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Jul 8, 2026

Governor Newsom announces appointments 7.8.2026

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Amy Tong, of Elk Grove, has been appointed to the Scholarshare Investment Board. Tong has been Partner and Chair of the Emerging Tech and AI Group at Ballard Partners since 2026. She was Senior Counselor to the Governor in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom from 2025 to 2026. Tong was the Secretary of the California Government Operations Agency from 2022 to 2025. She was Director of the California Office of Digital Innovation in 2022. Tong was Director of the California Department of Technology from 2016 to 2021. She was Chief Deputy Director of the Office of Systems Integration and Agency Chief Information Officer at the California Health and Human Services Agency from 2014 to 2016. Tong was Deputy Director and Chief Information Officer at the California State Lottery from 2012 to 2014. She was Chief Technology Officer at the Department of Tax and Fee Administration from 2011 to 2012. Tong was Chief of the Data Center at the California Public Employees' Retirement System from 2008 to 2011. She is a Member of the California Racial Equity Commission. Tong earned a Master of Business Administration degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from California State University, Sacramento. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Tong is registered without party preference.

Brandy Buenafe, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Library Services Board. Buenafe has been Principal Librarian at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation since 2014. She was a Senior Librarian at Pleasant Valley State Prison from 2012 to 2014. Buenafe was a Librarian at Corcoran State Prison from 2007 to 2012. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Library Association. Buenafe earned a Master of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership degree from National University, a Master of Library and Information Science degree from California State University, San Jose and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from University of California, Santa Cruz. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Buenafe is a Democrat.

Claire Zurcher-Hamm, of Three Rivers, has been appointed to the California Library Services Board. Zurcher-Hamm has been Director at Tulare County Public Law Library since 2024, where she was a Research Assistant from 2022 to 2024. She is a Secretary of the Academy of Law and Justice Advisory Committee at Visalia Unified School District and member of the Council of California County Law Libraries, Northern California Association of Law Libraries, American Association of Law Libraries and Tulare County Bar Association. Zurcher-Hamm earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Rhetoric from University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Zurcher-Hamm is a Democrat.

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Nancy Pacheco, of Woodland, has been appointed to the California Library Services Board. Pacheco has been Outreach Specialist II at Yolo Reads of Yolo County Library since 2019, where she was a Bilingual Library Assistant at Ready for Kindergarten from 2016 to 2019. She was an Advocate Support Specialist at Yolo Court Appointed Special Advocate from 2014 to 2016. Pacheco is the President of the Northern California Literacy Coalition, the Northern California Representative of Youth Services Interest Group of the California Library Association, and Vice President of Literacy Interest Group of the California Library Association. She earned a Master of Library and Information Science degree from California State University, San Jose, a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from California State University, Long Beach and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from University of California, Davis. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Pacheco is a Democrat.

Starla Villalba, of Covina, has been appointed to the California Library Services Board. Villalba has been an Adult Services Librarian for the City of Ontario since 2023. She was a Library Assistant for the City of Ontario from 2022 to 2023. Villalba was a Sales Assistance at Encore Fruit Marketing from 2014 to 2022. She is Chair of the California Library Association's Adult Services Interest Group and Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the California Library Association's All Abilities Interest Group. Villalba earned a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Villalba is a Democrat.

Giselle Luevanos, of Escondido, has been appointed to the California Library Services Board. Luevanos has been Senior Director of Communications and Marketing at California State University, San Marcos since 2023. Luevanos held several positions at Associated Students, San Diego State University from 2019 to 2023, including Government Affairs and Communications Director and Associate Director of Marketing and Communications. She was Director of Marketing and Digital Media at San Diego State University from 2013 to 2019. Luevanos is a Trustee of the Escondido Public Library. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University, San Diego. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Luevanos is registered with no party preference.

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