“I couldn’t be more pleased to have these six stellar individuals leading key departments across state government,” said Governor Murphy. “Each has a distinctive role to play on this team and I look forward to continuing our work together in ensuring we have a stronger and fairer New Jersey for all of our residents.”

The six confirmed cabinet members include:

Marlene Caride, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance: Acting Commissioner Caride is the first Hispanic to head the Department where she oversees New Jersey’s insurance, banking and real estate industries. Prior to joining the Department, she was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 36th Legislative District. During her three terms in the Assembly, Acting Commissioner Caride served on the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, the Assembly Appropriations Committee and the New Jersey Legislative Select Committee on Investigation. She also chaired the Assembly Education Committee and was vice-chair of the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee.  She was a partner in the Union City law firm of Gonzalez & Caride and is a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Hudson County Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey.  She is a graduate of California Western School of Law and Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education.

Christine Norbut Beyer, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families: Prior to her appointment, the Acting Commissioner served as Senior Director and Strategic Consultant at Casey Family Programs, a national child welfare foundation, where she partnered with and supported the efforts of Public Child Welfare Agencies, State Legislatures, the Judiciary and Governors in creating better outcomes for vulnerable children. Acting Commissioner Beyer spent eight years working with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, first as Director of the Division of Youth and Family Services, and then as Assistant Commissioner.  In her previous roles within the Department, she led the statewide implementation of the Department’s Case Practice Model, one of the most important and ambitious aspects of New Jersey’s child welfare reform efforts, and created the Office of Performance Management and Accountability to empower the Department to become a self-assessing, self-monitoring organization, capable of leveraging data metrics to improve services for New Jersey’s families. Acting Commissioner Beyer received her Bachelor of Science degree in social work from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, and her Master of Social Work Administration, Policy and Planning from Rutgers University School of Social Work.

Dr. Lamont Repollet, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Education: A former superintendent of the Asbury Park School District, Dr. Repollet implemented new instructional and organizational approaches in the district, including a dropout prevention program called the “Power of 10,” which resulted in the graduation rate increasing by 21 percent in four years. During his tenure as superintendent, Dr. Repollet introduced a Pre-K to Grade 12 Literacy Intervention and Leadership Development Initiative and secured a $2.5 million 21st Century Grant for afterschool programming for children in grades 4-8. He also secured a $500,000 Vocational Partnership Grant to create an Engineering Academy using the nationally recognized Project Lead the Way Curriculum.  Dr. Repollet earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. He earned his master’s in Education Administration from Kean University, and his bachelor’s in communications from The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College). He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.

Catherine McCabe, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection: Acting Commissioner McCabe comes to the DEP with a distinguished career in government service, both in environmental law and science. Most recently, she served as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Region 2 Administrator in New York City. In that position, she assisted the regional administration in overseeing operations and regional implementation of all EPA programs in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She also served as Acting EPA Administrator and Acting Region 2 Administrator in 2017, and was a long-time member of the EPA’s Executive Management Council. From 2011 to 2014, Acting Commissioner McCabe served as a judge on the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board, and from 2005 to 2011 she served as Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. Acting Commissioner McCabe joined the EPA after 22 years with the U.S. Department of Justice and was an Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York.  She earned a law degree from Columbia Law School and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Barnard College. She also studied environmental science at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Zakiya Smith Ellis, Acting Secretary of Higher Education: Previously, Acting Secretary Ellis led work at Lumina Foundation, the nation’s largest foundation focused solely on higher education, to advance federal policy to increase attainment and to develop new postsecondary finance models, focusing on issues of affordability. She also served as a Senior Advisor for Education at the White House Domestic Policy Council and served in the Obama administration as a senior adviser at the U. S. Department of Education, where she developed programmatic, policy and budget solutions to respond to pressing challenges in college access, affordability, and completion. Acting Secretary Ellis also served as Director of Government Relations for the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, authoring reports on the efficacy of financial advising in college access programs, on community college transfer and articulation, and on the ability of low- and moderate- income families to afford college more broadly. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and secondary education from Vanderbilt University, a master’s degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and holds a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.

Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Transportation: Acting Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti is a transportation professional with more than 28 years in the industry, and 34 years in government service. She is the former Executive Director and CEO at Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, a part of the Florida Department of Transportation. Under her leadership, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise managed more than 460 centerline miles and a 5-year capital program more than $6 billion, supported by $1 billion in revenues. Prior to that, she spent 21 years at the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, working her way up from a Contract Administrator to the post of Executive Director, a position she held from 2008 to 2010. During her tenure, she managed the day-to-day administrative operations and was chief negotiator for the agency’s several collective bargaining units. There, Acting Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti participated in several major agency initiatives, including the remediation of the E-ZPass System, the financial and operational consolidation of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and New Jersey Highway Authority, bringing the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway under a single organization.  She holds degrees from the University of Connecticut (BS) and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (MS).