California State Athletic Commission Members
Chair: Peter Villegas
Vice Chair: Dr. Vernon Williams
Commissioner: Dr. AnnMaria De Mars
Commissioner: Ronald Fiore
Commissioner: Chris Gruwell
Commissioner: Doug Hendrickson
Commissioner: Scott Wetch
Executive Officer: Andy Foster
Peter Villegas, Chair: Peter R. Villegas is Co-Chair at Actum, where he delivers results for the world’s most successful companies, leading advocacy groups, governments, political parties, NGO’s, and prominent and political figures. With more than 30 years of experience, Peter is a nationally recognized corporate leader with expertise in managing various corporate, civic, political, and community issues and initiatives with a focus on multicultural communities. Prior to joining Actum, Peter served as Vice President & Head of Latin Affairs at The Coca-Cola Company, where he acted as a national spokesman responsible for North America for over six years. Prior to Coca-Cola, Peter was a national leader in the banking industry where he served as the Vice President of the Office of Corporate Responsibility at JP Morgan Chase & Co. For over two decades he developed unique approaches that made a lasting economic, environmental and social impact on communities the company served. Peter started his career as a bank teller, working his way up through various roles in the financial industry. Currently, Peter is a Commissioner and Chair of the California State Athletic Commission, and board member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the National Association of Latino Appointed & Elected Officials, and the Eva Longoria Foundation and is a Board Member of the Muhammad Ali Center.
Dr. Vernon Williams, Vice Chair: Dr. Williams completed his neurology residency at The University of Maryland in Baltimore, MD and is board certified by the American Association of Psychiatry and Neurology. After residency he completed a multidisciplinary, interventional pain fellowship in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care (Division of Pain Medicine) at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Williams joined the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles in 1997. At Kerlan-Jobe, he is a consulting Team Physician for the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers, Kings, Sparks, KISS, Anaheim Ducks, and several southern California collegiate, high school, and elite club athletic programs. He is the Founding Director of The Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at the Kerlan-Jobe. He is also the Founding Director of the Sports Neurology Fellowship at Kerlan-Jobe and serves as Chief Medical Officer of the Sports Concussion Institute. Dr. Williams is an active educator on issues related to Sports Neurology and Concussion. He is the Chair of the American Academy of Neurology Sports Neurology Section. He often serves as an expert consultant on Pain and Sports Neurologic Disorders to major television networks, radio, satellite, and print media.
Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, Commissioner: Dr. AnnMaria De Mars was the first American to win the world judo championships. She has competed, taught, and coached judo for over 50 years. She has been president of the United States Judo Association and California Judo, Inc. and chair of athlete development for the United States Judo Federation and Southern California Judo Black Belt Association (Nanka Yudanshakai). A serial entrepreneur and technology executive, Dr. De Mars founded The Julia Group and co-founded 7 Generation Games and Spirit Lake Consulting. Her forty-year career has been focused on expanding educational opportunities for youth and educators in under-served communities. She is currently president of 7 Generation Games, a company making customized educational games and the tools to make them. Dr. De Mars is also Executive Director of the Strong Mind, Strong Body Foundation, a family foundation aimed at helping families and communities, with a primary focus in southern California, Hawaii, and the Midwest. Dr. De Mars has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of California, Riverside, with emphasis in Applied Statistics and Psychometrics.
Ron Fiore, Commissioner: Mr. Fiore is a third-generation Californian and is an expert in real estate finance and development who has earned a reputation as a trusted advisor to Fortune 100 CEO’s, tech leaders, and entrepreneurs. He has worked extensively with professional athletes, coaches, owners, and teams. Mr. Fiore is a founding partner of Guarantee Mortgage, and is president of Fiore and Company, which develops and manages properties in California, Nevada and Hawaii. Over three decades, Mr. Fiore has consistently been ranked among the top mortgage consultants in the industry. He leads the Fiore Family Foundation, which focuses on promoting youth sports and rebuilding gymnasiums in underserved communities. In 2019, the foundation teamed up with Marshawn Lynch and Marcus Peters to bring 700 inner-city youth their first football camp in El Salvador. Mr. Fiore received a B.A. in political science from St. Mary’s College in Moraga.
Chris Gruwell, Commissioner: Chris Gruwell is the CEO of New Deal Advisers and has a 20-year record of successful advocacy in San Francisco. He has advised his clients on government procurements, helped entitle the Salesforce Tower and the Warriors Chase Center, and has worked on a range of local and state issues including complicated land use, procurement, new mobility, tech startups, hospitality and labor.
Prior to his work in public affairs, Chris worked as California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Finance Director during his successful 2004 campaign for Mayor of San Francisco. He currently serves as a founding Trustee of the Laborers’ Community and Training Foundation and is a member of LIUNA 261. In addition, he represents San Francisco Firefighters Local 798 and serves on the Board of the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. Chris is an Army Veteran and served as a Veterans’ Affairs Commissioner for the City and County of San Francisco. Chris is a graduate of UCLA.
Doug Hendrickson, Commissioner: Mr. Hendrickson joined Wasserman in 2018 and serves as Executive Vice President of Football. For 25 years, Hendrickson has been widely recognized as one of the top agents representing NFL players, coaches and management, and has been named by USA Today as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful People in the NFL and by Forbes as one of the Most Powerful Agents representing NFL players. Responsible for over 40 top-100 Draft selections, more than a dozen first round picks and some of the largest contracts in the NFL, Hendrickson oversees Wasserman's day-to-day football operations, contract negotiations, client relations, brand management, draft preparation and business development efforts. Currently he represents, Kenny Clark, Cameron Jordan, Eric Kendricks, Marshawn Lynch, Marcus Peters, Jason Pierre-Paul, Jaylon Smith, Shaq Thompson, and Desmond Trufant.
In addition to co-leading the Football group, Hendrickson brings clients access to his long-standing, deep, meaningful relationships with Fortune 500 executives and leaders across the tech, government and financial sectors. Hendrickson graduated from San Jose State University, where he played on the basketball and baseball teams. He and his wife, Shyla, reside in Marin County, CA with their three children.
Scott Wetch, Commissioner: Mr. Wetch is the President and managing partner of Carter, Wetch and Associates a full service government relations and legislative advocacy firm. He just completed his 35th year working in the halls of the State capitol. He has been named by Capitol Weekly annually as one of California's Top 100 Most Influential People in Politics. Prior to becoming a Legislative Advocate, Mr. Wetch spent more than a decade as a Legislative Consultant to several Standing Committees in both the Senate and Assembly, as well as serving several Legislative leaders. Scott is happily married to his wife Janelle, and they have three children, Halena, Olivia and Castin. When they’re not in Sacramento, the Wetch's enjoy family time at their home in Maui.
Andy Foster, Executive Officer: Mr. Foster serves the Commission as Executive Officer. Previously, Mr. Foster served as Executive Director of the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission and also as Regional Director of the Southeastern United States for the Association of Boxing Commissions. Before his appointment as a regulator, Mr. Foster served as the head mixed martial arts (MMA) referee for the Georgia Commission, officiating hundreds of bouts in both professional and amateur rule sets. Mr. Foster has also competed in professional MMA, amateur MMA, amateur boxing, amateur kickboxing, and amateur sport grappling. In addition, Mr. Foster instructed martial arts between 2002-2008 and trained many martial artists. Mr. Foster currently serves in the Association of Boxing Commissions as Chairman of the Unified Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Rules Committee, Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, and member of the Professional Mixed Martial Arts Rules Committee, Boxing and MMA Matchmaking Committee, MMA Judging Committee, and MMA Training Committee. Mr. Foster attended the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy.
