Governor Newsom Announces Appointments

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom in October announced the following appointments: 

Diane Gu, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California Health Workforce Education and Training Council. Gu has been Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Kind Shark ® Inc. since 2024. She was chief philanthropy officer at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington from 2022 to 2025. Gu was a fellow in the University President Leadership Program at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities from 2022 to 2023. She held multiple positions at the University of California, Los Angeles from 2012 to 2023, including chancellor’s senior advisor in Asia Pacific Philanthropy, executive director of Major Gifts and Strategic Initiatives, Faculty in the School of Educational and Information Studies, director of Major and Strategic Initiatives, and founding director of University Initiatives. Gu was a researcher at the National Science Foundation from 2009 to 2012. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Higher Education and Organizational Change from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Cultures from the University of Copenhagen. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $25 per diem. Gu is registered without party preference. 

Avygail Sanchez, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the California State Board of Pharmacy. Sanchez has been senior vice president in Government Relations at WSP since 2026. She was executive vice president in Business Strategy at Vanir from 2024 to 2026. Sanchez was vice president and principal project manager at Mott MacDonald in 2024. She was executive vice president in sales and government relations at Vanir from 2023 to 2024. Sanchez was founder and chief executive officer at TQM Partners LLC from 2020 to 2023. She held multiple positions at HNTB from 2020 to 2022, including director of Government Relations and vice president of Business Development. Sanchez held multiple positions at Parsons Corp. from 2014 to 2020, including vice president, director of Political Affairs and Policy, Business Development Manager, and senior business development representative. She is member of the Adventist Health White Memorial Charitable Foundation Board. Sanchez earned a Master of Arts degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Mount Saint Mary’s University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Sanchez is a Democrat.  

Michael Mendez, of Los Angeles, has been reappointed to the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, where he has served since 2021. Mendez has been an associate professor and Chancellor’s Fellow for the Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy at the University of California at Irvine since 2025, where he was assistant professor from 2019 to 2025. He was a faculty fellow and associate research scientist at Yale School of Forestry and Environment Studies from 2016 to 2019. Mendez was a postdoctoral scholar and lecturer at University of San Francisco for the Department of Environmental Science from 2015 to 2016. He was legislative director of State Governmental Relations at the University of California, Office of the President from 2008 to 2010. Mendez was a senior government affairs advocate for Blue Shield of California from 2006 to 2008. He was senior legislative aide at the California State Assembly from 2003 to 2006. Mendez is a board member of the Public Policy Institute of California and Alliance for a Better Community. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Environmental Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of City and Environmental Planning degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from California State University, Northridge. This position requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $250 per diem. Mendez is a Democrat.