Sacramento – The California State Lands Commission has appointed Jennifer Lucchesi to serve as its new Executive Officer, effective December 8, 2012. Jennifer will succeed Curtis Fossum, who is retiring on December 7th, 2012, following over 35 years of service to the Commission.
Prior to her appointment as Executive Officer, Ms. Lucchesi served the Commission for over 13 years in various positions, most recently as the Commission’s Chief Counsel.
“As Chief Counsel, Jennifer served the Commission with dedication and distinction. As Executive Officer, she will serve the Commission with this same integrity and enthusiasm, and with a commitment to ensuring that its work and actions are in the best interest of the State,” said California State Controller and State Lands Commission Chair John Chiang.
Lieutenant Governor and Commissioner Gavin Newsom also commended the appointment, stating, “Jennifer’s more than a decade of experience and her depth of knowledge on issues facing the state in terms of land, resources, and waterways makes her the perfect choice. The Commission and the people of California are fortunate to have her as its Executive Officer.”
Ms. Lucchesi will be serving as the California State Lands Commission’s 16th Executive Officer. The Commission, established in 1938, serves the people of California by providing stewardship of the lands, waterways, and resources entrusted to its care through economic development, protection, preservation, and restoration. The Commission has generated more than $10,000,000,000.00 in non-tax revenues (that is over $25 billion in today’s dollars) to the State during its existence, including over $531,000,000.00 in fiscal year 2011/12. The members of the State Lands Commission include the Lieutenant Governor, the State Controller and the State Director of Finance.
The Commission is assisted by a staff of more than 220 specialists in mineral resources, land management, oil spill and marine invasive species prevention, boundary determination, petroleum engineering and the natural sciences. The staff is supervised by its Executive Officer appointed by the Commission.
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