California is a state of engagement

FELLOWS

• Phoenix Armenta

  Policy Innovation Team Lead, Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation

  Phoenix Armenta is the Policy Innovation Team Lead within the State Clearinghouses Policy Unit at the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation. In their previous role as Sr. Manager for Climate Equity and Community Engagement at the SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission, they worked to operationalize equity and environmental justice across the agency, especially focusing on BCDC’s permitting and planning processes.
• Hatzune Aguilar

  Stakeholder and Community Engagement Supervisor, Office of Communications, DHCS

  Hatzune Aguilar is the Stakeholder and Community Engagement Supervisor at the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), where she leads the design and facilitation of statewide advisory bodies that elevate community voice in policymaking. Her work focuses on building inclusive engagement structures that translate lived experience into actionable insights and strengthen how public institutions respond to community needs.
• Bryce Avalos

  Outreach Manager, CalPrivacy

  Bryce Avalos is the Outreach Manager at CalPrivacy, where he manages partnerships and engages in consumer education for the nation’s first and only dedicated consumer privacy agency. Bryce has a passion and track record for reaching out to underserved and at-risk communities where he can make a positive change in Californians’ lives. With nearly a decade of state service, Bryce has worked with labor unions, law enforcement, public schools, legislators, and nonprofits such as MADD and AARP to assist California communities.
• Sidney Burt

  Strategic Communication Manager, California Child Support Services

  Born and raised in Sacramento, CA, Sidney Burt graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.A. in Public Relations and a minor in Business Administration. She began her career with Visit Sacramento, where she played a key role in the successful re‑branding of the city as “America’s Farm‑to‑Fork Capital,” promoting California’s capital as a premier agricultural and culinary destination. Sidney went on to join global communications agency FleishmanHillard, supporting and promoting national and local brands including Amazon, Albertsons Companies, Chase Bank, Tillamook, Corteva Agriscience, and others. Her work spanned research, brand positioning, media strategy, and creative campaign execution.
• Raffa Chávez

  Manager Community Engagement, Language Access, Environmental Justice Office of Public Affairs CalRecycle, CalEPA

  Raffa Chávez is a community engagement and language access professional focused on environmental justice need communities, bridging the gap between state government, local jurisdictions and community-based organizations. Currently, he is a manager in the Office of Public Affairs at CalRecycle, where he leads projects in four interconnected areas: environmental justice, community engagement, language access, and DEI/racial equity plan implementation. Raffa is passionate about transformational work that involves the development of new approaches, processes, and system design that uplift communities while protecting the environment. He holds degrees in Performing Arts and Spanish from CSU Sacramento.
• Casanya Diane Ursery

  Equity in Procurement Manager California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)

  Casanya Ursery serves as the Equity In Procurement Manager at the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. In this role, she supports statewide equity-focused procurement initiatives designed to advance access, accountability, and inclusive economic participation for small businesses and historically underserved enterprises. Throughout her career, Casanya has operated at the intersection of public institutions, community engagement, and systems change. Her previous experience includes serving as the Advocate Support Manager for the California Department of General Services (DGS), where she provided technical assistance to strengthen compliance and outreach for disabled veteran business enterprises. She also spent several years in leadership roles within the City of Sacramento, advising on community engagement, public safety, and youth development.
• Cara Elizabeth O'Brien

  Deputy District Superintendent of the Bay Area District of California State Parks California Department of Parks and Recreation, Bay Area District Headquarters

  Cara has been an Interpretive Trainer for California State Parks for 25 years. She participates in the interpretive training for all California State Park Ranger and Lifeguard cadets. She led the planning for Hearst Castle’s 100-year celebration including leading the team that received the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award for the Unsung Heroes of Hearst Castle project. Cara is a long-time member of the National Association for Interpretation and earned her Certified Interpretive Manager credential. She is graduating in May with her Master of Science from Clemson University in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management with an emphasis on Executive Leadership.
• Aubrie Fong

  Interim Director, The Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC)

  Aubrie Fong brings over 20 years of public service experience to the team. Prior to her role at OCPSC, Fong served as Senior External Affairs Officer for the COVID-19 Vaccinate ALL 58 Campaign, helping to connect resources to elected officials of all levels and other strategic key partners. She also served as District Director in the California State Assembly. Fong’s career began in local government, where her passion and commitment to public service developed and still drives the work she does today.
• Erin Glenn-Valdivia

  Bilingual Outreach Manager, California Civil Rights Department (CRD)

  Erin Glenn-Valdivia joined the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) in June 2024 and comes to the Outreach and Education Unit with over 15 years of experience in law, policy, government relations, communications, and community organizing. At CRD, Erin manages the bilingual outreach initiative, which focuses on advancing civil rights equity for overburdened and under-resourced people and communities in the State of California.
• Kelsey Howard

  Chief, Strategic Communications Division, Employment Development Department

  Kelsey is a communications and marketing leader with over a decade of experience in public service. As Chief of the Strategic Communications Division at the California Employment Development Department, she leads statewide marketing, outreach, and digital strategy to deliver clear, accessible information to diverse communities. She has led large-scale outreach efforts and developed award-winning programs that help teams communicate complex information in simple, effective ways. Kelsey is passionate about building trust through plain language and improving how government serves the public.
• Anna Jane Jones

  Program Manager, Community Resilience Centers (CRC), California Strategic Growth Council

  Anna Jane Jones is Program Manager for the Community Resilience Centers (CRC) Program at the Strategic Growth Council. Through this innovative grant program, Anna Jane supports California’s diverse communities as they build resilience to climate change. Anna Jane previously served as a Resilient Community Planner on the Transformative Climate Communities program, where she managed large scale investments in historically under-resourced neighborhoods.
• Joseph Lott

  Strategic Impact Manager, California Department of Child Support Services

  Joseph Lott serves as a Strategic Impact Manager for the California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS), where he drives equity from concept to action. Since joining state government in 2013, Joseph has navigated high-impact roles within the CA Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS), including serving on the inaugural team of the CalHHS Office of Innovation. In addition to his day-today duties, Joseph currently chairs the CalHHS Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Subcommittee, leveraging his background in Cultural Anthropology to ensure that state systems work better for the families they serve.
• Waynee Lucero

  Deputy Director and Tribal Liaison External Affairs and Community Engagement Division, Covered California

  Waynee serves as Covered California’s Tribal Liaison as well as Deputy Director of External Affairs and Community Engagement. In this capacity, Waynee is responsible for the oversight of the division driving strategic engagement and outreach efforts with state and federal government officials, key stakeholders, Tribal leaders, community organizations and other external entities. In addition, Waynee provides strategic policy recommendations and supervises the delivery of technical assistance on relevant legislation and policy at the federal and state level. Waynee has worked to build the Community Engagement program within Covered California which focuses on developing relationships and creating meaningful partnerships with community organizations across the state.
• Fabián Pérez-Gove

  Health and Equity Program, California Strategic Growth Council

  Fabián Pérez-Gove is a public health professional with extensive experience in community engagement and community-based participatory research. Fabián has focused his career on addressing health disparities and the social determinants of health through research, community engagement, and policy work. At the California Strategic Growth Council, Fabian manages the Health and Equity Program which advances cross-sector collaboration on the social determinants of health through initiatives like the California Health in All Policies Task Force (HiAP). HiAP is a collaborative approach to government initiatives that supports working across traditional boundaries to address society’s most pressing challenges with a health equity, and sustainability lens.
• JaRita Pichon

  Deputy Director Access & Equity Division, CA Department of Developmental Services

  JaRita Pichon, MPH, serves as the Chief Equity Officer and Deputy Director of the Access & Equity Division at the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS). In this role, she provides strategic leadership to advance culturally and linguistically responsive services within California’s developmental services system. JaRita and her dynamic division formulate, develop, and implement policies and initiatives that strengthen equitable service delivery and meaningful community engagement for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. JaRita oversees major statewide efforts including the Service Access and Equity Grant Program, the Language Access and Cultural Competency Program, the Tribal Early Start Initiative, and the Community Navigator Program. She also provides statewide support to regional center chief equity officers and cultural specialists and guides the Department’s community engagement groups.
• Robert Rizo

  Head of Legislative and External Affairs, California Office of Data and Innovation

  Roberto Rizo leads the Legislative and External Affairs unit at the California Office of Data and Innovation (ODI), where he helps advance statewide strategies and policy on data governance, technology, and digital service delivery to improve how state government serves Californians. At ODI, Roberto helped establish Engaged California, a statewide deliberative democracy initiative that brings diverse voices directly into policymaking. He leads engagement and partnership strategy, translating partner input into program design and managing relationships across elected officials, foundations, the private sector and other stakeholders.
• Matthew Zhou

  Assistant State Chief Data Officer, Office of Data and Innovation/Government Operations Agency

  Matthew currently serves as the State’s Assistant Chief Data Officer at the Office of Data and Innovation, where he previously served as the Data and Analytics Governance Lead since 2023. In his role, Matthew helps steer and deliver the statewide data strategy for CA, as well as support the development of data standards and policy on key initiatives like Governor Newsom’s Executive Orders on Equity and GenAI. Prior to joining state service, Zhou worked in the private sector where he occupied senior engineering leadership roles at Peloton, the New York Times, and VillageMD, and was a Tech Policy Fellow for the Aspen Institute. He earned a MPH degree in Health Informatics from Columbia University and a BA in Anthropology from Northwestern University.