Staff Information

Annette Porini, Chief of Staff, has 30 years of experience in government. She has worked for the State Senate and Assembly as well as the State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Governor. Prior to joining the Simitian Staff, she was the Staff Director to the Chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee.

Heather Scott joined Senator Simitian’s staff in 2011 as Legislative Director. She has worked in the Capitol for 12 years, including four years as staff to three Speakers of the Assembly and several members of the Assembly and Senate. Heather holds a BA in Government and a BA in History from CSU Sacramento. She is a native of Sacramento.

Cory Jasperson returned to Senator Simitian's staff in 2010 as a Consultant to the Select Committee on Privacy. He previously served during Joe's time as a County Supervisor and State Assemblymember. During the five-year hiatus from Joe’s staff, Cory served as Chief of Staff to the Assembly Speaker pro Tempore. Cory’s key policy focus has been on education, budget, revenue and taxation, and privacy. He has staffed well-known legislation to increase California’s minimum wage, make human trafficking a felony, limit the use of ‘gay panic’ strategies by criminal defendants, equalize revenue limit funding for school districts, change the kindergarten entry-age, and establish the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority. Before coming to the Capitol, Cory worked at the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Office of the Dean of Graduate Policy amp; Research at Stanford University, Federal Bureau of Investigation (Hmong linguistic consultant), and The Greenlining Institute—a statewide multi-ethnic public policy and advocacy center in Berkeley. Cory graduated with a BA in International Relations and a Minor in Linguistics from UC Davis. He is fluent in Hmong (both White Hmong and Mong Leng dialects).

Ryan Ojakian joined the Capitol Office in April 2007 as a Legislative Aide after a career in biological research.

Ryan previously served as an intern in the Palo Alto District Office. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from UC San Diego, and a Master's degree in Economics from San Diego State University. He is a Palo Alto native.

Lisa Gardiner became Senator Simitian’s press secretary in 2011. Prior to that, she was the communications director at the California Budget Project and a legislative staffer for two state Assemblymembers. Before moving to Sacramento, she worked as a newspaper reporter in the Bay Area. She has a B.A. in English from Reed College and a master’s degree in religion from Vanderbilt University.

William Leiter joined Senator Simitian’s staff in December 2010 as a Senate Fellow. Prior to working in the Capitol, he interned for Congressman George Miller and the City of San Francisco. He is a graduate of Harvard College and a Bay Area native.

Taylor Glass, who joined Senator Simitian’s staff in January of 2009, is a graduate of Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Political Science. Prior to joining the Simitian staff, Taylor was a field representative for Lois Wolk when she represented the 8th Assembly District.

Stephanie Hineline joined Senator Simitian’s staff in January, 2010. She has worked in the Capitol for the past seven years. She worked in the Senate Health Committee and for Senator Deborah Ortiz in various capacities. Prior to working in the Capitol, she worked as a Meeting Planner for the California Primary Care Association and as the Travel Events Coordinator for the California Dental Association.

Hank Brady Joined Senator Simitian’s staff in December 2011 as Senate Fellow. Originally from Pasadena, Hank attended California State University, Chico where he received a B.A. in History. Prior to joining Senator Simitian’s Capitol staff, Hank interned for Congressman Wally Herger of California’s 2nd Congressional District, and Gil Cedillo when he represented the 22nd State Senate District.

Brock Winstead has worked in the Palo Alto District Office since October of 2006. Prior to this, Brock interned in the district office of Assemblywoman Loni Hancock in the East Bay, where he worked to engage area youth in the planning and development of San Pablo Avenue, a major East Bay transportation corridor. Brock received a Master's degree in City & Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degrees (summa cum laude) from North Carolina State University.

Hema Sareen Mohan joined the Palo Alto District Office as Outreach Director in March 2005. She served as District Director from August 2005 to July 2010, when she stepped down to spend more time with her family. She now works part-time, focusing on education policy and serving as a liaison to the nonprofit community. Before working in the public sector, Hema spent seven years at the Vera Institute of Justice, a New York-based nonprofit policy and research organization. At Vera, Hema created and directed a school violence prevention program, served as Intake Director of an alternative-to-detention project for people facing deportation, and examined the correlation between juvenile delinquency and childhood loss. She currently serves on the board of Thrive: The Alliance of Nonprofits for San Mateo County. Hema graduated with a BA in Political Science from Hunter College and an MPA from Columbia University. She is fluent in Punjabi and Hindi.

Tyler joined the office in September of 2008. He previously worked as a legislative assistant at a national trade association. Before that he served for two years as a staff assistant on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee staff, where he provided support to the committee’s ranking member, Senator Kent Conrad.

Tyler received his BA in government from Georgetown University and an MA in government from Johns Hopkins University.

Phil Yost joined the District Office in May 2010. In a 25-year career at the San Jose Mercury News, Phil was the chief editorial writer and wrote a government and politics column from Sacramento, focusing on the major issues confronting California government. He also previously was vice president for communications for a public policy organization.

Phil holds a B.A. in philosophy from Earlham College in Richmond, Ind.

Rose Filicetti joined the Santa Cruz Office in February of 2011. Prior to this, Rose worked for State Assembly Pro Tem Sally Lieber in the Mountain View District Office. She has spent the last twenty years in education and public policy, serving for ten years on the Mountain View Whisman School Board. Rose received a Bachelor of Arts in Business from the University of Washington and a Masters in Business Administration from Golden Gate University. She currently serves on the boards of Leadership Santa Cruz County and their Alumni Association.

Brenda Taussig joined Senator Simitian’s district staff in June 2011, after working for three years in a similar position for Assemblymember Ira Ruskin. She has extensive experience managing reproductive health care services and advocacy programs and taught at the community college level. Brenda is also a leader and board member of an innovative non-profit that promotes international cultural exchange for children, teenagers and adults. She holds a BA in Psychology/Biology and an MEd in Individual and Family Counseling from the University of Arizona

Candace Joy has worked in Senator Simitian’s Palo Alto District Office since January 2012. Prior to that, Candace worked as a self-employed consultant serving numerous private and public-sector clients in areas such as grant writing, fundraising, and building a successful non-profit. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree (magna cum laude) in Political Science from San Jose State University, where she focused on international relations, policy and conflict resolution.

Susan Klein joined the Palo Alto District Office in November 2007. She is a long time resident of Palo Alto and has worked in affordable housing, community banking and high end retail.