SACRAMENTO – On Tuesday the Governor's Office announced the appointment of a new tribal advisor and executive secretary for the Native American Heritage Commission.

Governor Jerry Brown appointed 54-year-old Cynthia Gomez of Sacramento to the position, which he established by executive order to bolster communication and collaboration between California state government and American Indian tribes.

The tribal advisor will serve as a direct link between the Governor’s Office and tribal governments on matters including legislation, policy and regulation.

Gomez has been the chief justice for the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Tribal Court since 2010.

She was assistant secretary of environmental justice and tribal governmental policy for the California Environmental Protection Agency from 2008 to 2010, chief of the Native American Liaison Branch for the California Department of Transportation from 1999 to 2008, and a housing and community development representative for the California Department of Housing and Community Development from 1989 to 1999.

Gomez is a member of the Tribal and State Court Forum for the California Administrative Office of the Courts and has served as chair of the Transportation Research Board’s Native American Transportation Issues Committee.

She received a juris doctorate degree from the University of Northern California, Lorenzo Patiño School of Law.

These positions do not require Senate confirmation and the total compensation is $140,000.

Gomez is a Democrat.

For more information about the tribal advisor executive order, visit http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=17222.

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