California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced Friday that he has appointed Erika Sperbeck as the new Deputy Insurance Commissioner of the Administrative and Licensing Services Branch.

“I am pleased to welcome Erika Sperbeck, a seasoned veteran of state government operations, to our team,” said Commissioner Jones. “We are fortunate to have Erika on the Executive Management team. The California Department of Insurance (CDI) and the consumers we protect stand to benefit tremendously from her extensive fiscal and policy expertise.”

Sperbeck comes to CDI from the California Health and Human Services Agency, where she has served as the assistant secretary with responsibility for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) implementation, and was also responsible for program and fiscal oversight for the Departments of Mental Health and Community Services and Development.

Sperbeck has over 19 years of service with the State of California. For a decade, she worked with the Department of Finance in various capacities, including oversight of the Performance Review Unit, as well as serving as the principal analyst with overall responsibility for the development, enactment, and administration of various departments’ budgets.

She also served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Department of General Services.

This appointment fills a vacancy created by the retirement of Robin E. Baker, who has served as the deputy commissioner of the Administration and Licensing Services Branch since February 2010.

She has over 33 years of experience in a variety of roles in state government, including two prior appointments as chief of administration. She also spent 16 years at the Department of Finance, working primarily as a Principal Program Budget Analyst.

“Robin Baker has been an extraordinary leader of CDI’s Administrative and Licensing Services Branch. Her high standard of professionalism and years of experience will be sorely missed,” said Commissioner Jones. “Robin has played an integral role in keeping CDI running and her ‘second to none’ experience and knowledge went a long way toward achieving a successful transition from the previous Administration to this one. My staff and I will miss her and wish her the very best in life and a well-earned retirement.”