Commissioner Biographies

DIANE ROSS-LEECH, Chair
Berkeley, California

Appointed by Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon in August, 2020, Commissioner Ross-Leech is a native Californian with a passion for environmental stewardship. From an early age, Commissioner Ross-Leech has been an avid outdoorswoman – hiking, camping, canoeing, backpacking, skiing, snow shoeing, and bird watching throughout California and the West.

In 2018 Commissioner Ross-Leech retired as Director of Environmental Policy at Pacific Gas and Electric Company. She has expertise in developing innovative strategies encompassing corporate sustainability, climate change adaptation, endangered species, migratory birds, land resource management and renewable energy. Throughout her career Commissioner Ross-Leech has built strong working relationships with federal and state resource agencies in California and Washington DC, and established a wide network of influential environmental non-profit and energy industry stakeholders.

Commissioner Ross-Leech is currently the Chair of the Board of Audubon California, on the Board of the California State Parks Foundation and a long-time member of the San Francisco Bay Trail Project. She also recently chaired the Berkeley City-wide Traffic Circle Policy Task Force (formed at the Mayor’s request) to develop a vegetation and tree policy for the City’s neighborhood traffic circles. She continues to assist the City’s Public Works Department to successfully implement the new policy and program.

Since retiring Commissioner Ross-Leech has been spending a lot of time at the shared family vacation home on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. Commissioner Ross-Leech lives in Berkeley, California with her husband Robert and daughter Jeanette, a recent graduate of U.C. Davis. Her son Ross is an attorney in New York City. The whole family loves to travel throughout the U.S. and overseas.

 

KAT ANDERSON, Vice Chair
San Francisco, California

Appointed by Governor Newsom in 2023, Commissioner Kat Anderson, a California native, brings seven years’ experience as a San Francisco recreation and park commissioner, where she is currently president. Like the department, Kat’s mission is to connect people with parks and open spaces and to facilitate healthy recreation for all. Equity and accessibility are of the highest concerns to Kat, especially for seniors, children and youth.

Kat’s background is unique in that she grew up in Arkansas, where she spent much of her young life camping, hiking, canoeing, boating and water skiing. She also befriended the Clintons and babysat Chelsea. Upon returning to her home state of California at age 18, Kat has become an experienced backpacker and horseback rider, and is proficient at operating motorcycles and other off-road vehicles. Kat is a California-certified Climate Steward trained to meet and talk with communities where they are to discuss what we can all do to protect and preserve the environment.

Following her graduation from Stanford University, Kat obtained her law degree from UC Law San Francisco. She worked for various firms specializing in labor and employment, before joining the staff of the news union in SF - as its first lawyer staffer. There, Kat co-founded a mentorship training program for college journalism students called “Bay News Rising.” She is skilled in contract negotiation and Labor-Management relations. Kat was elected to the SF DCCC and served as Recording Secretary from 2012 to 2016. She is also a writer and a poet and has been published in the Marina Times, FogCityJournal.com, and MediaWorkers.org as well as The San Francisco Examiner and Labyrinth Magazine. Kat is married with two grown children. She loves animals, being out in nature, and traveling the world.

TOM LEMMON
Ocotillo Wells, California

Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee and ProTem Senator Toni Atkins in January 2020, Commissioner Lemmon is a native Californian. Commissioner Lemmon is a desert rat since birth having been raised in Ocotillo Wells. His exposure and participation in the off-road community spans over five decades before there were green stickers, site maps, and road signs.

Commissioner Lemmon has served on numerous non-profit boards such as the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club that promotes youth athletics, the United Way, and the San Diego Workforce Investment Board. He has participated in oversight committees for bond expenditures including chairing the construction committee for San Diego Community College as well as being a past chair of the Construction Tech Academy at Kearny High School. He currently presides as Chair for San Diego’s largest affordable housing site and recently retired from the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council where he advocated on behalf of working people. 

He currently resides in Ocotillo Wells with Karen, his wife of over 25 years, and Katie, his daughter who shares her parents' passion for the outdoors.

DREW McALISTER
Aromas, California

Appointed by Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas in September 2026, Commissioner Drew McAlister is a lifelong Californian with a longstanding commitment to public service, responsible outdoor recreation, and strengthening local communities. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and now residing in San Benito County, Commissioner McAlister has spent decades enjoying California's off-highway recreation opportunities with family and friends – from riding trails and camping to exploring the state's diverse public lands. He understands the important role outdoor recreation plays in connecting families, promoting stewardship, and creating lasting memories across generations. He is especially passionate about the value these experiences offer today's youth, encouraging them to put down their devices, get outside, stay active, and take on the responsibility of learning a new skill while building a sense of confidence and pride that no virtual world can replicate. Commissioner McAlister is committed to preserving responsible recreational access while ensuring California's natural resources remain protected for future generations.

Professionally, Commissioner McAlister has built a career in business leadership. He has worked closely with California's educational institutions, helping school districts, colleges, and universities make informed decisions that balance fiscal responsibility, long-term value, and sustainability. McAlister has built a reputation for collaborative leadership, integrity, and mentoring the next generation of professionals.

Commissioner McAlister has dedicated significant time to public service and organizational leadership. He currently serves as a Trustee for the San Benito County Office of Education, having previously served as Board President, and is a Delegate to the California School Boards Association, contributing to statewide policy discussions affecting California's students and communities. Earlier in his public service career, he served as President of a local school district governing board. He also served on the Associate Member Board of the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), including a term as Board President, and was honored as CASBO's Associate Member of the Year. Commissioner McAlister also serves on the Board of Directors for Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing food, resources, and support to families in need throughout the community.

Commissioner McAlister resides in Aromas, California, where he enjoys spending time with family, tending his small farm, dirt bike riding, boating, and golfing.

NICHOLAS MUELLER
Manteca, California

Appointed by Governor Newsom in 2022, Commissioner Nicholas Mueller has always seen the outdoors as an adventure. Growing up close to many outdoor activities has given Mueller access to the diversity in which California offers. Commissioner Mueller has a great deal of respect and appreciation for the outdoors, from biking, hiking, hunting, and fishing to conservation and preservation, traditions passed on by his father Gary. Commissioner Mueller wishes to continue these traditions by passing these values on to the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts, including his two sons: Daniel and William.

Commissioner Mueller currently serves as the Director of the Greater Valley Conservation Corps (GVCC) which is an agency under the San Joaquin County Office of Education. Mueller earned a Bachelor of Science from Sacramento State, holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership and School Development from Teachers College of San Joaquin, serves as a board member for the Women’s Center Youth and Family Services, is a Leadership Stockton grad, and is a member of The California Association of Local Conservation Corps (CALCC).

Commissioner Mueller is a long-time resident of Manteca where he lives with his wife Kailyn and two boys Daniel and William.

EDWARD PATROVSKY
Big Bear City, California

Appointed by the State Senate in January 2013, Commissioner Edward Patrovsky developed his passion for the outdoors hiking and riding his dirt bike in the Angeles National Forest as a teenager. After graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Patrovsky worked as a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service. This led to many years of employment as a Park Ranger at several of our country's National Parks, including Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain and Sequoia-Kings Canyon.

In 1988, Commissioner Patrovsky transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as a Law Enforcement Ranger. While assigned to the Palm Springs and Ridgecrest Field Offices, he spent considerable time with Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) enforcement. This included working numerous holiday weekends in OHV Open Areas such as Glamis and Jawbone-Dove Springs. Since retiring in 2004, he has worked part-time as a seasonal Naturalist at the Desert Tortoise Natural Area near California City, and also operating a small Notary Public business.

Commissioner Patrovsky enjoys both muscle-powered and motorized recreational activities; including backpacking, whitewater river-running, skiing and bicycling. He has considerable experience riding ATVs, motorcycles and snowmobiles on Public Land. During the early 1990s, he was a certified ATV Safety Instructor and taught several classes.

ROGER SALAZAR
Sacramento, California

Appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020, Commissioner Roger Salazar brings a lifelong family history of off-roading to the OHMVR Commission. As a boy, he would accompany his father and uncles on trips through the Rubicon Trail and learned to drive on his Dad's 1978 Jeep CJ5. The earliest known photograph of his father is as an infant in front of the Salazar family 1946 Willys Jeep. There has been a Jeep in the Salazar family continuously for nearly 75 years. 

Commissioner Salazar has run the Rubicon Trail multiple times and participated in dozens of Jeep/Jeepers Jamborees, Easter Jeep Safaris, and California Four Wheel Drive Association off-road events. He has been a frequent visitor to Prairie City SVRA and Hollister Hills SVRA and has been off-roading in Death Valley, Big Bear, Mojave, Niagara Rim, Bald Mountain, Fordyce, Dusy-Ershim, Slick Rock, Barrett Lake, Hell Hole, Mormon Emigrant Trail, Signal Peak, Sourgrass and just about everywhere in between. You may see him and his Wrangler Rubicon “Jeep No7” out on the trails on any given weekend or you can follow their exploits on Instagram @JeepNo7.

A California native, Commissioner Salazar is a Life Member of the California Four Wheel Drive Association and of the California Off-Road Vehicle Association. He is also a member and an officer of the Sacramento-based Sierra Treasure Hunters 4 Wheel Drive Club and an associate member of Red Rock 4-Wheelers of Moab, UT. 

Commissioner Salazar believes we must strive to balance responsibly maintaining public access to off-highway motor vehicle recreation areas and preserving and protecting the environment so that future generations of Californians from all backgrounds can continue to enjoy the outdoors.

Professionally, Salazar has been president of ALZA Strategies, a public affairs firm, since 2014. He was partner at Acosta/Salazar LLC from 2004 to 2012.

Commissioner Salazar served as press secretary and deputy press secretary in the Office of Governor Gray Davis from 2000 to 2002, deputy press secretary for Gore 2000 from 1999 to 2000, and assistant press secretary in the Office of President Bill Clinton from 1995 to 1999. He earned a Master of Arts degree in political management from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Redlands.

He currently resides in Sacramento with his wife, Katrina, and has two grown children, two Labradors, and a Mackerel tabby.