UC Center Sacramento Welcomes Former California Secretary of Health and Human Services Diana Dooley as 2022 Governance Fellow
Sacramento, CA – The UC Center Sacramento (UCCS) is pleased to announce that Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Diana Dooley will serve as its 2022 Governance Fellow.
Each year, UCCS appoints a prominent California public servant as its Governance Fellow. Prior Fellows have included former members of the legislature, officials elected to statewide office, a justice of the state supreme court, and the chief clerk of the Assembly. Fellows normally alternate between Democratic and Republican party affiliation.
“Secretary Dooley is a pioneer in California politics,” said Richard Kravitz, Director of UC Center Sacramento. “As the first woman to serve as both a cabinet secretary and gubernatorial chief of staff, she will offer our students a unique perspective on public service.”
Dooley is currently a member of the State Leadership Council for the Public Policy Institute of California. After graduating from CSU Fresno, she worked as an analyst at the State Personnel Board before being appointed to the staff of Governor Jerry Brown, where she served as legislative director and special assistant until his term ended in 1983. She earned a law degree and became general counsel for Valley Children’s Hospital and then President and CEO of the California Children’s Hospital Association. When Jerry Brown was once again elected governor in 2010, he brought Dooley back into public service, first as Secretary of Health and Human Services and later as chief of staff. As Secretary, Dooley launched key reforms in the state’s MediCal program and guided implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
UCCS is a teaching and policy research dissemination program of the University of California. Its mission is to prepare California’s future leaders for careers in public service and to share knowledge in the interest of better public policymaking. UCCS Governance Fellows provide guidance to UCCS undergraduates as they undertake coursework and internships at or near the Capitol.
Diana Dooley’s term as the UCCS 2022 Governance Fellow begins on January 1, 2022 and continues through December 31, 2022.