Tani Cantil-Sakauye is president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, where she holds the Walter and Esther Hewlett Chair in Understanding California’s Future. From 2011 to 2022, she served as the 28th Chief Justice of California and led the judiciary as the chair of the Judicial Council—the constitutional policy and rule making body of the judicial branch—the first person of color and the second woman to do so. Before she was elected statewide as the Chief Justice of California, she served more than 20 years on California appellate and trial courts and was appointed or elevated to higher office by three governors. Earlier in her career she served as a deputy district attorney for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and on the senior staff of Governor Deukmejian, first as deputy legal affairs secretary and later as a deputy legislative secretary. She holds a BA and a JD from the University of California, Davis.

Cassandra Walker Pye is president for Lucas Public Affairs (LPA), a Sacramento-based public affairs consultancy. For 37 years, she has enjoyed a successful career in communications, government, politics, and advocacy for corporate interests in global, national, state, and local arenas. She joined PPIC’s board of directors in 2021, having previously served on the PPIC Statewide Leadership Council. In 2014, she launched  3.14 Communications, LLC.  Previously she was senior vice president for APCO Worldwide, a global strategic communications consultancy. In 2003, she was appointed deputy chief of staff to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and served on his transition team. She has served as corporate affairs vice president and political director for the California Chamber of Commerce, executive director for JobsPAC, director of public affairs for the California Retailers Association, director of governmental relations for the California Grocers Association, and state relations manager for the Food Marketing Institute. In 2018, she was named to a panel of California Influencers, 76 Californians selected by the Sacramento Bee and other McClatchy newspapers to offer their views on important issues facing the state in the lead up to the 2018 election; in 2019 she was again named to the panel. She is the immediate past state board president for California Women Lead. She currently serves as Sacramento board chair for Street Soccer USA, sits on the executive committee of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation and is an American Leadership Forum senior fellow.

Robert Rivas is Speaker of the California State Assembly. He was elected to represent the 30th Assembly District in 2018 and the 29th District in 2022. Prior to being elected Speaker, he served as the chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and as vice-chair of the influential Latino Legislative Caucus. During his tenure in the assembly, he has championed legislation to improve California’s supply of affordable housing, increase workplace health and safety protections, create the Golden State Teacher Grant Program, and secure the first-in-the-nation COVID-19 Farmworker Relief Package, which included critical efforts related to access to PPE and testing, temporary housing, and health care. A longtime champion of the environment, he won bipartisan support for the Oil Transportation Safety Act, which improved the state’s preparedness to protect coastal regions after a potential spill of non-floating oil. Further, he has led efforts to accelerate the construction of renewable energy and ensure the state explores all options to use public lands and oceans to effectively sequester carbon. Prior to becoming an assemblymember, he served two terms on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government from California State University, Sacramento and a master’s degree in public administration from San Jose State University.