Newsom Announces CalHHS Appointments

On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a series of appointments to top-level posts within the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS). Appointments include:

• Melissa Stafford Jones, Director of Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative – Melissa Stafford Jones has served as the Executive Director of the First 5 Association of California since 2020. She was previously Executive Director of the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation from 2017 to 2020 and Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Region IX from 2014 to 2017. Ms. Stafford Jones was also the President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (CAPH) from 2005 to 2013, where she was Vice President and Director of Policy from 2000 to 2005.

• Corrin Buchanan, Deputy Secretary for Policy and Strategic Planning – Corrin Buchanan has been Assistant Director of Housing and Homelessness at the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) since 2020. She was Deputy Director of the Office of Diversion and Reentry with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services from 2017 to 2020, where she was Housing Director from 2016 to 2017 and Program Manager with the Housing for Health Division from 2013 to 2016. Buchanan was also previously a Health Program Planning and Project Manager for the San Francisco Department of Public Health from 2012 to 2013.

• Brendan McCarthy, Deputy Secretary for Program and Fiscal Affairs – Brendan McCarthy has been Assistant Secretary for CalHHS since 2019. Previously, he was Chief Consultant for the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions from 2018 to 2019, Principal Consultant for the Senate Committee on Appropriations from 2009 to 2018, and Senior Fiscal and Policy Analyst at the Legislative Analyst’s Office from 2004 to 2009.

• John Ohanian, Director of the Center for Data Insights and Innovation and Chief Data Officer – John Ohanian has served as Interim Director of the Center for Data Insights and Innovation and Chief Data Officer since 2020. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of 211 San Diego from 2007 to 2020 and Chief Executive Officer of Community Information Exchange from 2012 to 2020.

Additional information on the above appointments and more is available here.