Karen F. Tynan was appointed to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun by Governor Gavin Newsom on January 13, 2021. Ms. Tynan has been Counsel at Ogletree Deakins since 2018. She was Owner of the Law Offices of Karen Tynan from 2009 to 2018. Prior to that, she worked in associate counsel positions with regional employment law firms from 2001 to 2008.  After graduating with honors from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, she worked for Chevron Shipping Company for ten years from 1987 to 1997 – sailing as a ship’s officer on oil tankers rising to the rank of Chief Officer with her Unlimited Master’s License as well as San Francisco Bay pilotage endorsement.  Ms. Tynan was the highest-ranking woman in the Chevron fleet when she left Chevron to pursue her legal education.  She served as Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 1987 to 2000.  Tynan earned a Juris Doctor degree from Empire College School of Law.  She is the founding counsel for the Committee for Equity for Women’s Surfing and has served on a variety of school and non-profit boards during the last twenty years. Commissioner Tynan was appointed on January 1, 2021 and her term expires on December 31, 2024.

Joanne Hayes-White was re-appointed by Governor Newsom to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, Pablo and Suisun on December 22, 2022, where she has served since June 20, 2019.  Ms. Hayes-White is currently serving as Northern California Director for the Office of United States Senator Dianne Feinstein. She was a member of the San Francisco Fire Department from 1990-2019 and served as Chief of Department from 2004 until her retirement in 2019. Ms. Hayes-White’s appointment fills a public member position on the Board and her term expires on December 31, 2026.

Captain Robert Carr was re-appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun on December 22, 2022, where he has served since September 12, 2019.  Captain Carr began the pilot training program in 2011 and has served as a pilot for the San Francisco Bar Pilots since 2013.  He was employed at Chevron Shipping Company and sailed in their US domestic and international flag fleets from 1990 to 2011. He was promoted to Master in 2006.  Captain Carr served in the United State Navy Reserve from 1990 to 2002.  Captain Carr’s re-appointment fills one of two Board-licensed pilot positions on the Board, and his term expires December 31, 2026.

Captain Korwatch was appointed by Governor Newsom to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun on October 12, 2023. Captain Korwatch was Executive Director for the Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region from 2000 to 2023. She was General Manager of Marine Operations at Matson Navigation Company Inc. from 1991 to 2000 and a Deck Officer with Matson Navigation, achieving the rank of Captain in 1988. Captain Korwatch is a member of the California Maritime Academy Foundation, the Council of American Master Mariners, the Office of Spill Prevention and Response Technical Advisory Committee, the National Liberty Museum, the California Maritime Academy Advisory Board, the San Francisco Bay Region Harbor Safety Committee and the U.S. Coast Guard Area Security Committee. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nautical Science from the California Maritime Academy. Captain Korwatch’s term expires on December 31, 2024.

Captain Einar Nyborg of Ukiah was reappointed for a second four-year term to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun by Governor Newsom on March 23, 2021. Captain Nyborg was previously appointed to the Board by Governor Brown and served a first term on the Board from February 24, 2017 through February 29, 2021. Captain Nyborg represents one of two Board-licensed pilot members on the Board. He has been a pilot at the San Francisco Bar Pilots since 1995. Previously, he was a harbor tug captain at Crowley Maritime Services from 1991 to 1995, tank vessel deck officer at the Keystone Shipping Company from 1989 to 1993 and first officer and deck boss for Arctic Alaska Seafoods in 1988.  Captain Nyborg was appointed on March 12, 2021, and his term expires on December 31, 2024.

Sam Rodriguez, of San Rafael, has been appointed to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun. Rodriguez has been Principal at Rodriguez Strategic Partners LLC since 2017. He was Director of Legislative Affairs at the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Western States Council from 2013 to 2017. Rodriguez was Principal at KSR Strategy Group from 2012 to 2013. He was Manager of Government Affairs for Latin America at Hewlett Packard Inc. in 2012. Rodriguez was State Director of Government and Legislative Affairs at Comcast from 2009 to 2011. He was Principal at KSR Strategy Group from 2006 to 2008. Rodriguez was Political Director for California Democratic Party from 2005 to 2006. He was Washington State Director for John Kerry for President from 2004 to 2005. Rodriguez was Chief Deputy Director at the California Employment Development Department from 2000 to 2004. He was Assistant Director for Science Education and Communications at the United States Department of Energy from 1993 to 1999. Rodriguez is the Vice Chair of the San Francisco Workforce Development Investment Board and also served on the Board of the California Employment Training Panel (ETP) for seven years. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics from the University of Texas, Dallas.

Toks Omishakin was appointed the 4th Secretary of Transportation for the state of California by Governor Gavin Newsom in February 2022. As Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), he has oversight of 8 State Departments, Boards and Commissions with more than 42,000 people and budgets that exceed $25 billion annually. Omishakin’s transportation vision for California is centered around the Core Four priorities of Safety, Equity, Climate Action and Economic Prosperity.

Prior to his appointment as Secretary, he was Director of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) where, as the chief executive of the Department from 2019 to 2022, he managed a $17.5 billion budget and more than 22,000 employees. He was Deputy Commissioner for Environment and Planning at the Tennessee Department of Transportation from 2011 to 2019. Omishakin has a Ph.D. in Engineering Management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Jackson State University; and a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Technology from Mississippi Valley State University.