Governor Newsom Announces Appointments 5.24.22

SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Ahmad Besaratinia, 53, of Monrovia, has been appointed to the Carcinogen Identification Committee. Besaratinia has been a Professor at City of Hope since 2004 and a Professor at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine since 2013. He has worked as a Senior Investigator and Principal Investigator on multiple research projects sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2001. He held multiple positions at the City of Hope's Beckman Research Institute from 2001 to 2012, including Associate Research Professor, Assistant Research Professor and Research Fellow. Besaratinia is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, the Epigenetics Society and the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Genetic Toxicology and Molecular Epidemiology and a Master of Public health degree from Maastricht University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Besaratinia is registered without party preference.

Dana Loomis, 66, of Blairsden, has been reappointed to the Carcinogen Identification Committee, where he has served since 2018. Loomis has been Director of the Plumas County Public Health Agency since 2021. He was a Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Community Health Sciences from 2018 to 2021, where he was a Professor of Environmental Health from 2007 to 2010. He was Head of the Monographs Program at the International Agency for Research on Cancer from 2016 to 2017, where he was Deputy Head from 2012 to 2016. He was Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center from 2010 to 2012 and Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1989 to 2006. Loomis is a member of the International Commission for Occupational Safety and Health. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Epidemiology, Master of Public Health degree in Environmental Sciences and a Master of Science degree in Geology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Loomis is a Democrat.

Thomas McDonald, 59, of Martinez, has been reappointed to the Carcinogen Identification Committee, where he has served since 2017. McDonald has been Lead Toxicologist for Product Safety at the Clorox Company since 2014. He was Senior Staff Scientist at Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals from 2008 to 2014, where he was Principal Research Scientist from 2006 to 2008. McDonald was a Toxicology Manager at Arysta LifeScience North America from 2005 to 2006. He served as a Staff Toxicologist in the California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment from 1998 to 2005, where he was an Associate Toxicologist from 1994 to 1998. He is a member of the Society of Toxicology. McDonald earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Public Health degree in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. McDonald is a Democrat.

Sophia Wang, 50, of South Pasadena, has been appointed to the Carcinogen Identification Committee. Wang has been a Professor at City of Hope since 2009. She was a Senior Investigator at the National Cancer Institute from 2000 to 2009 and Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1998 to 2000. She is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research. Wang earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Wang is a Democrat.

Kevin McGowan, 41, of Agoura Hills, has been appointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission. McGowan has been Director of the Los Angeles County Emergency Management Office since 2019. He was Director of the Office of Emergency Services at Ventura County from 2013 to 2019. McGowan was a Special Assistant to the Chief of Police at the City of Santa Monica Police Department from 2008 to 2013. He earned a Master of Public Policy degree from Pepperdine University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. McGowan is a Democrat.

Jennifer Steele, 70, of Laguna Beach, has been appointed to the California Humanities Board of Directors. Steele was a Social Worker at the Suicide Prevention Center in Los Angeles from 1976 to 1979 and at a drug treatment program in New York City from 1979 to 1983. She was a Residential Real Estate Agent and Broker in New York City from 1984 to 1986 and in Beverly Hills from 1986 to 2014. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Steele is a Democrat.

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