DPR's Executive Team — Who We Are

Julie Henderson began serving as the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s Acting Director in July 2021 and was appointed as Director in December 2021. Prior to her DPR role, Julie was appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in November 2017 to serve as Deputy Secretary for Health and Public Policy at the California Environmental Protection Agency and was reappointed by Governor Gavin Newsom. She served previously as a Senior Advisor to Governor Brown. She also served in the California Department of Justice as a Special Assistant Attorney General to Attorney General Brown. Prior to joining CalEPA, she was Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the University of California, Office of the President, and prior to entering government service, Julie was Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Gap Inc., and an associate at Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe. Julie graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in government and received her law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law.

Karen Morrison was appointed DPR’s Chief Deputy Director and Science Advisor in October 2022. Karen joined DPR in 2018 as a science advisor to the Executive Office, and was promoted to Deputy Director of the Pesticide Programs Division and Chief Science Advisor in 2019. Prior to joining DPR, Karen worked at the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery and the California Senate Environmental Quality Committee, and served on the West Sacramento Environment and Utilities Commission. She has a Bachelors of Science in chemistry from Harvey Mudd College and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Daniel Rubin was appointed DPR’s Chief Counsel in 2018 by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. Prior to his appointment he served as an attorney with DPR since 2013. Daniel is a graduate of Tulane University and Lewis & Clark Law School. The Office of Legal Affairs advises Department executive management and staff on all aspects of the laws it implements.

Alejandra Durán was appointed Deputy Director of Legislation and Policy by Governor Gavin Newsom in December 2022. Prior to DPR, Alejandra was an Associate at Weideman Group since 2017. She also held a number of legislative positions in the California State Assembly in the offices of Assembly Member Tony Thurmond, Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi and the Office of the Chief Clerk. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from the University of California, Davis.

Ken Everett is the Deputy Director over the Pesticide Program Division’s Enforcement Headquarters and Enforcement Regional Office branches. Ken has worked for DPR over 20 years, starting in the Pesticide Registration Branch and then moving to the Enforcement Branch where he eventually became the Manager of the Northern Regional Office before becoming the Deputy Director. Ken is a graduate of Chico State with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science. After College, he became Field Manager for a Grapevine Nursery in Sonoma County and later a Farm Manager for a wholesale fruit and nut tree nursery in Placer and Sutter counties.

Nan is Deputy Director over the Pesticide Program Division’s Environmental Monitoring and Worker Health and Safety branches. Nan has worked for DPR since 1994 in the Environmental Monitoring Branch, including 20 years in its Surface Water Protection Program as an environmental scientist, supervisor, and manager. He also served as DPR’s interagency coordinator with the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards for 15 years, and as a member of the national SFIREG’s Environmental Quality Issues Working Committee, which is a platform for states to work with U.S. EPA on challenging pesticide issues. Nan is a graduate of UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Toxicology.

Sapna Thottathil became the Deputy Director for Sustainable Pest Management in 2024 to lead the department's statewide collaboration and coordination to foster sustainable pest management (SPM) across California's urban, agricultural and wildland settings. Prior to joining DPR, Thottathil held multiple administrative roles in the University of California (UC), including as Associate Director of Sustainability in the UC Office of the President, where she helped lead a UC Regent-supported task force that developed a statewide IPM policy for UC's 10 campuses and six health systems. Thottathil was also a Farm-to-Institution leader in a variety of other roles that will advance her collaborative work in addressing the challenges of SPM adoption, including building strategic partnerships and supply chains between institutions like K-12 schools and hospitals and food producers, and working on antibiotics use in animal agriculture. Earlier in her career, Thottathil published books about Farm-to-Institution in the U.S. and the organic farming practices she researched in India. She began her career at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an Environmental Protection Specialist. Thottathil earned a BA in environmental studies and at BA in international studies from the University of Chicago, an MS in environmental change and management from Oxford University, and a PhD in Geography from UC Berkeley.

Sam Silva is DPR’s Chief Information Officer. In this role, he oversees all department information technology operations. Projects he’s overseen include development of a system to streamline product registration (CalPEST) and creation of a statewide pesticide-application notification system (SprayDays). He also led the department through implementing web and document ADA accessibility, adopting Microsoft 365, and streamlining and improving operational processes across the organization. Sam joined the department in 2013 as an assistant web developer. Prior to that, he worked in marketing and for public works within city government. He graduated from San Diego State University and is also a graduate of the State of California’s Information Technology Leadership Academy.

Christina Bugai is the Deputy Director for the Administrative Services Division, which includes the Human Resources and Fiscal, Audits and Business Services branches. Prior to accepting this position in September 2020, Christina was the Human Resources Branch Chief, Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, and Labor Relations Officer with DPR. Her background includes classification and pay, hiring and exams, as well as planning and management of various Human Resources activities. Christina graduated with a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Christina enlisted in the Air Force in 2003 and is still currently serving in the Air Force Reserves.

Leia Bailey is the Deputy Director of Communications and Outreach. Prior to DPR, Leia managed public affairs initiatives at agencies in San Jose and Sacramento advising on a wide range of issues including crisis communication, coalition building, strategic communications, and media relations. Leia additionally served as the associate executive director for a nonprofit trade association serving California’s small business owners, leading the association’s communications and policy team and managing internal operations. Leia graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelors of Art in journalism.

Celia Pazos is DPR’s Deputy Director for Environmental Justice and Equity. She is a professional geologist with nearly 10 years of experience and has worked on a wide variety of environmental remediation projects, ranging from groundwater remediation to hazardous soil management and removal. During her five years as an Engineering Geologist at California Water Boards, Celia worked on implementing the Statewide Cannabis Cultivation Policy and Scrap Metal Recycling Permit. She has also worked on several projects with stated goals to prioritize environmental justice and advance racial equity including the development and implementation of the Santa Ana Regional Water Board’s Human Right to Water Resolution and Workplan, which aims to identify and prioritize communities that lack access to safe, clean, and affordable water. Most recently, Celia led the development of the State Water Board’s Racial Equity Action Plan, presented to the State Water Board in January 2023.

Jennifer ‘JT’ Teerlink is Deputy Director over the Pesticide Program Division’s Pesticide Registration, Pesticide Evaluation, and Human Health Assessment branches and Deputy Science Advisor to the Department. JT joined DPR in 2013. In the Environmental Monitoring Branch’s Surface Water Protection Program, she was an environmental scientist, supervisor, and manager. Prior to joining DPR, JT worked at the United States Geological Survey as a chemist. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Brigham Young University, a Master of Science in geology from the University of Maryland, and a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

Joe has been DPR’s County/State Liaison since 2013, serving as primary liaison on program and policy issues between DPR and the county agricultural commissioners. He graduated from Randolph-Macon College in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. He has been with DPR since 1982 starting as a Scientist leading the ground water well monitoring field study program and performing Geographical Information System (GIS) data analysis. He has also performed data analysis to support headquarters and regional office staff with their oversight of statewide county pesticide use enforcement. Joe has been the County/State Liaison for DPR since January 2013 serving as the primary liaison on program and policy issues between DPR and the County Agricultural Commissioners.