SGC Council Members

Frank Cardenas is a proven problem-solver and trusted advisor whose counsel is enjoyed by private clients and public policy makers alike.

In the private sector, Frank began his legal career in the corporations department of the Los Angeles office of O’Melveny & Myers where he focused on public financings for the State of California, the University of California system, the Southern California Public Power Authority and the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink). While at O’Melveny, Cardenas was staff counsel for the Christopher Commission on the LAPD. More recently, his solo practice has focused on the areas of business, administrative and public law. Cardenas’ management consulting work is focused on strategy, government relations and environmental policy.

In the public policy arena, Frank’s experience has many dimensions as he has served as an appointed policy-maker, in executive management and as a project manager. He is a member of the California Strategic Growth Council as an appointee of the Speaker of the State Assembly, served on the Fair Political Practices Commission and in 2021 served as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission, reprising the role he had in Los Angeles’ 2000 redistricting process. Cardenas’ deep interest in infrastructure was forged during his tenures as Chief of Staff and Executive Officer for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and as a commissioner on the City of Los Angeles’ Board of Public Works.

As a community advocate, Mr. Cardenas previously served on the boards of the Single-Room Occupancy Corporation, addressing issues relating to homelessness in downtown Los Angeles, the California League of Conservation Voters and Big Sisters of Los Angeles. He recently completed a term as board chair of the South Pasadena – San Marino YMCA.

As an educator, Cardenas’ undergraduate and graduate courses in the College of Business and Economics at California State University Los Angeles address corporate governance, business ethics, corporate social responsibility, business law, climate change and the history of western economic thought.

Frank received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and his B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California. He also holds certificates in Project Management from UCLA and Construction Management from the Turner Construction Program in Construction Management.

Karen Ross was appointed Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture on January 12, 2011 by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Secretary Ross has deep leadership experience in agricultural issues nationally, internationally, and here in California. Prior to joining CDFA, Secretary Ross was chief of staff for U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a position she accepted in 2009. Before her time at the United States Department of Agriculture, Secretary Ross served more than thirteen years as President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG), based in Sacramento. During that same period she served as the Executive Director of Winegrape Growers of America, a coalition of state winegrower organizations, and as Executive Director of the California Wine Grape Growers Foundation, which sponsors scholarships for the children of vineyard employees. Among Secretary Ross’ many achievements at CAWG was the creation of the nationally-recognized Sustainable Winegrowing Program, which assists wine grape growers in maintaining the long-term viability of agricultural lands and encourages them to provide leadership in protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, and enhancing their local communities. Elected by the SGC Council in the Fall of 2021, Secretary Ross serves as the Council’s Vice Chair.

Nicole Capretz is the founder and Executive Director of the San Diego-based nonprofit organization Climate Action Campaign. Nicole is an environmental attorney with 20 years of experience as an energy, equity, and climate justice policy advisor. While serving as Director of Environmental Policy for the City of San Diego, Nicole authored the city’s binding 100% Renewables Climate Action Plan.

Previously, Nicole served as the Associate Director for Green Energy/Green Jobs at Environmental Health Coalition, an environmental equity and justice organization. She has also worked as an environmental and energy policy advisor for the San Diego City Council. Nicole earned her Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society from UC Santa Barbara and her law degree from Vermont Law School. Nicole has won numerous civic awards for her climate advocacy, and was named a Top 10 Californian of the Year by the New York Times in 2016.

Wade Crowfoot was appointed California Secretary for Natural Resources by Governor Gavin Newsom on January 11, 2019.

Crowfoot brings more than 20 years of public policy and environmental experience to the office, with expertise in water, climate and sustainability issues. He most recently served as chief executive officer of the Water Foundation and led its transition into an independent organization early in 2017.

Prior to joining the foundation, he served in Governor Jerry Brown’s Administration as deputy cabinet secretary and senior advisor to the Governor, leading the administration’s drought response efforts. He previously served as West Coast regional director for the Environmental Defense Fund and a senior environmental advisor to then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Yana Garcia was appointed California Secretary for Environmental Protection by Governor Gavin Newsom in August 2022. As Secretary, Yana oversees the state’s efforts to fight climate change, protect air and water quality, regulate pesticides and toxic substances, achieve the state’s recycling and waste reduction goals, and advance environmental justice. As a member of the Governor’s cabinet, she advises the Governor on environmental policy.

Yana is nationally recognized as a groundbreaking environmental leader who has worked hard to uplift the voices of those from disadvantaged communities.

Since 2021, Garcia has served as Special Assistant Attorney General advising California Attorney General Rob Bonta on the California Department of Justice’s legal and policy matters pertaining to the environment, land law and natural resources including climate, transportation, energy, and housing.

She was Deputy Secretary for Environmental Justice, Tribal Affairs and Border Relations at CalEPA from 2019 to 2021 and had been CalEPA’s Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs from 2017 to 2019. During her tenure at CalEPA, Garcia led three Environmental Justice Task Force Initiatives in the communities of Pomona, Imperial County and Stockton. She also led the program that delivered more than $1 million in Environmental Justice Small Grants to 28 organizations to combat pollution, improve health outcomes and increase public engagement in some of California’s most pollution-burdened communities.

Prior to her state service, Garcia litigated environmental cases on behalf of several client groups across the state and across the country, as an attorney at Earthjustice in the California regional office in San Francisco. Garcia was also a staff attorney at Communities for a Better Environment, serving in Huntington Park and Oakland. Her legal practice areas have focused on environmental justice issues, civil rights, land use, toxics and chemical disclosure, oil and gas extraction, and crude transport. Between 2011 and 2012, Garcia served as a legal research attorney at the San Francisco Superior Court’s Civil Division, Office of the Presiding Judge.

Prior to practicing law, Yana worked on various environmental justice and civil rights projects aimed at achieving equitable access to clean air, clean water, and sustainable food and energy systems in the states of Texas, New Mexico and Massachusetts.

Garcia holds a degree in politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law.

Kim Johnson was appointed Secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency in September 2024 by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Prior to her appointment as Secretary, Ms. Johnson was appointed Director of the California Department of Social Services by Governor Gavin Newsom, a position she held from July 2019 – August 2024. In this role, Ms. Johnson led a team of more than 5,500 employees – the largest Department in the California Health and Human Services Agency – serving more than 7 million Californians.

Ms. Johnson started with the California Department of Social Services in 2015 and had previously been appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve as Deputy Director of the Family Engagement and Empowerment Division, CalWORKs and Child Care Branch Chief, and Child Care and Refugee Programs Branch Chief.

Ms. Johnson has more than 25 years of experience working in both community-based organizations and government focused on advancing the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities most in need of resources.

The mission of the California Health & Human Services Agency is aligned with her purpose.

Tomiquia Moss was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to serve as the Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency in November 2023 and was sworn in on February 13, 2024. As Secretary, Tomiquia leads and oversees 12 entities, including 40 boards and bureaus, collectively responsible for the preservation and expansion of safe, affordable housing, efforts to prevent and end homelessness, protect consumers, and safeguard Californians’ civil rights.

Tomiquia brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and public sectors with deep expertise in housing and homelessness, public policy, civil rights, and community development. She is a dynamic and visionary leader, known for her ability to bring people together to tackle complex problems in a strategic and collaborative way.

In 2019, Tomiquia founded All Home, a Bay Area organization advancing regional solutions to disrupt the cycles that perpetuate homelessness and poverty. In its first four years, All Home convened the Regional Impact Council that developed two ambitious regional plans, and built a team to implement those plans to increase housing and economic security for people with extremely low incomes in the Bay Area. They have advocated successfully for state and local policy change, launched multiple new programs, and granted millions of dollars to nonprofit and local government partners to prevent homelessness and create economic mobility for the people who need it most.

Before founding All Home, Tomiquia served as the CEO of Hamilton Families, which offers emergency, transitional, and permanent housing services for families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. From 2014 to 2017, she served directly under the mayors of both San Francisco and Oakland, including as Chief of Staff for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. Previously, she was the Executive Director of the HOPE SF Initiative, a public housing and neighborhood revitalization effort with the office of the late San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee. Tomiquia also served as the founding project director of the San Francisco Community Justice Center of the Superior Court of California.

In 2022, Tomiquia was appointed by Senate Pro-Tem Toni Atkins to serve as a member of the California Interagency Council on Homelessness. As BCSH Secretary, she now serves as co-chair of Cal ICH. Tomiquia is a former board president for both SPUR and the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, former co-chair of the Bay Area Council’s Homelessness Committee and of the Black Leadership Council, and former board member for Oakland Promise. She served as an Advisory Committee member for the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority from its inception until her appointment as Secretary. She remains a board member of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation.

Tomiquia holds a Masters’ in Public Administration from Golden Gate University. She and her family are proud to call Oakland home.

A California native whose parents immigrated from Mexico and whose father worked in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley, Dr. Muñoz has deep roots in the UC System and the Central Valley region. He earned his B.A. in psychology from UC Santa Barbara. Prior to earning his M.A. in Mexican American studies from California State University, Los Angeles, he was a secondary school teacher and instructor in the California Community College system. He earned his Ph.D. in education at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied curriculum & instruction in the Division of Urban Schooling.

As a faculty member in the Department of Secondary Education at California State University Fullerton, and taught courses in classroom management, instructional methods and curriculum development, multicultural education, bilingual education, and critical social theory.

During his time in LA, Muñoz also served on the board of directors of several nonprofit agencies, was appointed to the Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board-Youth Council, served on both the Parks & Recreation and Substance Abuse Commissions in San Bernardino County, and was chair of the 2001 City of Los Angeles Crossroad Symposium for at-risk youth.

Muñoz presently joins UC Merced from the University of Houston Downtown (UHD), where he served as president and, within his first year, launched the university’s largest capital campaign and led the institution’s recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey. Prior to UHD, Muñoz served as senior vice president and vice provost at Texas Tech University.

He is the author of book chapters, academic articles, essays, refereed and invited conference presentations. In 2010, Muñoz was among the contributing editors of the seminal compilation Handbook of Latinos and Education. The book earned the coveted American Association of Educational Studies’ prestigious Critic’s Choice Book Award.

Muñoz has also served on the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence, and is currently on the board of directors of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and the American Council on Education. He was appointed to the California Strategic Growth Council in December 2020.

He is a graduate of the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership offered jointly by Arizona State and Georgetown Universities, ACE’s Spectrum Executive Leadership Program, Harvard University’s Institute for Management and Leadership, UC Berkeley’s Executive Leadership Academy and the University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Policy’s Governor’s Executive Development Program.

He is married to Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz, Ph.D., an accomplished scholar and professor at the University of California, Merced.