Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.

Debbie Endsley, 56, of Placerville, has been appointed acting secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs. She was a consultant at the California Department of Parks and Recreation in 2012 and at the CalHR Project from 2011 to 2012. Endsley was director at the California Department of Personnel Administration from 2009 to 2011, where she served in several positions from 1998 to 2011, including chief deputy director and chief of the benefits division. Endsley was a research analyst at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System from 1995 to 1998 and an associate budget analyst at the California Department of Rehabilitation from 1988 to 1995, where she was an associate personnel analyst from 1984 to 1988. Endsley is the daughter of a veteran and the wife of a marine. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $183,855. Endsley is registered without party preference.

Dan Richard, 64, of Piedmont, has been reappointed to the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors, where he has been chair since 2012 and has served since 2011. Richard has been a principal of Dan Richard Advisors since 2010. He was managing partner and co-founder of Heritage Oak Capital Partners, an infrastructure finance firm, from 2007 to 2009 and was senior vice president of public policy and governmental relations at Pacific Gas and Electric Company from 1997 to 2006. Richard was an elected member of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District from 1992 to 2004, where he served twice as president of the Board of Directors. At the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, Richard led efforts to secure $4 billion in capital for system rehabilitation projects, the transit system’s expansion to the San Francisco Airport and seismic retrofit programs. Richard was a principal at Morse, Richard, Weisenmiller and Associates from 1986 to 1996, a firm serving the independent power industry and project finance lending community, and was vice president of Independent Power Corporation from 1983 to 1986. He served as deputy legal affairs secretary in the Office of the Governor from 1982 to 1983, where he served as deputy assistant for science and technology from 1978 to 1979. Richard served as an advisor to the chairman at the California Energy Commission from 1978 to 1982 and was assistant to the deputy associate administrator at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 1972 to 1978. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Richard is a Democrat.

Michael E. Rossi, 67, of Pebble Beach, has been reappointed to the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors, where he has served since 2011. Rossi has served as a Senior Advisor for Jobs and Business Development in the Office of the Governor since 2011. He was chairman of GMAC Residential Capital LLC from 2007 to 2008 and an advisor and senior member of the Cerberus Capital Management L.P. operations team from 2005 to 2008. Rossi was chairman and chief executive officer of Aozora Bank from 2005 to 2008, taking it public in November 2006. Rossi was retired from the private sector from 1997 to 2005. He was vice chairman and chief risk officer at the BankAmerica Corporation and chairman of its Fiduciary and Investment Policy Committee from 1993 to 1997. Rossi also served as BankAmerica's chief credit officer, senior credit officer of the World Banking Group and held several executive positions, including running BankAmerica's Commercial Banking, Global Private Bank, Asia, Latin America, Commercial Real Estate, Corporate Real Estate, Personal and Corporate Trust and Cash Management divisions. Rossi is a senior advisor to the San Francisco 49ers and a member of the Shorenstein Properties LLC Advisory Board, the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Monterey County, Special Olympics Committee of Northern California and the Claremont Graduate University Board of Trustees. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rossi is a Democrat.

Ardis Bazyn, 63, of Burbank, has been reappointed to the California State Independent Living Council, where she has served since 2013. Bazyn has been president and chief executive officer at Bazyn Communications since 1999 and was a community outreach representative at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder in 2004. She was a food service manager at Cedar Rapids Post Office Vending from 1984 to 1999. Bazyn is an advisor for the American Council of the Blind Students and a member of the California Council of the Blind Board of Directors, and president of the Glendale-Burbank Chapter. She is second vice president at the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America and a member of the Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee. Bazyn earned a Master of Education degree in arts in teaching from Coe College. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Bazyn is a Republican.

Jacqueline Jackson, 59, of San Diego, has been reappointed to the California State Independent Living Council, where she has served since 2013. Jackson has been an independent nonprofit management consultant since 1994. She was development director and consultant at the San Diego Center for the Blind from 2002 to 2004, director for charter school development at Norman and Norman Inc. from 1996 to 2005 and an education consultant at the Schools Future Research Foundation from 1994 to 1996. Jackson was director of education, health and family support services at the Urban League of San Diego from 1988 to 1994. She is a member of the San Diego Braille Club and the California Council of the Blind. Jackson earned a Master of Arts degree in education leadership from the University of San Diego. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Jackson is a Democrat.

Benny Jauregui, 43, of Riverside, has been reappointed to the California State Independent Living Council, where he has served since 2010. Jauregui was executive director of Rolling Start Resource Center for Independent Living in 2014 and disability program manager at the Inland Empire Health Plan from 2005 to 2014. He was a sign language interpreter at San Bernardino Valley College from 1994 to 2008 and a program manager at Rolling Start Incorporated from 2003 to 2005, where he was an independent living specialist from 2001 to 2003. Jauregui is founder of the Inland Empire Disabilities Collaborative and a member of the Riverside County In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority Advisory Committee and the Riverside County Office on Aging Stakeholder Advisory Group. He earned a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, San Bernardino. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Jauregui is a Democrat.

Tom Foss, 63, of Newport Beach, has been appointed to the California Public Works Contract Arbitration Committee. Foss has been chief executive officer at the Griffith Company since 2010, where he has held several positions since 1978, including president and chief operating officer, executive vice president, vice president, district manager, chief estimator, estimator, foreman and laborer. He was a craft worker at Deschutes Ready Mix from 1981 to 1983. Foss is a member of the Transportation California Board of Directors and the Associated General Contractors of California, where he was president of the Board of Directors from 2009 to 2010. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Foss is a Republican.

Rob Layne, 53, of Vacaville, has been appointed to the California Public Works Contract Arbitration Committee. Layne has been partner and vice president at O.C. Jones and Sons Inc. since 2005, where he was chief estimator from 2000 to 2005 and area manager from 1994 to 2000. He was project manager at Kiewit Pacific Company from 1985 to 1994. Layne is a member of United Contractors, where he was president of the board of directors from 2011 to 2012. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Layne is a Republican.

Mary Rotelli, 43, of Roseville, has been appointed to the California Public Works Contract Arbitration Committee. Rotelli has been executive vice president and chief operating officer at Teichert Inc. since 2013, where she has held several positions since 2004, including vice president and general manager at Teichert Readymix, vice president and general manager at Teichert Precast Products, estimator and project engineer at Teichert Construction and sales representative and assistant plant manager at Teichert Materials. She was director of product strategy at Apple Computer’s PowerSchool Division from 2002 to 2004, a consultant at Bain and Company from 1998 to 2002 and a business analyst at American Management Systems from 1993 to 1996. Rotelli is a member of the California Transportation Foundation Board of Directors, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and United Contractors. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Rotelli is registered without party preference.