Governor Newsom announces appointments 11.5.26

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

Colin Brown, of Soquel, has been appointed State Epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health. Brown has been the United Kingdom Health Security Agency Lead for the National Institute for Health and Care Research-funded Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance and a Visiting Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Oxford since 2025. He has been Deputy Director for Epidemic and Emerging Infections and Head of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections Division at the United Kingdom Health Security Agency since 2020. Brown has been Co-Director of a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections since 2021. He has been an Attending Physician in Infectious Diseases at the Royal Free Hospital in London since 2017. Brown was the United Kingdom Health Security Agency Lead for the National Institute for Health and Care Research-funded Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance at Imperial College London from 2022 to 2025. He is a fellow of the United Kingdom’s Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Pathologists, and the Faculty of Public Health. Brown earned a Medical Degree from the University of Edinburgh, a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Science from the University of St. Andrews. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $282,000. Brown is not registered to vote.

Jay LaPlante, of Seattle, Washington, has been appointed Tribal Advisor at the California Public Utilities Commission. LaPlante has been a Tribal and Community Engagement Consultant at Kauffman & Associates, Inc. since 2025. He was a Regional Tribal Liaison at the National Park Service from 2024 to 2025. LaPlante was a National Tribal Affairs Advisor at the Federal Emergency Management Agency from 2023 to 2024. He was a Tribal Liaison at the California State Office of the Bureau of Land Management from 2022 to 2023. LaPlante was a Regional Tribal Liaison at the Federal Emergency Management Agency from 2015 to 2022. He is a citizen of the Blackfeet Nation and founder of the Native Wellness Institute. La Plante earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Portland State University. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $150,324. LaPlante is a Democrat.

Michela Alioto-Pier, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the California Citizens Compensation Commission. Alioto-Pier has been Chief Government Affairs Officer of North American Hull Optimization since 2025. She has been the founder of Alioto-Pier Vineyards since 2005. Alioto-Pier has been a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute since 1997. She served as Supervisor of the San Fransico Board of Supervisors, District 2, from 2004 to 2011. Alioto-Pier earned a Master of Arts degree in National Security Policy from Duke University, Sanford School of Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Cultural Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Alioto-Pier is a Democrat.

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