California Governor names 3 Indian Americans to key jobs

Naginder Dhillon, Hemant Dhingra and Nisha Devi Rodrigo are among the new appointees

California Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed three Indian Americans to key posts in his administration

Naginder Dhillon, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of Program Support in the Division of Rehabilitative Programs at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Hemant Dhingra, of Clovis, has been appointed to the Medical Board of California, while Nisha Devi Rodrigo, of San Francisco, has been appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

READ: Two Indian Americans named Superior Court judges in California (May 30, 2023)

Dhillon has been Associate Director at the Corrections department since 2019 and served in several positions in the Budget Management Branch from 2008 to 2010, including Staff Services Manager I and Associate Budget Analyst.

Dhillon was a Branch Chief at the California Department of Housing and Community Development from 2017 to 2019. She was a Branch Chief at the California Department of Public Health from 2012 to 2016 and a Health Program Specialist I there from 2010 to 2012.

Dhillon was a Research Analyst I at the Employment Development Department from 2006 to 2007. She was a Staff Services Analyst at the California Department of Transportation in 2006.

READ: Indian American Shama Hakim Mesiwala makes history as California judge (February 28, 2023)

Dhillon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of California, Davis.

This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,008. Dhillon is a Democrat.

Dhingra has been Chief of Medical Staff at the Saint Agnes Medical Center of Fresno since 2023, where he was Founding Program Director of Internal Medicine.

He has been President of the Nephrology Group since 2014. Dhingra is a member of the American Society of Nephrology and the California Medical Association.

He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his Fellowship in Nephrology at Texas Tech University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Dhingra is a Democrat.

Rodrigo has been the founder of Kala Wellness since 2012 and an Eastern Medicine Practitioner with the United Nations since 2018.

READ: Sonya Christian named chancellor of California Community Colleges (March 2, 2023)

She was the founder at the InFocus Wellness Institute from 2004 to 2012. Rodrigo did Communications for MP Graham Allen in the House of Commons in the UK Parliament from 2000 to 2001.

She was a Hansard Scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2000. Rodrigo did Communications in the White House Counsel’s Office from 1999 to 2000.

She is a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being and of the Yoga Alliance Board of Directors.

Rodrigo earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Loyola Marymount University and has studied Eastern Medicine Modalities since 2001.

This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rodrigo is a Democrat.