Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California’s rural counties.
Sara Nelson, of Roseville, has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Administrative Services at the California Health and Human Services Agency. Nelson has been Chief of the Strategic Planning and Workforce Development Division at the Department of Health Care Services since 2022, where she was Assistant Chief from 2021 to 2022. She was an Administration Manager at the Health and Human Services Agency from 2019 to 2021. Nelson was a Training Coordinator in the Training and Development Unit at California Department of Tax and Fee Administration from 2017 to 2019. She was a Training Coordinator and Instructor in the Organizational Development Section at California Highway Patrol from 2012 to 2016. Nelson earned a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Franklin University. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $157,716. Nelson is registered without party preference.
Michael Palmisano, of El Dorado Hills, has been appointed Chief Counsel at the Office of Data and Innovation. Palmisano has been Assistant Chief Counsel at the California Government Operations Agency since 2022 and General Counsel at Seneca Family of Agencies since 2023. Palmisano was an Attorney in the Office of Legal Services at the Department of Managed Health Care from 2017 to 2022. Palmisano earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from the University of Colorado, Boulder. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $200,004. Palmisano is a Democrat.
Dale Romanini, of McKinleyville, has been appointed to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. Romanini held several roles at LACO Associates from 1999 to 2023, including Lab Director, Eureka Regional Manager, and Material Testing Lab Manager. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $250 per diem. Romanini is a Democrat.
Rachel Wigginton, of Davis, has been appointed Special Assistant for Planning and Science at the Delta Stewardship Council. Wigginton has been Senior Environmental Scientist at Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy since 2020. She was Coastal Scientist at San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission from 2019 to 2020. Wigginton was a Graduate Research Assistant at University of California, Davis from 2012 to 2019. She was a Graduate Research Assistant at California State University, Long Beach from 2009 to 2012. Wigginton was Research Assistant at the United States Department of Agriculture in 2010. She was Undergraduate Research Assistant at Western Kentucky University from 2006 to 2008. Wigginton was Undergraduate Fellow at Michigan State University in 2007. Wigginton earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Ecology from University of California, Davis, a Master of Science degree in Biology from California State University, Long Beach and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Western Kentucky University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $135,264. Wigginton is a Democrat.