SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Jason Wimbley, of Elk Grove, has been appointed Director of the California Department of Community Services and Development. Wimbley has served as Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of Community Services and Development since 2013 and held several positions there since 1995, including Staff Services Manager III, Staff Services Manager and Associate Governmental Program Analyst. Wimbley is Vice Chair of the Low Income Oversight Board. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $181,800. Wimbley is a Democrat.  

Laila DeRouen, of Santa Rosa, has been appointed Director of the Office of Tribal Affairs at the California Department of Social Services, where she has been Acting Director since 2024 and has served in several positions since 2021, including Staff Services Manager and Central Indian Child Welfare Act Field Liaison. She was an Indian Child Welfare Act Advocate IV at the Indian Child and Family Preservation Program from 2005 to 2021. DeRouen was a Youth Connection Specialist for the Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County from 2008 to 2010. She was a Marketing Assistant for River Rock Casino from 2002 to 2005. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $115,932. DeRouen is a Democrat.

Paula Wilhelm, of Oakland, has been appointed Deputy Director of Behavioral Health at the California Department of Health Care Services, where she has been an Assistant Deputy Director of Behavioral Health since 2022. Wilhelm was Director of Policy at the County Behavioral Health Directors Association from 2019 to 2022, where she was a Senior Policy Analyst from 2017 to 2019. She was a Summer Associate at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2016. Wilhelm was a Student Health Policy Consultant for the California Senate Office of Research in 2016. She was a Program Associate at the California Association of Public Hospitals and Healthcare Safety Net Institute in 2015. Wilhelm was a Development Associate for the Women’s Community Clinic from 2013 to 2014. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $171,660. Wilhelm is a Democrat.

Brandon Price, of Hanford, has been appointed Chief of Hospital Services at the California Department of State Hospitals. He has been Executive Director of the Department of State Hospitals – Coalinga since 2016 and has held several roles there since 2010, including Hospital Administrator, Acting Hospital Administrator, Acting Assistant Hospital Administrator, Acting Director of Quality Improvement, Mental Health Program Supervisor and Standards Compliance Coordinator. Price held several positions at Pleasant Valley State Prison at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 2001 to 2010, including Health Program Specialist I, Associate Health Program Advisor, Acting Health Program Specialist I, Health Care Appeals Coordinator and Office Technician. He is a member of the Western Psychiatric State Hospital Association. Price earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $181,656. Price is a Republican.

Azucena R. Beltran-Serrano, of Thermal, has been appointed to the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board. Beltran-Serrano has been a Project Manager at the University of California, Santa Cruz since 2022. She was Assistant Project Manager at the University of California, Santa Cruz from 2021 to 2022. Beltran-Serrano was a Laboratory Technician in the Rolshausen Lab at the University of California, Riverside in 2021. She was a Field Technician in the Eskalen Lab at University of California, Davis from 2020 to 2021. Beltran-Serrano was a Civic Engagement Associate at the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability in 2020. She was a Community Aide for the City of Indio in 2019. Beltran was a Program Manager for the Kounkuey Design Initiative in 2018. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $250 per diem. Beltran-Serrano is a Democrat.

Rick Dever, of Crestline, has been appointed to the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Dever has been General Manager of the Crestline Sanitation District since 2017. He was Operations Manager at Crestline Sanitation District from 2013 to 2017. Dever was Operations Foreman at the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District from 1986 to 2013. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $250 per diem. Dever is a Republican.