SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Samantha Arthur, of Sacramento, has been appointed Assistant Secretary for Salton Sea Policy at the California Natural Resources Agency. Arthur has been Working Lands Program Director for Audubon California since 2019. She was Conservation Project Director at Audubon California from 2016 to 2019 and Conservation Project Manager there from 2014 to 2016. Arthur was a Land Protection Specialist with Big Sur Land Trust from 2010 to 2012. She is a member of the California Water Commission. Arthur earned a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $163,008. Arthur is a Democrat.

Alexis Jackson, of Oakland, has been appointed to the Ocean Protection Council. Jackson has been Ocean Policy and Plastics Lead at the Nature Conservancy since 2017. She was Senior Associate of International Ocean Policy at Pew Charitable Trusts from 2015 to 2017. Jackson was a Fisheries Management Specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 2014 to 2015. Jackson earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Jackson is a Democrat.

Megan Rocha, of McKinleyville, has been appointed to the Ocean Protection Council. Rocha has been Executive Director at Resighini Rancheria since 2019. She was Natural Resources Director for the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation from 2017 to 2019. Rocha was an Independent Consultant from 2011 to 2109. She was an Indian Economic and Community Development Specialist with the Office for Economic, Community and Business Development at Humboldt State University from 2010 to 2013. Rocha was an Environmental Coordinator for the Yurok Tribe from 2004 to 2009. She was an Instructor at College of the Redwoods from 2005 to 2007. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rocha is a Democrat.

Gloria Cordero, of Long Beach, has been appointed to the Colorado River Board. Cordero has been President of Long Beach Utilities since 2015 and represents the City of Long Beach on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board of Directors. She is also a member of the board of the DigDEEP Navajo Water Project. Cordero was a Partner at ABC Advocacy from 2007 to 2011 and served as Director of Community Outreach in the City of Long Beach Mayor’s Office from 2007 to 2011. She was Director of Government Affairs at Long Beach City College from 2000 to 2001 and the Region Manager of Public Affairs at Southern California Edison from 1983 to 2000. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Cordero is a Democrat.

Jordan D. Joaquin, of Fort Yuma, Quechan Indian Reservation, has been appointed to the Colorado River Board. Joaquin has served as President of the Quechan Tribe since 2019, having been re-elected for a second four-year term in December 2022. He was a Council Member with the Quechan Indian Tribe from 2008 to 2010. Joaquin retired as a Sergeant from the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office in 2017 after 28 years of service. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Joaquin is a Democrat.

Frank Ruiz, of Riverside, has been appointed to the Colorado River Board. Ruiz is Salton Sea Program Director for Audubon California. He earned a Master of Education degree in Religion from La Sierra University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Ruiz is a Democrat.

Sandra Matsumoto, of Davis, has been reappointed to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, where she has served since 2018. Matsumoto has been Director of the California Water Program at the Nature Conservancy since 2020, where she was Associate Director from 2015 to 2020 and Project Director from 2004 to 2015. She was Project Manager at the Los Angeles Community Design Center from 2003 to 2004 and a Project Analyst at Mintz Levin from 1997 to 1999. She is an advisor to the Public Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center and a board member of the Water Education Foundation. Matsumoto earned a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Management. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Matsumoto is a Democrat.

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