Treasurer Ma Announces Staff Appointments

California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye administering oaths on Monday to Chief of Staff Genevieve V. Jopanda and Deputy Treasurers Audrey Noda, Jovan Agee, and Tim Schaefer.

SACRAMENTO – Fiona Ma, who assumed office Monday as California’s 34th state treasurer, completed her top staff appointments this week.

“I am building a team that will work just as hard as I intend to work on behalf of all Californians,” said Ma, who succeeds fellow Democrat John Chiang.

Appointees include:

• Genevieve V. Jopanda, chief of staff. She brings to the State Treasurer’s Office almost 20 years of experience in business operations, as well as deep expertise in leadership and organizational development, and a record of success in developing and implementing methodologies that strengthen and maintain the health of organizations.

She was chief of staff to Ma at the Board of Equalization and began her governmental career as a district liaison to then Speaker Pro Tempore Ma in 2010, serving as liaison to Northern San Mateo County.

Jopanda previously held supervisory or management positions with **The San Francisco Chronicle,** Hertz Corporation, Zipcar and the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce. She also headed up the largest hepatitis B screening project in the nation in San Francisco, served on the Daly City Parks and Recreation Commission, and is a past recipient of the Filipina Women’s Network Global 100 Most Influential Filipina Award.

• Audrey Noda, deputy treasurer, health and education. She was a key member of the executive team under Chiang, directing business development and external affairs. She worked to advance and launch core programs and initiatives and built partnerships with local governments and statewide networks with business organizations and stakeholder groups.

She has more than 25 years of experience working in government. She was deputy chief of staff and assistant deputy controller to then State Controller Chiang and served as chief deputy at the Board of Equalization. She was an appointee under Gov. Gray Davis, serving as deputy appointments secretary, assistant secretary, and legislation and executive director to the Commission on Infrastructure at the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.

Noda is an advocate for women’s issues, a past president of the Asian Pacific Women’s Network, and a co-founder of the Asian Pacific Women’s Center, a transitional housing center for survivors of domestic violence.

• Gloria Li, state director of external affairs. She joined then Board of Equalization member Ma’s office in 2015 as a district liaison to constituents in the Bay Area. She worked closely with taxpayers, providing resources and support. She speaks fluent Cantonese and Mandarin, and reads and writes Chinese. She also has worked in finance and marketing for, among others, Bloomberg LP, where she was a data analyst. In addition, she was a cross-border private equity analyst for two years in Beijing.