Katherine Zalewski, 51, of Richmond, has been appointed to the California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board by Governor Brown.

Zalewski has served as chief counsel at the California Department of Industrial Relations since 2012. Immediately prior to her appointment as Chief Counsel, Ms. Zalewski was a Special Advisor in the Division of Workers’ Compensation’s Administrative Director’s office. Prior to that, she was a trial judge in the WCAB’s San Francisco District Office.

Prior to her appointment as a Workers’ Compensation Judge in 2009, Ms. Zalewski represented insurers and self-insured employers in workers’ compensation matters throughout Northern California. She was senior associate at Schmit Law Office from 2000 to 2009 and manager and attorney at Pacific Coast Services from 1998 to 2000 and at Express Network and Direct Legal Support Services from 1993 to 1998. She was an attorney at Kinder and Wuerfel from 1990 to 1993 at Finnegan and Marks from 1988 to 1990 and at Foreman and Brasso from 1986 to 1988.

Ms. Zalewski received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1983 and her J.D. from Hastings College of the Law in 1986. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $131,952. Zalewski is registered to vote without party preference.