Appointed Commissioner

Term Expiration: June 30, 2026

Andrea Ambriz is an experienced strategist and advocate for working families and communities. She currently serves as Deputy Secretary of External Affairs at the California Natural Resources Agency, cultivating strategic partnerships to facilitate the agency’s stewardship of California’s natural, historic and cultural resources. She served prior as Chief Operating Officer at nonprofit River LA, executing key initiatives to revitalize communities across Los Angeles along the LA river. Previously, Andrea served as Chief of Staff at Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2015.

Andrea formerly served 44th U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House as Deputy Director of Private Sector Engagement, crafting innovative partnerships with business, nonprofit, and philanthropic leaders to benefit American workers and communities. From additional held positions at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Andrea worked on domestic and international policy development and legislation, and collaboratively with U.S. Congress, consumer advocates, and businesses to strengthen the U.S. economy and build wealth for American families. Notably, as the Director for Policy and Strategic Engagement for the myRA program at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, she helped lead the creation, outreach, and launch of the new, national retirement savings program for underbanked communities.

Andrea has also worked in both the California State Senate and Assembly, advising legislators on diverse policy areas, ranging from the environment, labor relations, and education. During her tenure, she helped pass landmark statewide legislation, including the allocation of over $400 million equitably to park-poor neighborhoods across California and initial consumer finance legislation for the future creation of the CalSavers/California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program.

Andrea currently serves as the Vice President of the Board of the Municipal Improvement Corporation of Los Angeles and on the Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Working Group within the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. She is a Los Angeles native, and earned undergraduate degrees from DePaul University in both Public Policy-Urban Studies and Sociology, and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of California, Berkeley.