The Seven-Member CalABLE Board
Fiona Ma, CPA
Fiona Ma is California’s 34th State Treasurer. She was elected on November 6, 2018, with more votes (7,825,587) than any other candidate for treasurer in the state's history. She is the first woman of color and the first woman Certified Public Accountant (CPA) elected to the position. The State Treasurer’s Office was created in the California Constitution in 1849. It provides financing for schools, roads, housing, recycling and waste management, hospitals, public facilities, and other crucial infrastructure projects that better the lives of residents. California is the world’s fifth-largest economy and Treasurer Ma is the state’s primary banker. Her office processes more than $2 trillion in transactions, within a typical year. She provides transparency and oversight for the government’s investment portfolio and accounts, as well as for the state’s surplus funds. Treasurer Ma oversees an investment portfolio that has averaged well over $100 billion during her administration—a significant portion of which is beneficially owned by more than 2,200 local governments in California. She serves as agent of sale for all State bonds and is trustee of billions of dollars of state indebtedness.
Malia M. Cohen
State Controller Malia M. Cohen was elected in November 2022, following her service on the California State Board of Equalization (BOE), the nation’s only elected tax commission responsible for administering California’s $100 billion property tax system. She was elected to the BOE in November 2018 and was Chair in 2019 and 2022. As Controller, she continues to serve the Board as its fifth voting member.
As chief fiscal officer of the world’s fifth-largest economy, Controller Cohen’s primary responsibility is to account for and protect the state’s financial resources. Controller Cohen also independently audits government agencies that spend state funds, safeguards many types of property until claimed by the rightful owners, and administers the payroll system for state government employees and California State University employees. She serves on 70 boards and commissions with authority ranging from affordable housing to crime victim compensation to land management. Controller Cohen chairs the Franchise Tax Board and serves on the boards of the nation's two largest public pension funds, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) Boards, which have a combined portfolio of $750 billion. The Controller is one of eight statewide constitutional officials who are elected every four years in California.
As the BOE Board Member for District 2, she represented 10 million constituents living in all or parts of 23 counties extending from Del Norte County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south. As Chair of the BOE, she led the effort to modernize California’s property tax system, provide guidance to the 58 county assessors on remote assessment appeals board hearings, and utilize property tax abatements to stimulate affordable housing. Controller Cohen also ensured that the views of all who came before the Board were considered carefully, with respect, civility, and courtesy.
Prior to being elected to the BOE, Controller Cohen served as President of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco. As a Supervisor, she served as Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Audit and Oversight Committee. During this time, she also served as President of the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS), which at the time was a $23 billion pension fund.
Controller Cohen has championed policies and programs that protect public health, foster economic development, promote new affordable housing, and create good jobs through protecting and expanding San Francisco’s manufacturing base. She has dedicated her career to public service, focusing on making public dollars work for all Californians.
Controller Cohen was born and raised in San Francisco and attended public schools. She received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Fisk University and a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. She and her husband reside in San Francisco along with their daughter.
Joe Stephenshaw
Background: Joe Stephenshaw was appointed as Director of the California Department of Finance by Governor Newsom in July of 2022. In this role, he serves as the Governor’s Chief Fiscal Policy Advisor. Prior to his appointment, Stephenshaw served in Governor Newsom’s Office as a Senior Counselor on Infrastructure and Fiscal Affairs.
Stephenshaw was Staff Director for the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee from 2017 to 2022. He held multiple positions in the California Legislature from 2008 to 2017, including serving as a Policy Consultant in the Office of the Senate President pro Tempore, a Special Advisor to the Speaker of the Assembly, and as a Budget Consultant for both the Assembly Budget Committee and the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. Stephenshaw was a Budget Analyst for the California Department of Finance from 2005 to 2008.
Stephenshaw is a graduate of Menlo College with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University, Sacramento.
Julie Gaona
Julie Gaona was an Advocate at the Community Access Center from 2001 to 2010. She is a member of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Los Angeles Regional Office Regional Advisory Committee; the Statewide Self-Advocacy Network; the University of Southern California Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Community Advisory Committee; and Communities Actively Living Independent and Free. Gaona is Secretary of the Self-Advocacy Board of Los Angeles.
Kim Rutledge
Background: Kimberly Rutledge, of Sacramento, was appointed Director of the Department of Rehabilitation on January 31, 2025. She has been Deputy Director of Legislation and Communications at the Department of Rehabilitation since 2022.
She held several positions at the California Department of Social Services from 2016 to 2022, including Chief of the Adult Programs Policy and Quality Assurance Branch and Adult Protective Services Program Liaison. Rutledge held several positions at United Domestic Workers of America, AFSCME Local 3930 between 2012 and 2016, including Budget and Policy Analyst and Assistant Legislative Director. She was an Independent Policy Consultant at the County Welfare Directors Association of California from 2011 to 2012. Rutledge was a Sweeney Graduate Intern on Disability Policy at the National Academy of Social Insurance in 2011. She was a Graduate Policy Intern at the Disability Community Resource Center from 2010 to 2011. Rutledge was a News Copy Editor at the Sacramento Bee from 2005 to 2009. She is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance. Rutledge earned a Master of Social Welfare degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Pete Cervinka
Background: Pete Cervinka became Acting Director of the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) on September 9, 2024. Pete has more than 25 years of leadership, program management, and policy development experience in various roles across state agencies.
Pete joined DDS in 2020 when he was appointed as Chief of Data Analytics and Strategy by Governor Gavin Newsom. He has held several other executive branch positions, including Chief Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer for the California Department of Social Services, and Assistant Secretary with the California Health and Human Services Agency. He also has worked at the California Department of Finance and Cal-EPA. Pete holds two degrees from the University of California at Davis.
Pete is a strong advocate for using comprehensive data to improve outcomes for Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Throughout his career, he has guided government programs to consider how family and culture affects each person served. He also seeks to advance care in the community for individuals throughout their lifespans, considering social, health, and environmental factors.
Susan Rotchy
Rotchy has played an instrumental role in advocating for people with disabilities after becoming paralyzed from an automobile accident. Susan began her activism at the local community college and she went on and received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Golden Gate University. Susan has held several employment positions as an Optician, Substitute Teacher, Benefits Specialist, Program Manager and she is currently the Executive Director for Independent Living Resources of Solano & Contra Costa Counties and has been in that position since 2010. Today, Susan sits on the In-Home Support Service advisory committee for Solano County and is a committee member for Solano Transportation for Senior’s and Disabilities