Biodiversity News

Fall 1997 - Vol. 5 No. 1
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Jim Branham
Undersecretary
for Resources

Branham Named Undersecretary; Succeeds Mantell at Resources

 In June, Governor Pete Wilson appointed James F. Branham as undersecretary for the California Resources Agency, promoting him from deputy secretary, a position he had held since November 1996.

Previously, Branham served as chief deputy director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection from 1991-96. He then put in a stint as chief consultant for the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organizations before joining the Resources Agency.

Branham earlier served as chief of staff to state Sen. Jim Nielsen from 1987-1990, after holding several other positions in Nielsen's office, including administrative assistant, district coordinator, and staff director.

As undersecretary, Branham succeeds Michael Mantell, who resigned in June to enter private law practice. Mantell was instrumental in the founding of the California Biodiversity Council and helped to guide its progress. He has opened a new Sacramento office for the law firm Beveridge & Diamond, which focuses on environmental and resource law, and serves as a consultant to the California Environmental Trust, a San Francisco-based nonprofit conservation organization.