Today, Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill announced that Dave Cole will continue to serve as the state’s Chief Innovation Officer and lead New Jersey’s Office of Innovation (OOI). This comes as Governor Phil Murphy today signed into law A5728/S4485, establishing the New Jersey Innovation Authority (NJIA) and codifying the OOI as an Authority in, but not of, the Department of the Treasury. In the Sherrill-Caldwell administration, Cole will continue to build on OOI’s success to modernize services for residents, businesses, and other New Jersey institutions.

Cole has served for half a decade at the Office of Innovation, including as the Chief Innovation Officer, and has experience in the White House and in the private sector. Throughout his time at the OOI, New Jersey became a national model for leveraging technology to drive innovation and improve our state’s services and delivery. Together, with Gov.-elect Sherrill and Lt. Gov.-elect Caldwell, New Jersey will partner with private and public sector organizations to modernize New Jersey digital infrastructure, make it easier to start and grow small businesses, and harness technological innovations to strengthen the state’s economy.

“I am honored to have Dave Cole continue as our state’s Chief Innovation Officer. He has been a true leader in this space in New Jersey, and his broad experience across the public and private sector will be invaluable as we work to build a stronger New Jersey economy and a state government that works smarter for you. I look forward to working with Dave as we modernize the way New Jerseyans access state government services and build a government that works for everyone. At a time when our state programs and economy are under attack from Washington, I’m delighted to have an experienced innovator like Dave on my team to help build a more affordable Garden State,” said Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill.

“I look forward to working with Dave Cole to cut through red tape and improve our state services. Right now, we need experienced leaders like Dave Cole to help deliver for New Jerseyans. At a time when our economy is under attack from Trump’s chaotic and unaffordable agenda, it’s critical we tap into New Jersey’s long history of innovation and work to save residents time and money at every turn,” said Lt. Governor-elect Dr. Dale Caldwell.

“I am honored to continue to serve as New Jersey’s Chief Innovation Officer under Governor-elect Sherrill’s leadership. Together, we will continue to harness innovation to bolster our state’s economy, take a state-of-the-art approach to modernizing how residents get services, cut through red tape, and improve government efficiency. We will continue to put New Jerseyans at the center of our work, engaging residents and businesses throughout our process to design and deploy solutions that deliver results. I am excited to work with Gov.-elect Sherrill, Lt. Gov.-elect Caldwell, and our state agency partners to use technology and innovation to save New Jerseyans time and money,” said Chief Innovation Officer Dave Cole.

Dave Cole has served as the state’s Chief Innovation Officer and a member of Governor Murphy’s Cabinet for the last two years. Prior to that he worked at the Office of Innovation from 2020-2024, helping the state respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a software engineer and head of resident experience. Before serving in state government, Dave was Global Vice President of Strategy and Operations at an AI-based technology startup, overseeing international operations and business development, and served as a Senior Advisor to the Chief Information Officer and Deputy Director of New Media in the Obama Administration. Dave was born and raised in New Jersey and is a graduate of Rutgers University.