Governor Newsom announced the appointment of Ayushi Roy as State Chief Technology Officer at the California Department of Technology.
Roy, a San Francisco resident, has been a lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School since 2022 and served as Chief Program Officer for the New Practice Lab at New America from 2022 to 2026. She previously worked at the General Services Administration, White House Office of Management and Budget, and as Director of State and Local Technology at 18F from 2019 to 2021. Roy earned a master's degree in urban studies and planning from MIT and a bachelor's degree in human rights studies from Columbia University. The position requires Senate confirmation and carries a salary of $214,692.
The governor also appointed Eric De La Cruz of Sacramento as Executive Director for the Racial Equity Commission. De La Cruz has been Chief of the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Toxic Substances Control since 2022 and previously held positions in the State Controller's Office, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Office of Statewide Planning and Development. The position does not require Senate confirmation and carries a salary of $146,220.
The governor additionally appointed and reappointed six people to the State Rehabilitation Council: Lisa Weiler of Lakeport, Christine Aurigemma of Carlsbad, Michael Love of Sacramento, Michelle Bello of Sacramento, and Matthew Asner of Northridge. None of these positions require Senate confirmation or offer compensation.