Two Korean Americans have been appointed to senior positions in California state government, with both set to begin serving without requiring confirmation by the state Senate.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the appointments on August 5, naming Jennifer Song as deputy secretary and special counsel for enforcement at the California Business and Consumer Services Agency and Jane Park as deputy secretary for energy at the California Natural Resources Agency. Both positions do not require Senate confirmation.
Song, a Los Angeles resident, is an attorney with extensive experience in consumer protection and public policy at both the federal and state levels.
From 2021 to 2025, she served as an advisor and counsel to the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In 2024, she was chief of staff to a senior policy advisor for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and from 2017 to 2021 she served as director of policy at the Democratic Attorneys General Association.
Song also previously worked in the California Department of Justice, serving from 2015 to 2017 as special counsel for consumer protection in the office of then-Attorney General Kamala Harris. Earlier in her career, she worked as a staff attorney and legal fellow at Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
She earned her law degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, formerly UC Hastings, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from USC.
Park, meanwhile, brings a background combining energy policy, legislative affairs and scientific research.
Since 2024, she has served as chief of staff to California Energy Commission Vice Chair Siva Gunda, after working as a senior advisor in the same office from 2023 to 2024.
She also has experience in the California Legislature. Park served as a senior legislative aide to Assemblymember Rick Zbur from 2022 to 2023 and previously worked as a legislative aide in the office of then-Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Kevin Mullin from 2021 to 2022.
Her professional background also includes several years in science and research. Park was a science fellow at the California Council on Science and Technology from 2020 to 2021. She worked as a doctoral researcher and instructor at UC Davis from 2014 to 2020 and previously served as a life sciences research assistant at Stanford University from 2011 to 2014.
Park holds a doctorate in integrative genetics and genomics from UC Davis and a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Wellesley College.
Newsom’s office said both Song and Park are Democrats. Song’s new position carries annual compensation of $220,008, while Park’s pays $180,780.
