SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Amy Cordalis, 40, of McKinleyville, has been appointed to the California Water Commission. Cordalis, a member of the Yurok Tribe, has been General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe since 2016 and served as a Staff Attorney for the Tribe from 2014 to 2016. She was Staff Attorney at Berkey Williams LLP from 2012 to 2014 and at the Native American Rights Fund from 2007 to 2012. Cordalis is a member of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation Board of Directors. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver College of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Cordalis is a Democrat.

Kimberly Gallagher, 45, of Davis, has been appointed to the California Water Commission. Gallagher has been Farm Operations Manager at Erdman Farms since 2014 and Owner and Operator of Gallagher Farming Company since 2009. She was a Science Teacher for the Davis Unified School District from 2012 to 2014 and an Independent Study Teacher for the Elk Grove Unified School District from 2004 to 2011. Gallagher is a member of the Colusa County Resources Conservation District, Colusa Glenn Subwatershed Program and the California Rice Commission. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Christian leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gallagher is a Democrat.

Fern Steiner, 71, of San Diego, has been appointed to the California Water Commission. Steiner has been an Attorney at Smith, Steiner, Vanderpool APC since 1987 and a Shareholder there since 1993. She was an Attorney at Richard D. Prochazka APC from 1984 to 1987 and an Attorney at Karmel and Rosenfeld from 1977 to 1984. Steiner is a member of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors and a trustee for San Diego Youth Services. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from John Marshall Law School. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Steiner is a Democrat.

Susan K. Burr, 67, of Sacramento, has been reappointed to the State Board of Education, where she has served since 2013. Burr was Executive Director and Education Advisor to Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. at the State Board of Education from 2011 to 2012. She held multiple positions at the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association from 2003 to 2011, including Executive Director and Governmental Relations Director. Burr was Assistant Superintendent for Business Services at Elk Grove Unified School District from 2000 to 2003. She held multiple positions in the Office of Governor Gray Davis from 1999 to 2000, including Interim Secretary of Education and Undersecretary of Education. Burr was Co-Director at the California State University Institute for Educational Reform from 1995 to 1999. She was Principal Consultant for the California State Senate Education and Appropriations Committees from 1986 to 1994. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Burr is a Democrat.

Ilene Straus, 71, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the State Board of Education, where she has served since 2011. Straus has been a Lecturer for the Educational Leadership Program at the University of California, Los Angeles Graduate School of Education and Information Studies since 2014; President and Principle Consultant at Dynamic Education LLC since 2012; and Vice President of the State Board of Education since 2013. She was Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services at Beverly Hills Unified School District from 2006 to 2011 and Senior Director of Secondary Education at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District in 2006. She was Chief Educational Officer and Principal of Santa Monica High School from 2002 to 2006. Straus was Principal of Lincoln Middle School from 1986 to 2002 and of Waite Elementary from 1983 to 1986. She is a member of the National Association of State Boards of Education and the California Collaborative on District Reform. She earned a Doctor of Education degree in educational leadership from the University of Southern California and a Master of Arts degree in educational administration from California State University, Northridge. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Straus is a Democrat.

Lindsay Callahan, 43, of Fresno, has been appointed to the California Volunteers Commission. Callahan has been President and Chief Executive Officer at United Way of Fresno and Madera Counties since 2016. She was a Consultant at the Fresno County Office of Education from 2015 to 2016. Callahan was a Program Manager at Richard Heath and Associates from 2013 to 2015. She was Founder and Principal of Lindsay S. Callahan Consulting from 2004 to 2015. Callahan was Program Director at the Foundation Consortium for California’s Children and Youth from 2000 to 2003. She was a Capital Fellow in the Office of State Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg from 1999 to 2000. Callahan earned a Master of Public Policy degree from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Callahan is registered without party preference.

Eddie Valero, 38, of Orosi, has been appointed to the California Volunteers Commission. Valero has served as a Tulare County Supervisor since 2019. He was Executive Director of the Young Men’s Initiative from 2013 to 2018. Valero was School Board President at the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District from 2013 to 2018. He earned a Master of Education degree in learning, teaching and social policy from Cornell University. Valero is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Woodlake. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Valero is registered without party preference.

William “Bill” Ayub, 53, of Ventura, has been appointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board. Ayub has served as Sheriff of Ventura County since 2018, where he held several positions from 1996 to 2018, including Deputy Sheriff, Senior Deputy Sheriff, Sergeant, Captain, Commander and Assistant Sheriff. He was a Police Officer at the North Las Vegas Police Department from 1992 to 1996 and at the Port Hueneme Police Department from 1990 to 1992. Ayub earned a Master of Science degree in emergency services administration from California State University, Long Beach. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Ayub is registered without party preference.

Brenda Bruner, 61, of Oakland, has been reappointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board, where she has served since 2018. Bruner has been Manager of the Emergency Services Dispatch Unit at the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office since 2012, where she was Supervisor from 2006 to 2012 and Dispatcher from 1987 to 2006. She was a Communications Officer at the University of California Police Department, Berkeley from 1985 to 1987. Bruner is a member of the National Emergency Number Association and Northern California Chapter of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Bruner is a Democrat.

Christopher M. Childs, 49, of Vacaville, has been appointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board. Childs has served as Chief at the California Highway Patrol since 2020, where he has held several positions since 1994, including Assistant Chief, Captain and Commander. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Childs is registered without party preference.

Lee Ann Magoski, 44, of Petaluma, has been reappointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board, where she has served since 2018. Magoski has served as Director of Emergency Communications for Monterey County since 2019. Magoski was Communications Dispatch Manager at the Marin County Sheriff’s Office from 2011 to 2019. She served in several positions at the San Jose Fire Department from 2000 to 2011, including Supervising Public Safety Dispatcher, Senior Public Safety Dispatcher and Public Safety Dispatcher. Magoski was a Public Safety Dispatcher at the Escondido Police Department from 1996 to 2000. She is a member of the National Emergency Number Association and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials. Magoski earned a Master of Arts degree in leadership from Saint Mary’s College of California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Magoski is a Democrat.

Rosa A. Ramos, 39, of Danville, has been appointed to the State 9-1-1 Advisory Board. Ramos has served as a Fire Dispatch Manager at the Alameda County Fire Department since 2013. She was a Communications Dispatcher at the Richmond Police Department from 2003 to 2013. Ramos was an Administrative Assistant at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati from 2001 to 2003. She is a member of the National Emergency Number Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Ramos is a Democrat.

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