New Jersey has never sent a woman to the U.S. Senate.
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served |
|---|---|---|
| Mikie Sherrill | D | 2019-present |
| Bonnie Watson Coleman | D | 2015-present |
| Marge Roukema | R | 1981-2002 |
| Millicent Fenwick | R | 1975-1982 |
| Helen S. Meyner | D | 1975-1978 |
| Florence P. Dwyer | R | 1957-1972 |
| Mary Teresa Norton | D | 1925-1950 |
In 2018, Sheila Oliver (D) took office as New Jersey's second lieutenant governor. She is the first woman of color and the first Black woman elected to statewide office in NJ. In New Jersey, the governor and lieutenant governor, elected together, are the only statewide elected officials. Christine Todd Whitman, New Jersey’s first (and to date, only) woman governor, served from 1994-2001.
Number includes the women currently serving in Governor Phil Murphy's cabinet.
| Name | Position | Year(s) Active |
|---|---|---|
| Sheila Oliver | Community Affairs Commissioner | 1/17/18-present |
| Elizabeth Muoio | State Treasurer | 4/13/18-present |
| Tahesha Way | Secretary of State | 2/9/18-present |
| Marlene Caride | Banking & Insurance Commissioner | 6/26/18-present |
| Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti | Transportation Commissioner | 6/20/18-present |
| Catherine McCabe | Environmental Protection Commissioner | 6/19/18-present |
| Carole Johnson | Human Service Commissioner | 4/3/18-present |
| Christine Norbut Beyer | Commissioner of Children and Families | 6/20/18-present |
| Sue Fulton | Motor Vehicle Commission Chair | 4/19/18-present |
| Deirdre Webster Cobb | Civil Service Commission Chair | 4/13/18-present |
| Beth Noveck | Chief Innovation Officer | 8/13/18-present |
| Judith Persichilli | Health Commissioner | 8/5/19-present |
| Lisa J. Hou | Interim Adjutant General | 10/16/20-present |
| Angelica Allen-McMillan | Acting Education Commissioner | 10/20/20-present |
| Sarah Adelman | Acting Human Services Commissioner | 1/16/21-present |
| Laurie Doran | Acting Director of Homeland Security | 6/4/21-present |
| Catherine McCabe | Environmental Protection Commissioner | 6/19/18-1/15/21 |
| Carole Johnson | Human Service Commissioner | 4/3/18-1/15/21 |
| Zakiya Smith Ellis | Higher Education Secretary | 6/17/18-7/5/20 |
New Jersey ranks 24th among the 50 states in the proportion of women serving in its legislature. Women of color make up 51.3% of all women in the New Jersey legislature: 54.5% of women in the Senate and 50.0% of women in the Assembly.
| Name | Party | Position | Race/Ethnicity | Year(s) Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn Marie Addiego | D | State Senator | White | 2019-2021 |
| Linda Carter | D | State Representative | Black | 2018-present |
| Annette Chaparro | D | State Representative | Latina | 2016-2023 |
| Kristin Corrado | R | State Senator | White | 2017-present |
| Nilsa Cruz-Perez | D | State Senator | Latina | 2014-present |
| Sandra B. Cunningham | D | State Senator | Black | 2007-2023 |
| BettyLou DeCroce | R | State Representative | White | 2012-2021 |
| DeAnne DeFuccio | R | State Representative | White | 2021-2023 |
| Serena DiMaso | R | State Representative | White | 2018-2021 |
| JoAnn Downey | D | State Representative | White | 2016-2021 |
| Aura K. Dunn | R | State Representative | White | 2019-present |
| Nia H. Gill | D | State Senator | Black | 2002-2023 |
| DiAnne C. Gove | R | State Representative | White | 2009-2023 |
| Linda R. Greenstein | D | State Senator | White | 2010-present |
| Mila M. Jasey | D | State Representative | Black | 2007-2023 |
| Angelica M. Jimenez | D | State Representative | Latina | 2012-2023 |
| Pamela R. Lampitt | D | State Representative | White | 2006-present |
| Yvonne Lopez | D | State Representative | Latina | 2018-present |
| Angela V. McKnight | D | State Representative | Black | 2016-2023 |
| Gabriela M. Mosquera | D | State Representative | Latina | 2012-2023 |
| Nancy F. Munoz | R | State Representative | White | 2009-present |
| Carol Murphy | D | State Representative | White | 2018-present |
| Eliana Pintor Marin | D | State Representative | White | 2013-present |
| Nellie Pou | D | State Senator | Latina | 2012-present |
| Annette Quijano | D | State Representative | Latina | 2008-present |
| Verlina Reynolds-Jackson | D | State Representative | Black | 2018-present |
| M. Teresa Ruiz | D | State Senator | Latina | 2008-present |
| Holly T. Schepisi | R | State Senator | White | 2021-present |
| Shanique Speight | D | State Representative | Black | 2018-present |
| Jean Stanfield | R | State Representative | White | 2020-2021 |
| Shavonda E. Sumter | D | State Representative | Black | 2012-present |
| Lisa Swain | D | State Representative | White | 2018-present |
| Britnee Timberlake | D | State Representative | Black | 2018-2023 |
| Cleopatra G. Tucker | D | State Representative | Black | 2008-present |
| Shirley K. Turner | D | State Senator | Black | 1998-present |
| Valerie Vainieri Huttle | D | State Representative | White | 2006-2021 |
| Loretta L. Weinberg | D | State Senator | White | 2005-2021 |
Sheila Y. Oliver (D), served as speaker of the Assembly from 2011-2013. Oliver is only the second Black woman in the nation to serve as a speaker of a lower house. One woman previously served as speaker of the New Jersey Assembly. Marion West Higgins (R) became speaker in 1965, only the third woman in the nation to be speaker of a state house. She served as acting governor on occasion when Governor Richard Hughes traveled out of state.
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Loretta Weinberg (D-37) | Majority Leader |
| M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29) | President Pro Tempore |
| Linda R. Greenstein (D-14) | Assistant Majority Leader |
| Sandra B. Cunningham (D-31) | Deputy Majority Leader |
| Kristin Corrado (R-40) | Republican Conference Leader |
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Annette Quijano (D-20) | Majority Conference Leader |
| Pamela R. Lampitt (D-6) | Deputy Speaker |
| Mila M. Jasey (D-27) | Deputy Speaker |
| Valerie Vaineri Huttle (D-37) | Deputy Speaker |
| Angelica M. Jimenez (D-32) | Deputy Speaker |
| Nancy Pinkin (D-18) | Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore |
| Carol A. Murphy (D-7) | Deputy Majority Leader |
| Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-15) | Deputy Majority Leader |
| Joann Downey (D-11) | Parliamentarian |
| Linda S. Carter (D-22) | Deputy Whip |
| Nancy F. Munoz (R-21) | Republican Conference Leader |
| Serena DiMaso (R-13) | Deputy Republican Whip |
| BettyLou DeCroce (R-26) | Deputy Republican Leader |
| Holly T. Schepisi (R-39) | Deputy Republican Leader |
| Name | Committee |
|---|---|
| Nellie Pou (D-35) | Commerce |
| Nilsa Cruz Perez (D-5) | Economic Growth |
| M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29) | Education |
| Sandra B. Cunningham (D-31) | Higher Education |
| Linda Greenstein (D-14) | Law and Public Safety |
| Name | Committee |
|---|---|
| Eliana Pintor Marin (D-2) | Budget |
| Shavonda Sumter (D-35) | Community Development Affairs |
| Pamela Lampitt (D-6) | Education |
| Nancy J. Pinkin (D-18) | Environment and Solid Waste |
| Mila M. Jasey (D-27) | Higher Education |
| Angela McKnight (D-31) | Homeland Security and State Preparedness |
| Joann Downey (D-11) | Human Services |
| Cleopatra G. Tucker (D-28) | Military and Veterans Affairs |
| Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-37) | Senior Services |
| Gabriela M. Mosquera (D-4) | Women and Children |
In 2021, among the five counties in New Jersey that elect executives, no woman holds that title.
Five women serve as commissioner chairs, directors or presidents. Women serve as commissioners in 20 of the state’s 21 counties. The county with no women commissioners is Salem.
Nine Black women (Cooper, Garretson, Graham, Hopson, McCullum, Pearson, Robinson, Staten, and Williams), eight Latinas (Aponte-Lipski, Azcona-Barber, Cedeno, Leon, Ortiz, Carmen Rodriguez, Caridad Rodriguez, and Sooey) and one Asian Pacific Islander woman (Narra) currently serve as commissioners.
| Name and Party | County |
|---|---|
| Caren Fitzpatrick (D) | Atlantic |
| Amy L. Gatto (R) | Atlantic |
| Maureen Kern (R), Chair | Atlantic |
| Mary Amoroso (D) | Bergen |
| Germaine M. Ortiz (D) | Bergen |
| Joan Voss (D) | Bergen |
| Tracy Silna Zur (D) | Bergen |
| Felicia Hopson (D), Director | Burlington |
| Linda A. Hynes (D) | Burlington |
| Carmen Rodriguez (D) | Camden |
| Melinda Kane (D) | Camden |
| E. Marie Hayes (R) | Cape May |
| Darlene Barber (D) | Cumberland |
| Carol Musso (D) | Cumberland |
| Donna Pearson (D) | Cumberland |
| Tyshammie L. Cooper (D) | Essex |
| Patricia Sebold (D) | Essex |
| Romaine Graham (D) | Essex |
| Heather Simmons (D) | Gloucester |
| Caridad Rodriguez (D) | Hudson |
| Fanny Cedeno (D) | Hudson |
| Yraida Aponte Lipski (D) | Hudson |
| Susan Soloway (D), Director | Hunterdon |
| Ann Cannon (D) | Mercer |
| Nina Melker (D) | Mercer |
| Lucylle Walter (D) | Mercer |
| Leslie Koppel (D) | Middlesex |
| Shanti Narra (D) | Middlesex |
| Clary Azcona Barber (D) | Middlesex |
| Chanelle Scott McCullum (D) | Middlesex |
| Lillian G. Burry (R) | Monmouth |
| Susan M. Kiley (R) | Monmouth |
| Kathryn A. DeFillippo (R) | Morris |
| Deborah Smith (R) | Morris |
| Virginia Haines (R) | Ocean |
| Cassandra Lazzara (D) | Passaic |
| Melonie Marano (D) | Somerset |
| Shanel Robinson (D), Director | Somerset |
| Sara Sooey (D) | Somerset |
| Dawn Fantasia (R), Director | Sussex |
| Sylvia Petillo (R) | Sussex |
| Angela Garretson (D) | Union |
| Bette Jane Kowalski (D) | Union |
| Kimberly Palmieri Mouded (D) | Union |
| Andrea Staten (D) | Union |
| Rebecca Williams (D) | Union |
| Lourdes M. Leon (D) | Union |
| Lori Ciesla (R) | Warren |
These women officials include: 11 county clerks, 1 register, 1 sheriff and 8 surrogates.
Four Black women (Coleman, Ireland-Imhof, Jalloh, Scott) and two Latinas (Cortes, Toledo) currently serve in county constitutional offices.
| Name | County |
|---|---|
| Joanne Schwartz (D) | Burlington |
| Rita Marie Fulginiti (R) | Cape May |
| Celeste Riley (D) | Cumberland |
| Mary Melfi (R) | Hunterdon |
| Paula Sollami Covello (D) | Mercer |
| Nancy Pinkin (D) | Middlesex |
| Christine Giordano Hanlon (R) | Monmouth |
| Ann F. Grossi (R) | Morris |
| Danielle Ireland Imhof (D) | Passaic |
| Joanne Rajoppi (D) | Union |
| Holly Mackey (R) | Warren |
| Name and Party | County |
|---|---|
| Mildred S. Scott (D) | Middlesex |
| Name and Party | County |
|---|---|
| Michelle Gentek Meyer (D) | Camden |
| Susan Hoffman (R) | Hunterdon |
| Diane Gerofsky (D) | Mercer |
| Claribel Cortes (D) | Middlesex |
| Rosemarie Peters (R) | Monmouth |
| Bernice Toledo (D) | Passaic |
| Nicki A. Burke (D) | Salem |
| Tina Jalloh (D) | Somerset |
| Name and Party | County |
|---|---|
| Diane Coleman (D) | Hudson |
Data as of April 2021.
Two Black women (Michele S. Delisfort, Tiffani A. Worthy) and one Asian Pacific Islander (Susan Shin Angulo) serve as big city mayors.
| Name | Municipality | Population | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Shin Angulo | Cherry Hill Township | 71,245 | Camden |
| Michele S. Delisfort | Union Township | 58,488 | Union |
| Theresa Berger | Howell Township | 51,952 | Monmouth |
| Joann Gattinelli | Washington Township | 47,753 | Gloucester |
| Jaclyn Veasy | Evesham Township | 45,188 | Burlington |
| Victoria Kilpatrick | Sayreville | 44,173 | Middlesex |
| Tiffani A. Worthy | Willingboro Township | 32,005 | Burlington |
Data as of April 2021.
| Name | Municipality | County |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Horton | Absecon City | Atlantic |
| Janis Mcgovern | Andover Township | Sussex |
| Loretta Gluckstein | Atlantic Highlands Borough | Monmouth |
| Patti Harris | Barrington Borough | Camden |
| Deborah Buzby-Cope | Bass River Township | Burlington |
| Colleen Lambert | Beach Haven Borough | Ocean |
| Angie D. Devanney | Berkeley Heights Township | Union |
| Phyllis A Magazzu | Berlin Township | Camden |
| Janice M. Fields | Bernards Township | Somerset |
| Mary Jane Canose | Bernardsville Borough | Somerset |
| Vicky Papics | Bloomsbury Borough | Hunterdon |
| Theresa Branella | Brooklawn Borough | Camden |
| Kerry Peterson | Cedar Grove Township | Essex |
| Tracy Ness | Chatham Township | Morris |
| Jamila Odom-Garnett | Chesilhurst Borough | Camden |
| Janet Hoven | Chester Borough | Morris |
| Marcia Asdal | Chester Township | Morris |
| Janice Kovach | Clinton Town | Hunterdon |
| Kathleen Miller Prunty | Cranford Township | Union |
| Abigail O'Brien | Deerfield Township | Cumberland |
| Melinda Lannuzzi | Demarest Borough | Bergen |
| Carolyn Blackman | Dover Town | Morris |
| Debra A. Rivas | Eagleswood Township | Ocean |
| Dina M. Grilo | East Newark Borough | Hudson |
| Janice S Mironov | East Windsor Township | Mercer |
| Lauren Difilippo | Edgewater Park Township | Burlington |
| Lisa Jiampetti | Egg Harbor City | Atlantic |
| Carolyn King-Sammons | Elk Township | Gloucester |
| Danielle Dipaola | Emerson Borough | Bergen |
| Colleen Mahr | Fanwood Borough | Union |
| Betsy Driver | Flemington Borough | Hunterdon |
| Sara Todisco | Garwood Borough | Union |
| Kristine Morieko | Glen Rock Borough | Bergen |
| Margaret "Peg" Phillips | Green Township | Sussex |
| Leila Gilmore | Hainesport Township | Burlington |
| Tara Clark | Hazlet Township | Monmouth |
| Michele Lee | High Bridge Borough | Hunterdon |
| Gayle Brill Mittler | Highland Park Borough | Middlesex |
| Carolyn Broullon | Highlands Borough | Monmouth |
| Dahlia Vertreese | Hillside Township | Union |
| Julie Blake | Hopewell Township | Mercer |
| Marlene Lowande | Jamesburg Borough | Middlesex |
| Linda Karlovitch | Kenilworth Borough | Union |
| Collette J. Kennedy | Keyport Borough | Monmouth |
| Adele Starrs | Knowlton Township | Warren |
| Julia Fahl | Lambertville City | Hunterdon |
| Mary Ann Wardlow | Lawnside Borough | Camden |
| Ellen B. Pompper | Lower Alloways Creek Township | Salem |
| Gina Laplaca | Lumberton Township | Burlington |
| Bettyann Cowling-Carson | Magnolia Borough | Camden |
| Christine Serrano Glassner | Mendham Borough | Morris |
| Sarah Neibart | Mendham Township | Morris |
| Tara B. Prupis | Millburn Township | Essex |
| Trina Mehr | Milltown Borough | Middlesex |
| Devra Keenan | Montgomery Township | Somerset |
| Nicole Gillespie | Moorestown Township | Burlington |
| Kristi Hanselmann | Mullica Township | Atlantic |
| Linda H Schwager | Oakland Borough | Bergen |
| Lydia Dodd | Ocean Township | Ocean |
| Dianne Camelo Didio | Oradell Borough | Bergen |
| Gina Ragomo Tait | Palmyra Borough | Burlington |
| Ladaena D. Thomas | Penns Grove Borough | Salem |
| Kyle Russell | Pequannock Township | Morris |
| Judy M. Ward | Pleasantville City | Atlantic |
| Marjorie Sperry | Quinton Township | Salem |
| Deirdre A Dillon | Ramsey Borough | Bergen |
| Susan Knudsen | Ridgewood Village | Bergen |
| Linda Schaefer | Ringwood Borough | Passaic |
| Lorraine M. Hatcher | Riverside Township | Burlington |
| Suzanne Cairns Wells | Riverton Borough | Burlington |
| Gail Artola | Rochelle Park Township | Bergen |
| Peggy Malkin | Roosevelt Borough | Monmouth |
| Caryl "Chris" Shoffner | South Bound Brook Borough | Somerset |
| Sheena C. Collum | South Orange Village Township | Essex |
| Christine Quinn | Sparta Township | Sussex |
| Jackie Palmer | Spotswood Borough | Middlesex |
| Jennifer Naughton | Spring Lake Borough | Monmouth |
| Patricia Zdichocki | Stanhope Borough | Sussex |
| Lisa Chammings | Stillwater Township | Sussex |
| Judith M. Davies-Dunhour | Stone Harbor Borough | Cape May |
| Nora G Radest | Summit City | Union |
| Kimberly A. Brown | Tabernacle Township | Burlington |
| Dana Desiderio | Tewksbury Township | Hunterdon |
| Susan R Marshall | Tuckerton Borough | Ocean |
| Lorisue H. Mount | Upper Freehold Township | Monmouth |
| Joanne Minichetti | Upper Saddle River Borough | Bergen |
| Beth Holtzman | Ventnor City | Atlantic |
| Melissa Dabal | Wallington Borough | Bergen |
| Carol E. Sabo | West Cape May Borough | Cape May |
| Denice Dicarlo | West Deptford Township | Gloucester |
| Janet W Tucci | West Long Branch Borough | Monmouth |
| Michele Dale | West Milford Township | Passaic |
| Shelley Brindle | Westfield Township | Union |
| Peg Sickel | Woodbury City | Gloucester |
| Melissa D. Rubenstein | Wyckoff Township | Bergen |
The chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee is a man (John Currie). The chair of the New Jersey Republican State Committee is a man (Michael Lavery).
| Name | County | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Amy DeGise | Hudson | Democrat |
| Arlene Perez | Hunterdon | Democrat |
| Janice S. Mironov | Mercer | Democrat |
| Peg Schaffer | Somerset | Democrat |
| Dawne Rowe | Sussex | Democrat |
| Jacci Vigilante | Gloucester | Republican |
| Lisa Richford | Mercer | Republican |
| Lucille Panos | Middlesex | Republican |
| Laura Ali | Morris | Republican |
| Linda DuBois | Salem | Republican |
Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman and sworn in on January 26, 2000; Justice Anne Patterson, appointed by Governor Chris Christie and sworn in on September 1, 2011; and Fabiana Pierre-Louis, appointed by Governor Phil Murphy and sworn in on September 1, 2020. Pierre-Louis is the first black woman to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court.
The first woman to head New Jersey’s highest court was Chief Justice Deborah Poritz; appointed by Governor Whitman, she served from 1996 until she retired in 2006. Whitman also appointed Justice Virginia Long, who served from September 14, 1999 until she retired in March, 2012. Governor Jon Corzine appointed Justice Helen E. Hoens, who served from October 26, 2006 until October 26, 2013. Judge Mary Catherine Cuff was assigned temporarily to serve on the Court by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner in October 2012. The first woman member of New Jersey’s Supreme Court was Justice Marie L. Garibaldi, who was appointed by Governor Thomas Kean and served from 1982 until 2000.
Our thanks to the Office of the NJ Secretary of State, NJ Association of Counties, the NJ League of Municipalities, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, and the New Jersey Republican State Committee.
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