A former administrative law judge for the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, Robert Stephen Dresser was appointed its chairman in 2011 by Governor Jerry Brown.
Dresser received a bachelor of arts degree in government from Dartmouth College in 1963 and a law degree from Stanford University in 1966. He was licensed to practice law in California in 1969.
Before embarking on a long career in California government, Dresser served as a lawyer in Austin, Texas, for Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) and was involved in the start of the Texas Rural Legal Aid program.
Dresser joined the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) in 1975 as staff counsel, and held a number of positions before leaving in 1992. He was named regional director of ALRB's Fresno office in 1976 and director of the ALRB Office of Agency Communications in 1978. Dresser was supervising attorney for the ALRB Office of the executive secretary from 1981-1987 and was ALRB Senior Board Counsel III from 1984-1992. He left in 1992 to become an administrative law judge for the CUIAB and stayed until 2001.
Dresser was chief counsel and interim director of the Department of Information Technology from 2001-2002. In that capacity, he served as senior legal adviser to the director and the state chief information officer before moving to the Labor and Workforce Development Agency where he was also general counsel.
In 2007, Dresser left the agency for the Contractors State License Board where he was enforcement counsel. He held that post until his appointment to the CUIAB. His term as commissioner ends in 2014.
Some Gov. Jerry Brown Appointees Get Pension and Paycheck (by Shane Goldmacher and Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times)
Governor Brown Announces Appointments (Press release)
Robert Dresser, Board Chair (CUIAB website)
