Mikie Sherrill is turning to some marquis national and state names, including former U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, to develop recommendations as she prepares to assume the governorship on January 20, something her transition office calls an “ambitious and collaborative initiative to chart a bold course for New Jersey’s future and ensure the Governor-elect’s commitment to hit the ground running on Day One priorities.”
Leaders include Lt. Governor-elect Dale Caldwell, former Commissioner of Health Heather Howard, state firefighters union leader Eddie Donnelly, Laborers’ union leader Mike Hellstrom, former U.S. Senate candidate Patricia Campos-Medina, and Justin Dews, a former White House associate counsel.
Allison Clements, a former member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and a national expert in grid reliability, wholesale electricity markets, and clean-energy transition, will join Granholm as co-chair of a panel to review New Jersey’s energy costs. John D. Pocari, a former Deputy U.S. Secretary of Transportation in the Obama administration and Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, will lead the transportation committee with Jean Roehrenback, Sherrill’s former chief of staff and a former deputy assistant U.S. Secretary of Transportation under Biden.
The co-chair of the Affordable Health Care group, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, has served as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the largest public health program in the U.S., and is widely viewed as an architect of modern American health policy. She has held posts at the White House Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the House Ways and Means Committee.
NJEA President Steve Beatty, former Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, former New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells, onetime Apprentice contestant Randal Pinket, New Jersey AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech, New Jersey Association of Counties Executive DIrector John Donnadio, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice President Ryan Haygood, former Jersey City Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis, former Murphy administration policy chief Kathleen Frangione, former Murphy acting chief counsel Bob Garrenger, Salvation and Social Justice official Rosalee Boyer, and AFSCME New Jersey Council 63 Executive Director Steve Tully, are also serving on Sherrill transition committees.
Sherrill’s is setting up ten policy action teams based on the top priorities of her nascent administration:
Making Energy More Affordable and Reliable: Allison Clements and Jennifer Granholm (Co-Chairs); Stefanie Brand; Bhavini Doshi; Joe Egan; Christina Farrell; Lisa Garcia; Mike Hellstrom; Monica Martinez; Ari Matusiak; Allison McLeod; Katie Mettle; Babatunde Odubekun; Tim Profeta; Maria Robinson; Shaun Sullivan; Mike DuHaime; and Anjuli Ramos Busot.
Kids Mental Health and Online Safety: Kathryn Edin and Rishi Bharwani (Co-Chairs); Julie Borst; Rose Brown; Luis Diaz; Ebony Grace; Ramon Hache; Leslie Huhn; Katie Katz; Shilpa Kulkarni; Dominique Lee; Amy Lombardo; Joann McEniry; Danté Quick; Adam Renteria; Laura Fenster Rothschild; Aakash Shah; and Ameer Washington. Edin, a sociologist and dean at Princeton University, is a nationally recognized poverty and family policy scholar and the co-author of $2 a Day, a national study on youth and economic insecurity. Bharwini is a nationally recognized expert on online safety, digital accountability, and technology policy, and led technology policy for U.S. Senator Cory Booker.
Saving You Time and Money: Getting Government to Work for New Jerseyans: Dale Caldwell and Tatjana Kunz (Co-Chairs); Amar Bhardwaj; John Donnadio; Michael Drulis; Chris Emigholz; Priya Narasimhan; Randal Pinkett; Lilia Rios; Thomas Russomano; Esther Suarez; Evan Weiss; Nina Wells; Jerry Zaro; and Maurice Zekaria. Kunz is the senior manager for policy research at the American Society of
Transportation and Infrastructure Innovation: John Porcari and Jean Roehrenbeck (Co-Chairs); Zoe Baldwin; Tiffany Bohlin; Samuel Delgado; Eileen Della Volle; Samuel Donelson; Cedrick Fulton; Brett Harwood; Robert Hickman; Bob Medina; Ron Sabol; Mike Sweeney; and Ray Vigil.
Lowering Housing Costs and Expanding Homeownership: Julia Gordon and Lopa Kolluri (Co-Chairs); Baye Adofo-Wilson; Catherine Best; Mike Cerra; Christiana Foglio; Ronald Glover; Danny Gonzalez-Bosques; Adam Gordon; Ryan Haygood; Diane Johnson; Jim Johnson; Taiisa Kelly; AJ Luna; Bill Matsikoudis; Chang Suh; Sarah Rosen Wartell; and Andre Williams. Gordon is a former assistant U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Kolluri is a former principal deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Fiscal Responsibility and Government Accountability: Justin Dews and Eddie Donnelly (Co-Chairs); Luis Alamo; Kathleen Frangione; Bob Garrenger; Tonya Hodges; Mina Hsiang; Everett Johnson; Sohail Khan; Deena Leary; Mark Magyar; Andrea Martinez-Mejia; Heather Pierce; Mike Ranger; Don Travisano; and Elizabeth Wilkins.
Delivering a Strong Education for New Jersey Children: Bette Simmons and Meghan Tavormina (Co-Chairs); Steve Beatty; Karen Bingert; Lisa Feinstein; Alexandra Figueras-Daniel; Jenn Higgins; Bob Kim; Harry Lee; Thomas Macagnano; Gillian Ober; Tahina Perez; Jonathan Pushman; Ramon Rivera; Peter Rosario; Connie Sanchez; Colleen Schulz-Eskow; Winifred Smith-Jenkins; and Paula White. Simmons held top posts at Mercer County Community College and the County College of Morris. Tavormina is the executive director of the Executive Director, New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association.
Jobs, Opportunity, and Prosperity for All: Patricia Campos Medina and Carl Van Horn (Co-Chairs); Aymen Aboushi; Julio Aponte; Carmen Cusido; Eric Dobson; Morganne Dudzinski; Barbara George Johnson; Kiran Handa Gaudioso; Maria Heidkamp; Ana Maria Hill; Janelle Jones; Dee Marshall; Evelyn McGee Colbert; Luz Mendez; Ayo Sanderson Wilson; Amol Sinha; William Sproule; and Charles Wowkanech. Van Horn served as senior policy advisor to Gov. Jim Florio and has advised governors of both parties on workforce transitions and statewide labor-market strategies; he is the founding director of the Rutgers Heldrich Center for Workforce Development.
Affordable Healthcare: Addressing Washington’s Medicaid Cuts: Chiquita Brooks-LaSure and Heather Howard (Co-Chairs); Kathy Ahearn-O’Brien; Phil Bak; Catherine Bennett; Rosalee Boyer; Bill Colgan; Carmine Deo; Jessica Israel; Raquel Mazon Jeffers; Cory Neering; Javier Robles; Magda Schaler-Haynes; Linda Schwimmer; Stephanie Silvera; Steven Tully; and Eva Turbiner.
Driving New Jersey Forward: Economic Development and Innovation: Gina Raimondo and Ralph Tejeda (Co-Chairs); Hazel Applewhite; Jimmy Bellas; Chrissy Buteas; Jeff Cantor; Elisa Charters; Lucy Del Gaudio; Anna Dulencin; Mike Egenton; Celeste Fernandez; Debbie Hart; Don Katz; John Kennedy; Lloyd Levenson; Diana Rogers; Vaishant Sharma; and Lori Wood Montague.
Only the laborers, electrical workers, plumbers and carpenters union are represented from the building trades area of organized labor.
“We’re bringing together experts and everyday New Jerseyans alike on a mission to deliver — by driving down costs starting with electric bills, improving state services and accountability, and protecting our kids,” said Sherrill, who resigned her seat in Congress yesterday and is now working full time to build her administration. “These teams will embody the spirit of collaboration, creativity, and action that New Jerseyans expect from their next governor.”
The process differs from recent gubernatorial transitions, which were modeled along the boundaries of executive department agencies and offices. According to a statement, the action teams with seek the advice of local elected officials, activists, and industry and non-profit leaders.
The action teams, which will meet regularly and work with stakeholders, will be followed by an interdisciplinary advisory task force, and public engagement through a survey.
Granholm and Raimondo each served as governors of their respective states, Michigan and Rhode Island, before joining President Joe Biden’s cabinet in 2021.
