ABOUT LISA
Lisa Middleton was elected to the Palm Springs City Council in November 2017. In April 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Lisa was to the Board of Administrators of the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS).
CalPERS provides pensions to 1.9 million people and health benefits to over 1.5 million people. CalPERS is responsible for investment asests in excess of $350 billion. Lisa serves as Vice-Chair of the CalPERS Risk & Audit Committee and Vice-Chair of the Governance Committee. She is a member of the Investment Committee and the Performance, Compensation & Talent Committee.
Representing Palm Springs, Lisa serves on the Riverside County Transportation Commission, the Sunline Transit Board of Directors and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments Transportation Committee.
For 2020, Lisa is the Vice-Chair of the League of California Cities Revenue & Taxation Policy Committee. She was elected in October 2019 by her Riverside County colleagues to be the 2nd Vice-Chair of the League’s Riverside County Executive Committee and serves on the League’s LGBTQ Caucus Executive Committee.
In 2019, she served on the California State Department of Transportation Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force.
Prior to her election Lisa served as a member of the Palm Springs Planning Commission and as Chairwoman of the Organized Neighborhoods of Palm Springs (ONE-PS). She is a member of the Boards of Directors of the Equality California Institute and the Desert LGBTQ Center. In 2014, she was the Center’s Interim Executive Director.
Ms. Middleton retired after serving 36 years with the State Compensation Insurance Fund of the State of California. At her retirement she was the Senior Vice President of Internal Affairs with executive responsibility for Internal Audit, Fraud Investigation, Public Records and Governance. She was a member of California’s Fraud Assessment Commission. In 2010, she chaired the Commission.
Lisa is a graduate of UCLA and USC, receiving her Masters in Public Administration from USC. She has also completed the UCLA LGBT Leadership Institute.
Lisa has been recognized for her work with achievement and leadership awards from the California Workers Compensation Institute, Palm Springs Pride Association, Equality California, Democratic Women of the Desert, SAGE/LGBT Senior Advocates and the California State Legislative LGBT Caucus.
Ms. Middleton is the first transgender person elected to a non-judicial office in the state of California. After 13 years together, Lisa and her wife Cheryl were married in July 2013. She is the proud parent of two accomplished educators.