California Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Rohit Chopra to the state’s Military Council, placing an experienced federal official onto a strategic panel dedicated to supporting California’s military and national security missions.
Chopra, a Sacramento resident, has served as the Secretary of the state’s Business and Consumer Services Agency since 2026.
His extensive career spans both public service and the private sector, including a role as a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School from 2025 to 2026.
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Previously, he served as the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2021 to 2025 and as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission from 2018 to 2021.
The Indian American official was ousted from the federal bureau soon after President Donald Trump returned to office last year amid Republican criticism portraying him as an unaccountable regulator.
Chopra often clashed with the nation’s banks and technology giants by taking on everything from “junk fees” to Big Tech’s role in consumer payments.
He also served as a Special Advisor to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education in 2016, an Assistant Director and Student Loan Ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2010 to 2015, and an Associate at McKinsey & Company from 2008 to 2010.
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Chopra earned a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University. He was also the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to the Republic of Korea..
Established in 2013, the Governor’s Military Council delivers sustained support for California’s military installations and national security missions. The council advises state leaders on strategies to safeguard and expand military operations while highlighting the strategic value of the state’s bases.
Chopra joins a diverse group of state officials, military personnel, and civic leaders on the panel, which includes representatives from the California Military Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs.