Governor Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of Natalie Palugyai as Secretary of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA). A daughter of immigrants and an immigrant herself, she is the first Latina to be appointed Secretary of Labor. Palugyai comes from Johns Hopkins University, where she has served as senior advisor for strategic initiatives since 2018. She has previously held senior-level roles in the U.S. General Services Administration and DOL. Former LWDA Secretary Julie Su was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Deputy Secretary of Labor at the U.S. Department of Labor on July 13, 2021.