Today, Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill announced that she will retain Jacquelyn A. Suárez as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Commissioner Suárez has served New Jersey for over a decade as a lawyer, legislative liaison, division director, and commissioner. Her years of dedication and competence have earned her the respect and support of community leaders, local officials, and colleagues in Trenton.

As a key cabinet member in the Sherrill-Caldwell administration, Commissioner Suárez's attention will be focused on investing in activities that both sustain and cultivate community development. Under her leadership, the DCA will reform the permitting process, target the resources of the department to create housing that people can afford, revitalize vacant commercial properties for small businesses and mixed uses, and provide guidance to municipal officials on best management practices, particularly those that can reduce their residents' taxes.

“I am honored to have Jacquelyn Suárez serve as the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. Her collaboration with local governments, work on veteran homelessness, and support for small businesses has earned her the respect of leaders across the state. In the Sherrill-Caldwell administration, DCA will reform the burdensome permitting process to lower costs, address our housing shortage, and expand shared services to reduce New Jerseyans’ tax burden. I’m excited to have an experienced leader like Commissioner Suárez to guide those efforts and help build a more affordable Garden State,” said Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill. 

“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve as the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. I am excited to work with Governor-elect Sherrill on her mission to make New Jersey more affordable – finding creative solutions to lower housing and rental costs, and cutting red tape to make it easier to start and grow a small business. We will also continue important efforts like ending veteran homelessness through our Bringing Veterans Home initiative. Our department will work efficiently and collaboratively with residents and municipalities, which is key to delivering lower costs for families across our state,” said Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. 

Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez has led the Department of Community Affairs for over two years, overseeing more than 1,000 employees and managing a $2.15 billion operational budget. She is the first Hispanic DCA Commissioner. Prior to that, she served as the Director of the Division of Local Government Services and Chair of the Local Finance Board from 2021 to 2024, was an Associate Counsel to the Office of the Governor from 2019-2021, and served as the DCA’s Legislative Liaison from 2015-2019.

Commissioner Suárez is a New Jersey native who earned her Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law in Camden and her bachelor’s degree in communications, legal institutions, economics, and government from American University in Washington D.C. She is a member of both the New Jersey and New York bar associations. She is also a member of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey.