Class of 1995
California Health and Human Services Secretary

This Hanford native graduated from California State University, Fresno and worked for Governor Brown during his first administration from 1975 to 1983.  She also ran her own public relations firm before graduating from San Joaquin College of Law in 1995. Dooley opened a private practice for a while, then worked for the Tulare County Superior Court before taking a position as vice president and later general counsel to Children’s Hospital Central California from 2001 to 2006. She was then named president of the California Children’s Hospital Association, a post she maintained until her appointment to head the California Health and Human Services Agency as Governor Brown began his latest administration in 2011.  CHHS receives an annual budget from the state of roughly $25 billion, making it second only to state funding for K-12 schools.  In addition, another $60 billion in federal funding flows through the CHHS.

Dooley is well-known for her commitment to the Valley, serving over the years on the Executive Committee of the U-C Merced Board of Trustees, the Maddy Institute Board of Directors, and the California Historical Society Board of Trustees.  She is also a past president of Planned Parenthood, the Visalia Chamber of Commerce, and the Central California Futures Institute.