California Air Resources Board

The California State Senate has confirmed Joseph C. Calhoun of Seal Beach, Jack Parnell of Auburn and Douglas Vagim of Fresno as members of the Air Resources Board.

ARB Chairman John D. Dunlap III said, "We congratulate them all on their confirmations. Their individual and collective experience in both the public and private sectors and their commitment to clean air for California make them ideal additions to the Board."

Joseph Calhoun began his engineering career in 1956 with the L.A. County Air Pollution Control District and later moved to the California Air Resources Board where he was Chief of Motor Vehicle Compliance. In 1974, he joined General Motors Corporation, finishing his GM career in 1993 as Assistant Director of Automotive Emissions control where he was responsible for GM's automotive emissions activities in California.

Mr. Calhoun has a BS degree in Chemistry from Prairie View A&M College and BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from USC. He is the owner of Calhoun and Associates, an air quality engineering consulting company. 

Douglas E. Vagim has been a member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors since 1989 and served as its chairman in 1992. Vagim owns Systematics, a Fresno computer consulting firm. He has served on numerous boards and commissions at the city and county level. He was appointed by his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors to serve on the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District, overseeing the organization and incorporation of the district which covers an eight-county area.

Vagim represents the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, a position created by the Legislature in 1993.

Jack C. Parnell serves as the ARB's public member. He served from 1989 to 1991 as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Prior to that appointment, he served as the deputy secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture from 1983 - 1984, and as director of the California Department of Fish and Game from 1984 to 1987. In 1987 Governor George Deukmejian appointed Parnell as the Director of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Prior to serving the Bush and Deukmejian administrations, Parnell was owner and publisher of California Cattle magazine, founder and chair of the Auburn Bank of Commerce, and builder/manager of four Auburn businesses.

 Members who are elected officials are not compensated for their expenses by the ARB. Public members receive $27,956 a year. All board members serve at the Governor's pleasure.