New Jersey relies on appointed officials serving on state boards, commissions, and authorities to oversee critical government functions, advise the governor and state departments on important policies, and protect the public’s interests. The policy areas appointed officials govern include economic development and finance, transportation and infrastructure, public health and safety, arts and culture, ethics, professional licensing, and many more. Yet a scarcity of available data has made it difficult to know how closely those appointees reflect the demographics of the state’s population. The New Jersey Legislature passed legislation three years ago attempting to address this knowledge gap by mandating the collection and analysis of the demographics, specifically race, ethnicity, and gender, of the state’s appointed officials. The legislation directed the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University to conduct this study. Our first report, released in 2023, found significant disparities in representation by race, ethnicity, and gender. In this report, we provide the latest data on the demographics of the state’s appointed officials. Unsurprisingly, our analysis reveals continued underrepresentation in appointed positions for women and among certain racial/ethnic groups while highlighting the ongoing systemic challenges in studying appointees, including decentralized record-keeping on state appointees within the state administration. We recommend steps to increase transparency about appointee demographics, expand awareness of appointment opportunities, and ensure more diverse representation in these crucial positions.
From Data to Diversity 2025