.

David Wesley, of San Diego, has been appointed Deputy Chief of Enforcement at the Division of Occupational Safety and Health at the Department of Industrial Relations. Wesley has been Assistant Deputy Chief at the Division of Occupational Safety and Health at the Department of Industrial Relations since 2022, where he has held several roles since 2017, including Senior Safety Engineer and Associate Safety Engineer. He was the Radiation Safety Officer at the University of Southern California from 2007 to 2017. Wesley was the Radiation Safety Officer at University of California, Riverside from 2004 to 2007. He held several roles at the California Department of Health Services from 1993 to 2003, including Chef of Radioactive Materials Licensing, Chief of the Licensing Projects Unit, and Associate Health Physicist. Wesley held multiple roles in the United States Air Force from 1987 to 1992, including Chief of Nuclear Quality Assurance and Aircraft Nuclear Safety Engineer. He earned a Master of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $192,108. Wesley is a Republican.