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.
Antonio Benjamin
Term expires March 31, 2028
Residence: Fremont, California.
Background: Antonio Benjamin is a futurist, innovator and hands-on developer/architect. In recognition of his technology achievements, the World Economic Forum named him as a 2015 Technology Pioneer. Currently Mr. Benjamin is a Partner at PA Consulting (prior company 4iNNO acquired on June 2019), working on consumer product innovation, development and product launches with several Fortune 100 firms. He served 10 years as a volunteer on NASA AMES civilian advisory board. He was also on US Federal Reserve’s Faster Payments Task Force. He is co-founder and CTO Emeritus of Token.io. Previously, Mr. Benjamin was Global Chief Technology Officer for Citibank’s Institutional Clients Group/Global Transaction Services. He was also Chairman of Citi’s Research Development Innovation & Learning Center. Mr. Benjamin was a Partner and Chief of Global Strategy at Ernst & Young, LLP (now EY, LLP). Mr. Benjamin has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of the Philippines.
Francisco Silva
Term Expires: March 31, 2028
Residence: Sacramento, California.
Background: Francisco J. Silva, Esq., is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Primary Care Association (CPCA), overseeing a membership association of more than 1,370 nonprofit, community clinics and health centers (CCHCs) which serve nearly 7.4 million patients a year. Mr. Silva is a healthcare executive with over 18 years of leadership experience in association advocacy and advancing access to health care. Equipped with extensive experience in leading companywide initiatives, cultivating learning environments to foster high performing teams and support diversity, equity, and inclusion; complemented with health advocacy expertise that interfaces law, politics, coalition building and public relations. Adept at setting strategic vision, decisive action, building consensus, as well as adapting proactively to optimize overall performance.
Robert Cherry, M.D.
Term Expires: March 31, 2028
Residence: Los Angeles, California.
Background: Dr. Cherry was named Chief Medical and Quality Officer for the UCLA Health System in January 2014. Reporting to the President of UCLA Health, the Chief Medical and Quality Officer (CMO/CQO) is responsible for system-wide quality improvement efforts, with the goal of achieving world class clinical and patient-centered outcomes that will set the standard in healthcare delivery and innovation. Dr. Cherry develops collaborative approaches to quality and value based care for populations across the continuum of care; coordinates innovative methods in the use of analytics, informatics, and advanced computational techniques that are designed to raise clinical quality, improve patient experience and provide value to our patients.
Robert E. Hertzka, M.D.
Term Expires: March 31, 2024
Residence: Rancho Santa Fe, California
Background: Dr. Robert E. Hertzka has been both a full-time clinician and a health policy instructor for over 30 years. A graduate of the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine (UCSD), he completed an internship in internal medicine at the University of Maryland and a residency in anesthesiology at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). Following two years on the faculty at UCSF, he joined Anesthesia Service Medical Group in 1987 and as of today remains in full-time clinical practice. Concurrent with his clinical practice, Dr. Hertzka has an extensive history of health care policy development, political engagement, teaching, and advocacy.
Katrina Kalvoda
Term Expires: March 31, 2027
Residence: Laguna Hills, California.
Background: Katrina Kalvoda is currently the founder and CEO of G3 Ventures, a nonprofit corporation specializing in impact investments, innovative philanthropy and community advocacy. Prior to this, Ms. Kalvoda worked in the investment management industry as Chief Investment Officer of Newport Wealth Management. In that role, she managed a portfolio comprised of commercial real estate, private equity and liquid investments. Her achievements earned her many national and international awards including Angel Investor of the Year and Best Business Leader in Real Estate Investments. Ms. Kalvoda is also a sought after speaker on topics ranging from asset management, hedge funds, angel investing in women and minority owned businesses, social innovation and community advocacy.
Ms. Kalvoda is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. She is also a board member of the Sisters of St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation and a founding member of Innovative Philanthropy at the Orange County Community Foundation.
Keri Kropke – M.A., M.A., CCC-SLP
Term Expires: March 31, 2026
Residence: Brea, California.
Background: Keri Kropke is an elected trustee for the Brea Olinda Unified School District. She is a public educator and speech language pathologist with experience in medical, occupational and public education settings. Keri was a professional baseball player on the Colorado Silver Bullets women’s baseball team. Keri is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where she studied political economy and was an academic and athletic NCAA All American. She also holds two graduate degrees from Cal State Fullerton – an M.A. in History and an M.A. in Communications/Communicative Disorders. Keri is an active member of the California School Boards Association and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
