On February 21, 2026, the New Jersey Federation of College Republicans (NJFCR) convened for its annual reorganization meeting, drawing students and party leaders from across the state.

In attendance were NJGOP Chairwoman Christine Hanlon, NJGOP Vice-Chair Pavel Sokolov, U.S. Senate candidates Justin Murphy and Alex Zdan, CD-11 Republican nominee Joe Hathaway, and LD-09 Assemblyman Greg Myhre, alongside more than 40 students representing nearly a dozen colleges and universities.

Following remarks and organizational business, the Federation conducted its annual elections. All declared candidates were unanimously elected.

Leading the ticket was John Rendzia III, a junior at The College of New Jersey, who was reelected as Co-Chair of the organization. Rendzia has served as Chairman of the NJFCR since April 2025, and with his reelection, becomes the first Chairman in the organization’s history to break the longstanding one-term precedent.

Joining him as Co-Chair is Ms. Sydney Nelson, a junior at Stockton University, and Chairwoman of the Stockton College Republicans since July 2025. With her election, Nelson becomes the first woman to serve in the Chair capacity of the New Jersey Federation of College Republicans, and the first on record across any prior iteration of the organization.

Jake Pino, a junior at Montclair State University and former Chairman of the Montclair State University College Republicans, was elected Vice-Chair.

Grant Friedland, a junior at Stockton University and journalist on Substack, was elected to serve as Executive Director.

Mark Volpe, a sophomore at Monmouth University and Chairman of the Monmouth University College Republicans, was elected Treasurer.

Alexander “AJ” DiFalco, a sophomore at The College of New Jersey, Chairman of the TCNJ College Republicans, and a two-time candidate for office in Mercer County, was elected Secretary.

Michael Joseph “MJ”, a senior at Rutgers University, and Chairman of the Rutgers College Republicans, was elected as National Committeeman.

Additionally, Tyler Murnaghan of Stockton University, Natalie Bovair of Drew University, and Zoey Wong of Rowan University were appointed as official liaisons to Turning Point USA (TPUSA), the Young Republican Federation of New Jersey (YRFNJ), and the New Jersey High School Republicans (NJHSR), respectively.

The new leadership team succeeds the 2025–2026 board, which consisted of John Rendzia as Chair, Nicholas Schaeffer as Vice-Chair, Natalie Bovair as Executive Director, Oliver Meyer as Secretary, and Matthew Moore as Treasurer.