Governors fill boards, benches and agencies in a coast-to-coast appointment round
From Florida's regulatory boards to judgeships in Wyoming and Minnesota, governors are staffing the posts that decide licenses, cases and agency policy, with Senate confirmation still pending for several of the picks.
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis named or reappointed members to four boards, including six to the Florida Historic Commission and seven to the Board of Medicine. m:…9614 m:…0387
- Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon appointed Mark Klaassen, the state's deputy attorney general, as a district judge for the 1st Judicial District, which serves Laramie County. m:…5876
- Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appointed Peter Goss, associate general counsel at Pentair, as a district judge in the Fourth Judicial District, which covers Hennepin County. m:…8120
- California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed six people to state boards and councils, and none of the appointments require Senate confirmation. m:…8359
- Illinois Governor JB Pritzker appointed Mike Lazzeri to lead the Department of Labor effective November 1, 2026, pending Illinois Senate approval. m:…8497
Florida fills four boards
Florida accounts for the largest share of the round. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Kelly Chase, David Drysdale, Rick Gonzalez and Rodney Lewis to the Florida Historic Commission and reappointed John Browning Jr. and David Hoyt to the same body, which advises the state on historic preservation. He also announced three new members of the Board of Medicine, Dr. Andrea Aguilera, Dr. Lisa Kay Mao and Elyse Young, and reappointed Dr. Scot Ackerman, Dr. Gobi Balaji, Dr. Mathew Benson and Dr. Hector Vila to the board that licenses and regulates medical professionals in the state. m:…9614 m:…0387
The Florida round continued with four reappointments to the Board of Pharmacy, Leigh Mathes, Cristina Medina, Darrell Miller and Dorinda Segovia, a board that regulates pharmacy practice standards and licensure. DeSantis also reappointed Patrick Rooney, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives and president of the Palm Beach Kennel Club, and appointed Kelly Smallridge, president and chief executive of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, to the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. m:…6177 m:…0130
Judges and agency chiefs change hands
Two governorships filled trial court vacancies. In Wyoming, Governor Mark Gordon appointed Mark Klaassen as a district court judge for the 1st Judicial District, which serves Laramie County. Klaassen, currently deputy attorney general for Wyoming, succeeds Judge Peter K. Froelicher, who is resigning effective January 3, 2027. Klaassen previously served as United States attorney for the District of Wyoming from 2017 to 2021 and as an assistant United States attorney from 2009 to 2017. In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz appointed Peter Goss as a district judge in the Fourth Judicial District, which encompasses Hennepin County, replacing Judge Matthew G. Frank. Goss is associate general counsel at Pentair, previously a litigation partner at Blackwell Burke and an attorney at Faegre Baker Daniels, and holds degrees from the University of California-Berkeley. m:…5876 m:…8120
Agency leadership changed in Illinois and Washington. Governor JB Pritzker announced the departure of Illinois Department of Labor Director Jane Flanagan at the end of October 2026 and appointed Mike Lazzeri to lead the department effective November 1, 2026. Lazzeri brings more than 20 years of government experience, including service as Regional Administrator of the United States Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division for the Midwest. Flanagan's tenure included staffing growth, more than tripling the unpaid wages collected annually for workers, and work on the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, amendments to the Equal Pay Act and an overhaul of the Illinois Child Labor Law. In Washington, Governor Bob Ferguson appointed Jenifer Chao as executive director of the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs effective November 1, 2026. Chao has more than 25 years of experience in public policy and leadership, including as Director of the Department of Neighborhoods for the City of Seattle and work with the Asian Pacific Islanders Coalition Advocating Together for Health, and she succeeds Nam Nguyen, who served as interim director since 2024. m:…8497 m:…1289
Confirmation is the dividing line
The appointments split on one procedural point. The Florida Board of Medicine and Board of Pharmacy appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate, and Lazzeri's Illinois appointment is pending Illinois Senate approval. California took the other route: Governor Gavin Newsom appointed six people, including Michael Martin, Thomas Shaffer and Judy Corless to the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, Diane Gu to the California Health Workforce Education and Training Council, Kary Lynn Matsuda to the State Board of Optometry and Avygail Sanchez to the State Board of Pharmacy, and none of the appointments require Senate confirmation. The California board posts pay $100 per diem, while the workforce council post pays $25 per diem. m:…0387 m:…6177 m:…8497 m:…8359
What is still unresolved
- Whether the Florida Senate confirms the pending Board of Medicine and Board of Pharmacy appointments, and on what timetable.
- Whether the Illinois Senate confirms Mike Lazzeri to lead the Department of Labor.
- Which vacancies remain open on the boards and commissions named in this round.
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