Shelley Kessler and Nicholas Roxborough Reappointed to the California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation

OAKLAND – The California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC) announces the reappointments of Commissioners Shelley Kessler and Nicholas Roxborough. Commissioners Kessler and Roxborough were reappointed by the Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas. Both four-year terms of reappointment begin January 1, 2026, and extend to December 31, 2029, per Labor Code § 75.

Shelley Kessler is the former Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the San Mateo County Central Labor Council which represents 104 affiliated local unions and over 95,000 working member families. She worked at the Labor Council for 31 years, first as the political director and subsequently as the head of the organization until her retirement. During that time, she was also a Vice-President of the California State Labor Federation. She is a 43-year member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Her experience in working on the floor at General Motors, Fremont, CA and Westinghouse Electric, Sunnyvale, CA, compelled her to become involved in worker health and safety issues. She joined the boards of the Santa Clara Center for Occupational Safety and Health, WorkSafe, and later the advisory boards of both Cal/OSHA and the Labor Occupational Health Program at UC Berkeley (as well as the UC Berkeley Labor Advisory Board) in order to pursue her concerns for worker protections and rights. Ms. Kessler holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees from Sonoma State University.

Kessler takes great pride in her tenure and is a strong advocate on behalf of working people, regardless of whether or not they are members of a union. “The point is to try and prevent injuries to working people and if they are injured, to assist them in navigating the Work Comp System, which can be difficult and frustrating. If we can play a role in improving those issues, then every worker stands to have a healthier and happier work life.” She has served on the Commission since 2014.

Nicholas Roxborough is the managing partner of Roxborough, Pomerance, Nye & Adreani, LLP, and specializes in representing insured and self-insured employers as well as large stakeholders in complex workers’ compensation insurance and regulatory issues across the country. Over the last 30 years, Mr. Roxborough has obtained numerous successful verdicts and landmark appellate decisions concerning the insurance and employment industry. He has served on the Commission since 2021.

Roxborough received his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern School of Law in Los Angeles, studied at the Institute of European Studies in Vienna, Austria, and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He serves on various Boards and Commissions, including on the Board of Airport Commissioners at LAX, and is Chairman of Friends of the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Kessler and Roxborough will continue serving as labor representative and employer representative, respectively. Eight (8) commissioners are appointed by the Governor and the legislature. Labor Code § 75 establishes that two of the employer members and that two of the labor members of the commission shall be appointed by the Governor for a sub-total of four (4) members. The Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly shall each appoint one employer and one labor representative for a sub-total of four (4) members. Additional information about CHSWC’s Commissioners is posted online.

CHSWC, created by the workers’ compensation reform legislation of 1993, is charged with examining the health and safety and workers’ compensation systems in California and recommending administrative or legislative modifications to improve their operation. CHSWC was established to conduct a continuing examination of the workers’ compensation system and of the state’s activities to prevent industrial injuries and occupational diseases and to examine those programs in other states.

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