Victoria L Kuhn will continue to serve as the Commission of the Department of Corrections

Christine Norbut Beyer will serve as the Interim Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families

Today, Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill announced two additional members of her Cabinet. Victoria L. Kuhn will continue to serve as the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections (DOC) and Christine Norbut Beyer will serve as the Interim Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) while the search continues for her replacement.

With over 26 years of experience in the criminal justice field, Kuhn, pictured, is a veteran corrections official and has held multiple senior positions across the department since 2007. Kuhn will work alongside Gov.-elect Sherrill to protect public safety, uphold the rights of incarcerated individuals, increase access to job training, mental health resources, and other critical programs that help reduce recidivism, and protect the health and safety of corrections officers.

“I am proud to announce that Victoria Kuhn will continue to lead our Department of Corrections in my administration. Having served as the Outreach and Reentry Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, I know that high-quality mental health and job training services keep our streets safe, protect law enforcement officers, and set individuals up for success as they return to their families and communities. I look forward to working with Commissioner Kuhn as she continues the critical work with her team to improve our corrections system and keep officers and inmates safe.

“I am also grateful to Christine Norbut Beyer for continuing to serve our state on an interim basis and helping us search for her successor. It’s critical that we have experienced and steady leadership at the DCF as the federal government attacks state funding for programs that vulnerable children rely on, like Medicaid and resources for kids in the foster system,” said Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill.

“I am grateful to Governor-elect Sherrill for the opportunity to continue leading the NJDOC. Together, we will continue in our mission of making NJDOC into a national model for reentry by investing in programs that support incarcerated New Jerseyans with opportunities, protect our hardworking officers, and keep our streets safe. I look forward to working with the Gov.-elect on reducing recidivism, enhancing public safety, and improving our corrections system,” said Commissioner Victoria L. Kuhn.

“Keeping our children safe and supported has been my number one priority throughout my career. I look forward to working with Gov.-elect Sherrill and Lt. Gov.-elect Caldwell to ensure a smooth transition. In the interim, keeping New Jersey children and families safe will continue to be my top priority and DCF will remain laser-focused on delivering prevention-focused, data-driven programs to make sure that every one of our children can thrive,” said Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer.

Victoria L. Kuhn is the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Prior to leading the department, Kuhn served as the DOC’s Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and led the Department’s Equal Employment Division. Kuhn started her career as an Assistant Prosecutor and later served in the Office of the Attorney General – Division of law, where she handled federal and state litigation and tackled law enforcement and corrections issues. Kuhn is a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law and Drew University.

Christine Norbut Beyer is a lifelong public servant and has served as the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families since 2018. Prior to that, she worked with the Department of Human Services, where she helped turn it into the first Cabinet-level child-serving state agency and served as the Director of the (former) Division of Youth and Family Services and then as the Assistant Commissioner. Outside of government, Beyer has served as the Senior Director and Strategic Consultant at Casey Family Programs, where she worked with state legislatures, governors, and court systems to create better outcomes for at-risk children. Beyer is a graduate of Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, earned her Master of Social Work Administration, Policy, and Planning from the Rutgers University School of Social Work.