Executive Staff

• Clark Kelso, Receiver
• Liana Bailey-Crimmins, Information Technology Director
• Jared Goldman, Chief Counsel
• Joyce Hayhoe, Legislative Director
• Mitzi Higashidani, Director of Administrative Services
• Renee Kanan, MD, Chief Quality Officer
• Theresa Kimura-Yip, Statewide Director of Allied Health Services (A)
• Richard Kirkland, Chief, Corrections Services
• Evelyn Matteucci, Director, Policy and Risk Management Division
• Karen Rea, PHN, MSN, FNP, Chief Nurse Executive
• David L. Runnels, Chief Deputy Receiver
• R. Steven Tharratt, M.D., MPVM, FACP, Statewide Medical Executive

Clark Kelso
Receiver

Mr. Kelso is a Professor of Law and former Director of the Capital Center for Government Law and Policy at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law located in Sacramento, California. Mr. Kelso comes to the California Correctional Health Care Receivership with more than fifteen years of experience in a wide variety of positions in all three branches of state government, including the California Judicial Council and Administrative Office of the Courts, where he worked in support of court unification; the Department of Insurance, where he replaced Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush, who abruptly resigned amid allegations of corruption; and as California's Chief Information Officer, where he turned around the State's troubled information technology program. Because of his achievements, Mr. Kelso has developed a well-regarded reputation for independence and integrity and maintaining a commitment to collaborative leadership and organizational change in government.

Mr. Kelso has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious 1998 Bernard E. Witkin Amicus Curiae Award from the California Judicial Council and the "Top 25 Award for 2004 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers" from Government Technology. He was also named by Computerworld to their list of "Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2007."

Liana Bailey-Crimmins
Information Technology Director

Liana Bailey-Crimmins is the Information Technology Director of California Correctional Health Care Services.

Liana has more than 22 years of experience in the Information Technology (IT) field. In July 2008, Liana was appointed as CCHCS' Deputy Chief Information Officer. Liana had been the acting IT director before this appointment.

Before her career at CCHCS, Liana was the Project Director of the California Information Technology Infrastructure Project (CITIP). Liana delivered new statewide connectivity in support of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Strategic Offender Management System (SOMS) and Business Information System (BIS). Liana also led the IT strategic planning, oversight, service level management, and enterprise architecture programs as a strategic resource for meeting the CDCR's mission and program needs.

Jared Goldman
Chief Counsel

Mr. Goldman worked for the County of Santa Clara, Office of the County Counsel, as Deputy County Counsel from 2001 to 2006. While at the Office of the County Counsel, Mr. Goldman represented the Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System (SCVHHS), including Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. From 2004 until joining the Office of the Receiver, Mr. Goldman served as primary counsel for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

Joyce Hayhoe
Legislative Director

Joyce Hayhoe is the legislative director for the California Correctional Health Care Services after a brief retirement from 36 years of state service, 25 of which at Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

During her tenure with the CDCR, she drafted language and worked closely with the Legislature and the Administration to ensure passage of a number of landmark legislation. These important laws include: "Three Strikes," Sexually Violent Predator statutes, the reorganization of the State's correctional boards and agencies into the CDCR in 2005, and AB 900, the Public Safety and Offender Rehabilitation Act of 2007.

In her capacity as Assistant Secretary for CDCR, and as Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs at the former California Youth Authority, Joyce was instrumental in the confirmations of numerous Governor appointees, including three CDCR secretaries, several Undersecretaries, Chief Deputy Secretaries, Directors and Associate Directors, Wardens, Parole Commissioners and two Directors of the then California Youth Authority.

In 2009, Joyce was honored by the California State Senate and Assembly for her career accomplishments.

Mitzi Higashidani
Director of Administrative Services

Mitzi Higashidani is the Director of Administrative Services and serves as the key advisor to the Receiver and Chief Deputy Receiver on all fiscal, procurement, contract, and business services matters for the California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS). She has more than 28 years of experience in public and private sector executive management, leadership, and project management.

Before joining CCHCS, she served as the Chief Deputy Director of the Department of Technology Services where she directed all administrative and operational divisions. She served as the Chief Information Officer for the largest state agency, the California Health and Human Services Agency, and the nation's largest pension system, California Public Employees' Retirement System. In that role, she managed, procured, and had oversight responsibilities for major initiatives that ranged from $100 million to $1 billion. She also served as part of the executive management teams at the California Department of Transportation and CGI-AMS (formerly Synergy Consulting, Inc.).

Renee Kanan
Chief Quality Officer

Dr. Renee Kanan is the Chief Quality Officer for California Correctional Health Care Services. She was appointed on August 1, 2010. Previously Dr. Kanan was the northern California Regional Medical Director for Prison Health Care Services.

Dr. Kanan received a medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and master's degree in public health from the University of Washington in Seattle. In 2001 she began her career in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as a quality management consultant at Pelican Bay State Prison.

Dr. Kanan is a Board Certified Internist who has served in physician leadership roles, including Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer positions, within correctional settings for more than 12 years. She has also served as a correctional health care system advisor to various organizations, including the RAND Corporation, and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care as the American College of Physician liaison.

Theresa Kimura-Yip
Statewide Director of Allied Health Services (A)

Theresa has been the Deputy Director of AHS for the past two years. She brings over 12 years of management and supervision experience in both state government and the private sector. Theresa has extensive experience in state government working for a number of departments over her 17-year career, including the Office of the Attorney General, the California Victims of Crime Program and the Department of Consumer Affairs.

Theresa earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from California State University, Sacramento and is currently pursuing a Master's of Science degree in Patient Safety Leadership at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine.

Theresa brings valuable knowledge and experience and proven leadership skills to her new assignment as acting Statewide Director of Allied Health Services.

Richard Kirkland
Chief, Corrections Services

Corrections Services includes Field Operations, Construction Oversight, and Activation Management and is dedicated to supporting the specific projects being undertaken by the Receiver. Mr. Kirkland worked for more than 32 years with the State of California, the last 22 with CDCR. He retired from the position of Deputy Director for the Office of Fiscal Services, where he was responsible for oversight and management of all CDCR accounting and support budget functions.

Prior to that, Mr. Kirkland served at Pelican Bay State Prison in a variety of senior management positions for 14 years, including two as Warden and one as Chief Deputy Warden. During that time he participated in and oversaw the implementation of the state's remedial plan in the case of Madrid v. Tilton. Mr. Kirkland also has eight years experience in the management of prison construction projects.

Mr. Kirkland worked for 10 years as an analyst and supervisor for the California Department of Social Services. During that time he was responsible for the development of rate-setting methodologies, the development of computerized management information systems, and the management of quality control corrective action plans.

Mr. Kirkland earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration (Applied Economics and Finance) from the University of California, Berkeley.

Evelyn Matteucci
Director, Policy and Risk Management Division

Ms. Matteucci leads the team in such areas as strategic planning and court coordination, inmate correspondence and appeals, the internal audit program and privacy/HIPAA program, to name a few. The Division also includes litigation management, policy development, and program compliance sections.

Ms. Matteucci joined the Receiver's Office as Chief Counsel for Construction in August 2009 and successfully handled the litigation involving the California Health Care Facility (CHCF) in Stockton and has continued to assist on all legal aspects related to construction and necessary agreements for the operation of the CHCF and the proposed Dewitt Nelson medical/mental health facility.

Ms. Matteucci previously served as the Chief Counsel for the California Gambling Control Commission. She also held the position of General Counsel and Deputy Secretary for the Business Transportation and Housing Agency, and was General Counsel and Deputy Secretary for the State and Consumer Services Agency. Before her gubernatorial appointments, Ms. Matteucci served as deputy attorney general in the California Attorney General's Office for 10 years.

From 1990 to 1993, Ms. Matteucci was a deputy city attorney for the City of Sacramento and served as a judicial staff attorney at the Third District Court of Appeals in Sacramento. She was previously an Assistant United States Attorney in Sacramento and Los Angeles, and worked for two years in private practice in Sacramento.

Ms. Matteucci earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, cum laude, and Juris Doctorate from University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law. She is a member of the California State Bar, all of the District courts in California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Bar, the District of Columbia Circuit Court and the United States Supreme Court.

Karen Rea, PHN, MSN, FNP
Chief Nurse Executive

Ms. Rea is the Chief Nurse Executive responsible for Nursing Services within the California Correctional Health Care Services. In this capacity, Ms. Rea is responsible for the operational side of nursing and ensuring collaboration among medical services. Previously, Ms. Rea provided statewide nursing leadership and oversight to all 33 state prisons as the Statewide Director of Nursing. She provided direction and guidance on multiple polices and procedures and delivery of services. She also participated in the selection of the Regional Chief Nurse Executives. Throughout 2007, Ms. Rea provided nursing leadership and oversight to state prisons located in Central California as the Regional Director of Nursing. Ms. Rea has over 20 years of nursing, education and administrative experience. From 2002 to 2006, Ms. Rea worked as the Quality Assurance Manager and Deputy Director for the Fresno County Department of Children and Family Services where she developed a quality improvement program for social workers and mental health clinicians and managed the only free standing children's emergency psychiatric facility in the Central Valley. From 1993 to 2002, Ms. Rea was the Fresno County Public Health Nurse (PHN) and Supervising PHN of the Communicable Disease and Epidemiology program. From 1987 to 1993, Ms. Rea was a Neonatal Intensive Care/ICU Nurse and the Director of the FOCUS substance abuse program for San Joaquin County. Ms. Rea has also worked as a Family Nurse Practitioner, hospice nurse and educator at Pacific Union College and University of Phoenix. Ms. Rea's memberships include: American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants, California Association for Healthcare Quality, California Association of Nurse Practitioners and Academy of Correctional Health Professionals.

David L. Runnels
Chief Deputy Receiver

Dave Runnels has more than 28 years of criminal justice experience working for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at all levels.

In 2009, Runnels was appointed by the federal Receiver to oversee all correctional service areas for prison health care, including the construction of new health care facilities, developing and starting a new medical classification system, ensuring secure access-to-care court mandates, and carrying out an exit strategy to return control of prison medical services to the State.

Beginning his career in 1982, Runnels worked through all security ranks and in 2001 was appointed as Warden of High Desert State Prison by Gov. Gray Davis and was confirmed by the California State Senate in 2002. As Warden of a high-security prison, Runnels was responsible for ensuring the overall management and safe operations of a 5,400-inmate prison and employing a staff of 1,400.

In 2005, he was appointed Deputy Director for the Division of Adult Institutions to assist in the day-to-day management and operation of California's 33 adult prisons, 42 fire camps, and 13 community-based facilities. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed as the Chief Deputy Secretary, Adult Operations to oversee and manage the Division of Adult Institutions and the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

In 2007, Runnels was appointed as Undersecretary (Operations) by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and was confirmed to that position by the California State Senate in 2008. He served as the primary policy advisor to the Secretary, testifying in front of the California legislature on numerous high-profile issues, including prison overcrowding and population reduction strategies, implementation of Jessica's Law, lifer strategies with the Board of Parole, court compliance requirements, gang management, budget containment measures, and worked with all control agencies to ensure California's correctional system operated efficiently. During this assignment, he served as the Chair of the Board for the Prison Industry Authority.

R. Steven Tharratt, M.D., MPVM, FACP
Statewide Medical Executive

Steven Tharratt M.D. is the Statewide Medical Executive for California Correctional Health Care Services. Dr. Tharratt comes to CCHCS from the California Emergency Medical Services Authority in the Health and Human Services Agency where he served as the director. Dr. Tharratt was also a Professor of Medicine and Anesthesiology at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine where he served as Division Chief of Pulmonary/Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. Dr. Tharratt will coordinate all medical services within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation 33 adult prisons.

Dr. Tharratt received his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and his Master of Preventative Veterinary Medicine degree (Public Health) from the University of California, Davis. He is board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases, critical care medicine, emergency medicine and medical toxicology.