Gov. Mikie Sherrill Says Jacquelyn Suarez Will Continue to Lead DCA
Photo of Jacqulyn Suarez courtes of New Jersey State Government
AC JosepH Media
TRENTON – Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill announced that she will retain Jacquelyn A. Suárez as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs (DCA).
Suarez became the first Latina ever to hold the title with outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy tapped her to lead the sprawling state department in 2024, a post formerly held by the late Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver.
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, 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 Sherrill in a statement.
“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 Suárez.
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.
“We welcome the announcement that Commissioner Jacquelyn Suarez has agreed to continue serving the people of New Jersey as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs,” said the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey in a statement.
“Her continued leadership brings both stability and deep institutional knowledge to an agency that plays a vital role in the lives of New Jersey residents and businesses.”
The Hispanic advocacy organization Latina Civic Action thanked Sherrill for recognizing Suarez’s work under the Murphy administration and allowing her to continue those efforts.
“Latina Civic Action congratulates Commissioner Jacquelyn Suarez on continuing her service as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs,” Latina Civic said in its statement.
“Her leadership, which supports local governments, addresses veteran homelessness, and strengthens small businesses, has made a lasting impact across our state. We thank Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill for recognizing Commissioner Suarez’s experience and commitment to public service. DCA plays a key role in housing, permitting reform, and shared services.”
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