Nurturing the arts, helping ensure worker safety and helping to safeguard the rights of people with disabilities are priorities for many Bay Area residents, and four of them recently won appointments to related state commissions and councils.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced a number of appointments Friday, including the following Bay Area residents:
Dorka Keehn of San Francisco has been appointed to the California Arts Council. Keehn has been a partner at Keehn Partners since 2021 and founder and principal at KEEHN ON ART since 2011, according to the governor’s office.
Keehn was a curator and cofounder at Sites Unseen from 2014 to 2020. Also, Keehn was a Development Consultant at Illuminate the Arts from 2011 to 2013.
This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem, the governor’s office said. Keehn is a Democrat.
Harold Ashe of San Quentin has been reappointed to the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, where he has served since 2021. Ashe has been an In-Home Provider since 2016, providing care to his 14-year-old son with Down Syndrome and his 11-year-old son with autism. He was a Correctional Officer at San Quentin State Prison from 1990 to 2001.
This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem, the governor’s office said. Ashe is a Democrat.
Chris Pedroza of Dublin has been appointed to the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation. Pedroza has been Executive Director at Carpenters 46 Northern California Counties Conference Board since 2021. He was a Marketing Field Representative at the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council from 2008 to 2021. Pedroza is a member of the Carpenters Local Union 152.
This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem, the governor’s office said. Pedroza is a Democrat.
Kristi Montoya of Oakland has been appointed to the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation. Montoya has been Director of Claim Operations at United Parcel Service since 2023 and has held multiple roles there since 2003, including Director of Risk Management, Risk Management District Case Advisor, Finance Manager and Revenue Recovery Manager.
This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem, according to the governor’s office. Montoya is a Democrat.