Governor Newsom Announces Appointments

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Jeffery Marino, of Los Angeles, has been appointed Director of the Office of Data and Innovation. Marino has been Deputy Director for Strategy at the Office of Data and Innovation since 2022, where he has served in several roles since 2020, including Deputy Director of Service Innovation, Acting Deputy Director of Products and Consulting, Insights Program Manager and Data Insights Working Group Lead. Marino was a Data Journalist and Digital Marketing Consultant from 2018 to 2020 for a variety of publications and technology companies including The Motley Fool, Opendoor, Symbihom, The L.A. Times and the Boulevard Sentinel. He held several roles at Zip Recruiter from 2018 to 2019, including Senior Content Strategist and Senior Data Journalist. Marino held several roles at Redfin from 2014 to 2017, including California Communications Specialist and In-House Journalist – Los Angeles. He was Editor of First Tuesday Publications from 2010 to 2014. Marino earned a Master of Arts degree in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from California State University, San Bernardino. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $211,968. Marino is registered without party preference.

Rebecca Kirk, of Carmichael, has been appointed Executive Officer at the Office of Public School Construction. Kirk has been Deputy Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at the California Gambling Control Commission since 2022. She served in several roles at the California Department of Finance from 2017 to 2022, including Assistant Program Budget Manager, Principal Program Budget Analyst II and Staff Finance Budget Analyst. Kirk served in several roles at the California Department of General Services (DGS) from 2007 to 2017, including Communications and Policy Manager at the Division of the State Architect, Sustainability Manager and Alternative Fuel Project Manager in the DGS Executive Office, and several roles at the Office of Public School Construction, including Communications Team Supervisor, Communications Specialist, Legislative Analyst and Application Review Technician. Kirk earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $159,000. Kirk is registered without party preference.

Fallon Okwuosa, of Rocklin, has been appointed Assistant Deputy Director for Public Affairs at the Department of General Services. Okwuosa has served as an Information Officer at the Department of General Services since 2021. She held several roles at NBCUniversal, Inc. for “Access Hollywood” and “Access Hollywood LIVE” from 2013 to 2019, including Segment Producer, Associate Segment Producer and Editorial Assistant. Okwuosa was a Researcher and Booker at CBS Television Distribution for “The Doctors” talk show in 2013. She was a Production Assistant at Reelz from 2012 to 2013. Okwuosa earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication and Journalism from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $108,480. Okwuosa is a Democrat.