UC Center Sacramento has named Diana Dooley, former California secretary of Health and Human Services, as its governance fellow for 2022.

“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.”

The center serves as a conduit for sharing UC’s expertise with decision-makers in the legislative and executive branches of state government, while also teaching undergraduates from around the UC system in the craft of politics and policymaking. This is where the governance fellow comes in, offering guidance to the students as they undertake coursework at the center and serve as interns at or near the Capitol.

The center annually chooses a prominent California public servant as governance fellow, and normally alternates between fellows of Democratic and Republican party affiliation.

Dooley served in both of Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown’s gubernatorial administrations, as legislative director and special assistant in his first go-round as governor (1975-83), and as secretary of Health and Human Services and later as chief of staff in his second go-round (2011-19). As secretary, Dooley launched key reforms in the state’s MediCal program and guided implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Outside of government, she is a member of the State Leadership Council for the Public Policy Institute of California. She formerly served as general counsel for Madera-based Valley Children’s Hospital, and as president and CEO of the California Children’s Hospital Association.