Nanette Farag has been working in California’s political arena for more than 10 years. Her professional career has garnered her experience in the Legislature, the Executive Branch, as well as grassroots and statewide political campaigns. Having worked in nearly every aspect of government, Nanette has a unique perspective and understanding of California’s diverse political climate.
Nanette specializes in public safety, business, environment, education, and agriculture issues. A three time Gubernatorial Appointee, she spent the last two years on the campaign trail during the 2010 gubernatorial election, serving as the Chief Deputy Coalitions Director for Meg 2010. While the campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, Nanette secured some of the toughest endorsements for the candidate, and organized one of the largest grassroots coalitions ever seen in a gubernatorial election.
Prior to her campaign work, Nanette worked in the private sector healthcare company as the Director of Government and Public Affairs, as well as overseeing the non-profit arm of the organization. Her many responsibilities includes creating a strong community program that funded free healthcare screenings to children without medical coverage.
Nanette served as Deputy Director of External Affairs at the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), where she successfully launched several new programs during her tenure. During her first year she launched the nation’s first state run Cyber Safety Program, which still continues to be a model of other state governments. She also launched the Governor’s “Rebuild Your Life” campaign, following a string of California natural disasters.
In addition to working with DCA’s forty-plus Boards and Bureaus on regulatory issues, Nanette oversaw emergency planning operations for DCA, and served as a member of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Continuity of Government Planning Committee. An accomplished public speaker, Nanette has presented at several state and national conferences, including the US Department of Justice Project Safe Childhood Conference in Washington DC, and the National Association of Consumer Advocates Summit in Philadelphia.
Before joining the Department of Consumer Affairs, Nanette served as the Special Advisor to the Chief of Staff for Governor Schwarzenegger, overseeing operations for the Executive Office. She also held the post of Senior Legislative Aide to the Governor, where she was responsible for overseeing all of the Governor’s legislative action, including notifying legislators when their bills had been vetoed. Being the bearer of bad news, it was in this post that she jokingly earned the unfortunate nickname of “The Angel of Death,” among California’s Legislature.
A graduate of California State University, Sacramento, Nanette holds a BA in Government with a concentration in California Government, Politics and Policy. She graduated with Honors and is an active member of Phi Sigma Alpha, the National Honors Society of Political Science. During her time at Sac State, Nanette also served as Chair of CSU Lobby Corps, the student lobbying organization for the University and represented CSU students before the legislature.