Eunice Donato (Moderator)

Manager, Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience Unit

Eunice Donato is the Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience Unit (TAEEU) Manager at the Department of Finance and serves as a Co-Chair for this year’s DOFCON. Since joining Finance in November 2022, she has been focused on strengthening recruitment efforts, streamlining onboarding processes, and enhancing employee engagement and retention. Prior to joining Finance, she worked at the Department of Social Services. Eunice graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from UC Davis.

Josh Stewart, MA (Moderator)

Training Manager, Learning and Development Unit

Josh Stewart is the Training Manager in the Learning and Development Unit (LDU), and Co-Chair of this year’s DOFCON, at the Department of Finance. Stewart has been at the Department of Finance since March 2023 and has spearheaded modernizing the LDU program, including implementing a new learning management system, launching the LDU SharePoint page, developing a new employee orientation program, and identifying cost and time saving changes. Prior to joining Finance, he worked at the Department of Health Care Services as a Trainer, in recruiting at Google and Dropbox in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as an Adjunct Faculty member at California State University, Chico (Chico State). Stewart is a graduate of Chico State with a master’s degree in political science with an emphasis on public policy and administration.

Cheryl McCormick, CPA

Chief, Office of State Audits and Evaluations Unit

Cheryl McCormick is the Chief of the Office of State Audits and Evaluations (OSAE) within the Department of Finance. McCormick has been a member of the OSAE team for 28 years – starting as an entry-level auditor. McCormick is responsible for establishing audit policies and procedures as well as working on many unique and complex financial and performance audits, including governmental and private entities. She is a California State University, Sacramento graduate with a Bachelor of Science in business administration – accountancy. McCormick is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Jack Liu, CPA

Supervisor, Financial and Performance Evaluator, Office of State Audits and Evaluations Unit

Jack Liu is a Supervisor, Financial and Performance Evaluator, at the Office of State Audits and Evaluations (OSAE) within the Department of Finance. Liu has been a member of the OSAE team for eleven years and has worked on a wide variety of assignments, including performance and compliance audits, financial audits, single audit compilation, agreed-upon procedures, and peer reviews. He currently serves on OSAE’s Onboarding Committee and the Finance Social Committee. He is a University of California, Davis graduate with a master’s degree in professional accountancy. Liu is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Sergey Fomin

Financial and Performance Evaluator II, Office of State Audits and Evaluations Unit

Sergey Fomin is a Financial and Performance Evaluator II at the Office of State Office and Evaluations (OSAE) within the Department of Finance. Fomin has been a member of the OSAE team for eight years and has worked on a wide variety of assignments, including performance and compliance audits, financial audits, redevelopment agency dissolution, single audit compilation, and State Leadership Accountability Act activities. He currently serves on OSAE’s Committees on Recruiting as well as Team Building and Retention. Fomin is a California State University, Sacramento graduate with a Bachelor of Science in business administration – accountancy.

Alyssa Cervantes, MPA

Staff Finance Budget Analyst, Corrections and General Government Unit

Alyssa Cervantes is a Staff Finance Budget Analyst in the Corrections and General Government (CORGEN) Unit within the Department of Finance. Cervantes has been with Finance for two and a half years as a member of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) team, where she oversees the budgets for prison health care programs; various CDCR programs, such as the CDCR Office of Internal Affairs; and the Office of the Inspector General. Before starting at Finance, she worked for several California state departments in a variety of areas including legislative analysis, human resources, and fingerprint analysis. Cervantes earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from California State University, Sacramento and a master’s degree in public administration from McGeorge School of Law.

Patrick Plant, MBA

Staff Finance Budget Analyst, Corrections and General Government Unit

Patrick Plant is a Staff Finance Budget Analyst in the Corrections and General Government (CORGEN) Unit within the Department of Finance. Plant has been with Finance for two years and is a member of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) team where he covers the Adult Institutions assignment. Before starting at Finance, he was a manager for the Bureau of Firearms within the Department of Justice for ten years and was a campaign manager for initiative petition campaigns for fifteen years prior to beginning state service. Plant is from the Sacramento area and has both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the University of Phoenix.

Josh Wittmershaus

Staff Services Analyst, Corrections and General Government Unit

Josh Wittmershaus is a Staff Services Analyst in the Corrections and General Government (CORGEN) Unit within the Department of Finance. Wittmershaus has been with Finance for eighteen months, and he covers various departments and programs related to public safety, including the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Division of Rehabilitative Programs, the California Prison Industry Authority, and the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. Before starting at Finance, he worked in youth and adolescent mental health as both a rehabilitation specialist and an educator. Wittmershaus has been a resident of the Sacramento area since 2012 after moving from western Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with degrees in political science and psychology.

Danamona Andrianarimanana, PhD

Chief, Revenue and Taxation Unit, Forecasting

Danamona Andrianarimanana is the Chief of the Revenue and Taxation Unit within the Department of Finance’s Forecasting Unit. Andrianarimanana has been a member of the Forecasting Unit for six years—including four years in the Economic Research Unit. She oversees the preparation of the state’s official revenue estimates for the annual state budget process; is responsible for the development of Administration tax policy proposals and analysis of revenue legislation; and represents and negotiates for the Department and Administration on matters related to tax policy. Andrianarimanana earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University and a doctorate in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California at Berkeley.

Somjita Mitra, PhD

Chief Economist, Economic Research Unit, Forecasting

Somjita Mitra is the Chief of the Economic Research Unit within the Department of Finance’s Forecasting Unit. Mitra has been a member of the Forecasting Unit for five years. Mitra oversees the preparation of the state’s official economic forecast and analyses of various economic developments, provides economic information to the public, and reviews economic impact analyses of major state regulations. Mitra earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from UCLA as well as a master’s degree in politics, economics, and business and a doctorate in economics from Claremont Graduate University.

Walter Schwarm, PhD

Chief Demographer, Demographic Research Unit, Forecasting

Walter Schwarm is the State Demographer and heads the Demographic Research Unit in the Department of Finance, which is the lead agency for Population Estimates and Projections as well as the State Census Data Center for the state. Schwarm joined Demographic Research in 2006, and in addition to managing the State Data Center, he was responsible for population projections between 2011-15. Schwarm earned his doctorate in economics from Colorado State University and was the Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Regional Research Institute at West Virginia University.

Maryssa DeVille

Staff Services Analyst, Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience Unit

Maryssa DeVille is a Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience Analyst at the Department of Finance. Since joining Finance in July 2023, she has worked alongside the team to enhance recruitment efforts, strengthen social media and outreach content, and cultivate community engagement and partnerships. Prior to joining Finance, Maryssa worked in sales recruitment, supporting healthcare insurance providers with their staffing efforts. She graduated from Sacramento State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in business administration.