Governor Newsom announces appointments

SACRAMENTO -Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Rhonalyn Cabello, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director, Office of Public Affairs at the California Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery. Cabello has been the Director of Communications at the Office of California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis since 2022. She was a Communications Specialist at California Volunteers from 2021 to 2022. Cabello was the Communications Assistant at the Office of Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs from 2018 to 2020. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate Confirmation, and the compensation is $135,000. Cabello is a Democrat.

Janeth Corona, of El Centro, has been appointed to the Salton Sea Conservancy Governing Board. Corona has been the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Program Director at Imperial Valley College since 2023, where she was Internship and Work Experience Coordinator from 2017 to 2023. She was a Career Specialist at the Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program from 2015 to 2017. Corona was an Institutional Management/United States Liaison at the Universidad Del Sur from 2012 to 2015. She was an Adult Development Specialist at the Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program from 2010 to 2012. Corona was an Office Manager/Case Manager at Calexico Community Action Council from 2002 to 2010. She earned a Master of Business Administration Degree from Universidad Del Sur and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from San Diego State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Corona is a Democrat.

Irvine Carrillo, of Lancaster, has been appointed to the California Architects Board. Carrillo has been the Principal at Synthetic Mass Inc. since 2020. He was an Architect and Principal at Flewelling & Moody Architects from 2013 to 2020. Carrillo earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Carrillo has no party preference.

Ronald Jones, of Oakland, has been reappointed to the California Architects Board, where he has served since 2020. Jones has been the Principal at the Hunt Hale Jones Architects of San Francisco since 1995. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem. Jones is a Democrat.

Heather Snipes, of Eureka, has been reappointed to the Advisory Commission on Special Education, where she has been served since 2022. Snipes has been a Program Specialist for the Supporting Innovative Practices Project at the El Dorado Office of Education since 2022 and an Instructor at the California Preschool Instructional Network since 2018. She held multiple positions at the Eureka City School District from 2013 to 2022, including Director of Early Childhood Development and Special Education, Assistant Director of Early Childhood Education, Preschool Center Teacher, Substitute Preschool Teacher, and Elementary School Secretary. Snipes was SEEDS Afterschool Program Coordinator at the Westside Community Improvement Project from 2015 to 2016. She was a Financial Aid Technician at the College of the Redwoods from 2014 to 2015. Snipes was an Emergency Communications Dispatcher Trainee at the City of Eureka Police Department from 2012 to 2013. She was an Early Head Start Teacher at Hoopa Valley Tribal Early Head Start from 2011 to 2012. Snipes was a Preschool Teacher at the College of the Redwoods Child Development Center from 2007 to 2011. She is a Member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Snipes earned a Master of Science degree in Early Childhood Studies from Walden University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development from California Polytechnic State University, Humboldt. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Snipes is a Democrat.

Victoria "Vicki" Graf, of Newport Beach, has been reappointed to the Advisory Commission on Special Education, where she has served since 2022. Graf has been Professor Emerita at Loyola Marymount University since 2022, where she was Professor and Director of the Special Education Program from 1979 to 2022. She is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children, the California Council on Teacher Education, the American Educational Research Association, Kappa Delta Pi, and Alpha Sigma Nu. Graf earned a earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Special Education from the University of California, Riverside and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from DePauw University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Graf is a Democrat.