About Us Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation Leadership

Russ Fong has served as Chief Administrative Officer at the State Controller’s Office since May of 2020. He began his career 34 years ago in the financial industry before entering state service in 2000. Since that time, he has worked for the California Department of Technology, CalPERS, California High-Speed Rail Authority, Department of Housing and Community Development, State Controller’s Office, and now the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. He has served in many roles including Chief Deputy Director, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Operations Officer, Deputy Director, Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer, Risk Officer, and Division Chief . Russ has lived his entire life in the Golden State, attending C.K. McClatchy High School and the University of California, Los Angeles. He enjoys volunteering for youth sports programs and has coached high school, club, and AAU basketball over the past three decades.

Erin Curtis was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom as Executive Director in December 2024. She is a strategic public affairs veteran who has spent the last 15 years working with federal and state agencies on climate and natural resources policy. Prior to her appointment, she was Vice President at Fiona Hutton & Associates, an independent, non-partisan, woman-owned, communications and public affairs agency. From 2019-22 she served as the Deputy Secretary for Communications and External Affairs at the California Environmental Protection Agency, where she worked on many of the Administration’s climate initiatives, including drought and water policies, as well as the California Air Resources Board’s world-leading regulation to phase out sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

Ms. Curtis also served in the U.S. Department of the Interior for more than a decade in California, Colorado, Idaho and Alaska, and has spent years engaging with elected officials, policymakers and the public on climate change, natural resources, public land management, and environmental regulation.

Ms. Curtis is a California native and proud alumnus of the California community college and state university systems.

Larissa Estes, DrPH serves as the Executive Director of the Racial Equity Commission established through Executive Order 16-22. She has over 20 years of experience in allied health, healthcare, and public health with a focus on community and equity. Prior to joining the State of California, Dr. Estes served as the Executive Director of ALL IN Alameda County, a county-wide initiative established by the late Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan to address issues of poverty including basic needs, quality education, and economic opportunity that leads to self-sufficiency. Throughout her career she has served as a key author of several publications on women’s health, accountable communities for health, medical high utilization, and mental health and wellbeing. She is interested in integrating evidence-informed strategies into policy and practice across sectors that fortify equity and impact community wellbeing.

Dr. Estes has prior experience in program planning, implementation, and evaluation; maternal and child health; women’s health; mental health and wellbeing; and public health policy analysis at the federal, state, and local level. Dr. Estes received her BS in Athletic Training from Duquesne University, an MPH in Family and Child Health from the University of Arizona, and a DrPH in Community Health Practice from the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston. She is a sustaining member of Junior League of Oakland-East Bay and an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Dr. Estes also serves on the Board of Directors for the College of Behavioral Health Leadership, Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation (Oakland, CA), and American Cancer Society – SF Bay Area, and participates on an Advisory Committee for the Prairie View A&M School of Public and Allied Health.

William Robinson is the Legislative Director of LUCI and SGC where he brings over seven years of legislative and transportation policy experience to the role. Prior to joining OPR, William was a Legislative Liaison at the California Department of Transportation and California High-Speed Rail Authority where he represented the Administration’s transportation policy interests and helped manage the legislative programs of each department. Prior to his work in transportation, William served in various roles in the Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. William has a Bachelor’s in Cultural Anthropology from U.C. Davis.

Zaid have over 15 years of experience in information technology in both private and public sectors. Prior to being appointed LUCI Chief Information Officer, Zaid was the Deputy Chief Technology Officer at Covered California, the state’s health benefit exchange program since 2012 , whose highly effective technology department he helped establish. He is passionate about technology’s role in advancing and supporting effectiveness of programs that serve communities. Zaid earned a Master degree in electrical engineering from California State University Northridge.