Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed Ellen Widess, 63, a Berkeley labor consultant, chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), and he also named Art Carter, 69, a past Cal/OSHA chief, to serve as chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board, according to the Fresno Bee.
Ellen Widess ‘74 is the Senior Program Officer at the Rosenberg Foundation, which seeks fundamental, structural reform in public policy related to low-income families and immigrants in California. She has taught Environmental Law and Policy, Occupational Health Law and Toxic Torts at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Texas Law School. She was Chief of CalOSHA’s Pesticide Program and Director of the Pesticide Program for the Texas Department of Agriculture.
She has also been a Director of Health Policy for Children’s Advocacy Institute and Executive Director of Lead Safe California. In addition to her work with the Center Ms. Widess serves in an advisory capacity for the Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc. She is also a member the Neighborhood Funders Group’s Rural Farmers Working Group and of the Northern California Grantmakers’ Association Public Policy Group. She is a frequent speaker and author on immigration and public health issues. She has a J.D. from Boalt School of Law and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. (Source: UC Berkeley)
Widess, a Democrat, is to be paid $125,004 a year.
Carter, has been serving on the California Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board. Prior to his retirement, he owned and served as the legislative advocate for Art Carter and Associates from 1984 to 2004. In 1983, Carter was the deputy chief administrative officer for the city of San Francisco and, from 1976 to 1983, he worked as the chief of DOSH for the Department of Industrial Relations. Carter was the secretary-treasurer for the Contra Costa County Central Labor Council from 1967 to 1976.
Carter, a Democrat, is to be paid $115,913 a year.