The California State Lottery has a new director. Who did Governor Gavin Newsom appoint?

There’s a new yet familiar face in the director’s office at the California State Lottery.

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Harjinder Shergill-Chima to lead the department barely a week after the previous director bowed out. The Rocklin resident is the first Indian American individual to lead the agency, according to the department. She’ll earn a salary of just under $200,000 per year, according to the governor’s appointment announcement.

Shergill-Chima, an attorney by trade, previously served as the department’s second in command for four years. Before joining the Lottery, she spent 18 years as a litigator both in private practice and with other state departments, such as Caltrans and the Government Operations Agency.

“I am thoroughly honored by this opportunity to lead the Lottery,” Shergill-Chima told Lottery staff via email last Thursday, “and I look forward to building on the strong foundation we’ve built together tackling our unique challenges and opportunities.”

Shergill-Chima inherits a department that’s still trying to shake its recent reputation for poor workplace morale and employee misconduct. After employee whistleblowers surfaced evidence of rowdy sales retreats, a senior-level executive resigned in early 2019, followed by the department director at the time. Her predecessor, former director Alva Johnson, launched an internal soul-searching campaign to redefine and codify the Lottery’s mission, vision and values.

In the email to staff, which she signed with her nickname Harj, Shergill-Chima committed to “putting our people first” and building on our collective communication and collaboration.”