TRUST Commission

TRUST in New Jersey

By Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin

New Jersey is known for many things: our shore, Taylor ham, Springsteen. And, unfortunately, a history of public corruption.

As New Jersey’s Attorney General, I have made rooting out corruption, in all its forms, a top priority. Let me be clear: corruption is not a victimless crime. Any time a public official abuses their office or places their private interests above the public good, real people get hurt. When public resources are diverted to benefit a powerful few, it means there is less to go around for the rest. That means less money for our schools or parks or healthcare programs. And it means we are all left to pick up the tab, usually in the form of higher taxes.

I know that, right now, too many in our State feel that the wealthy and well-connected play by a different set of rules. Corruption, when left unchecked, destroys the fundamental agreement between the government and the people we swear an oath to serve. It fosters a cynicism about public servants that is all too pervasive today. And ultimately, it undermines our democracy as a whole. And too often, it has turned our State into a national punchline.

But it does not have to be this way. That is why I recently announced a first-of-its-kind Commission designed to strengthen the connection between my office and the people of New Jersey. The 13 members of the TRUST (Transparency and Reliability Uniting to Secure Trust) Commission were specifically chosen for their perspective, expertise, and shared commitment to promoting a fair and just system of government. They include community advocates, scholars, and former members of the judiciary and credible prosecutors, all of whom have dedicated their careers to building trust between our government and the people it serves.

This Commission will build upon the work my office has done over the past three years to promote transparency and accountability. We increased transparency in law enforcement by assuming operational control of the Paterson Police Department. I implemented ARRIVE, the first-in-the-nation statewide alternative crisis response program. I launched lawsuits and created new offices, such as the SAFE (Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement) Office to regulate and hold powerful industries like social media giants, gun companies, and opioid manufacturers to account. And I took steps to strengthen the integrity in our state’s election system.

I also dedicated considerable resources to eliminating corruption wherever it occurs – and I certainly have not been afraid to hold the powerful to account. That includes investigating and prosecuting corruption crimes, including through our Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).

Created in 2019, OPIA has a broad mandate: it investigates and prosecutes cases of public corruption; it oversees the investigation of every fatal police encounter in the State; it pursues sensitive police internal affairs investigations; and it has promulgated nationally recognized policing policy reforms, including the first updates to our State’s use-of-force policy in decades.

OPIA is led by career prosecutors and investigators dedicated to doing what is right. My job, and OPIA’s job, is to pursue any investigation, without fear or favor and without regard to where it may lead. And OPIA has been productive in that effort, having obtained well over 100 favorable dispositions since its inception, and just shy of 50 in the past three years alone.

While this work may not always be popular in halls of power, it is fundamental to our democracy. Indeed, at a time when the unelected justices on the U.S. Supreme Court has tied federal prosecutors’ hands and limited their ability to prosecute corruption crimes – and as distrust in government rises to an all-time high – it is incumbent on State prosecuting agencies, like my office, to redouble our efforts to fight corruption.

I am very proud of the work we have done to date — but I know we can do more. Therefore, I have asked the Commission to provide recommendations to me within six months on how my office can further the mission of fighting corruption and strengthening the public’s trust in government. And as part of this effort, the Commission will hold public hearings throughout the state to solicit public input. You can read more about the Commission’s work at [insert website].

Our State’s reputation for public corruption should offend us all. The people of New Jersey deserve a government that they can trust—one they can see and understand, one that protects and serves all. I am committed to this goal and making that a reality for everyone who calls New Jersey home.

Matthew J. Platkin was appointed by Governor Phil Murphy to serve as the state’s 62nd Attorney General on February 3, 2022, and confirmed to that role with bipartisan support by the New Jersey Senate on September 29, 2022.

As New Jersey’s chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Platkin has prioritized the safety of New Jersey residents, focusing on combating violent crime and implementing innovative public safety strategies. He has specifically targeted gun crimes and auto thefts, resulting in significant reductions in both areas during his tenure. He has also spearheaded efforts to change how law enforcement responds to mental health emergencies by connecting individuals to resources, underscored by the innovative ARRIVE Together program.

The Attorney General leads a department that touches upon nearly every aspect of life in New Jersey. Its sweeping responsibilities include investigating and prosecuting crimes, representing the State’s interests in court, enforcing strong consumer protection and civil rights statutes, regulating important industries and overseeing over 38,000 law enforcement officers throughout the state. Attorney General Platkin believes that at the center of this work is public trust. With that goal in mind, he has made it a priority to utilize available resources and authority to root out public waste and abuse, eradicate corruption, hold regulated businesses and industries accountable, defend civil rights, end bias and discrimination, and increase transparency concerning law enforcement conduct.

Since his appointment, Attorney General Platkin has established several new offices within the Department of Law and Public Safety. These include the Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement Office, the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance and specialized units within the Division of Criminal Justice dedicated to prosecuting human trafficking and complex financial crimes. He has spearheaded the creation of the Reproductive Rights Strike Force and partnered with the Governor’s Office and Legislature to protect access to reproductive healthcare.

Before becoming Attorney General, Platkin served as Chief Counsel to Governor Murphy from January 2018 to October 2020. As Chief Counsel, he oversaw an office of attorneys that advised the Governor on all legal matters, including legislation, executive orders, administrative regulations, and litigation.

In addition to his work in public service, Platkin also worked in private practice, having served as a partner at Lowenstein Sandler in the White-Collar Criminal Defense and Business Litigation practice groups.

Previously, he worked as an associate at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York City, where he focused on internal investigations and civil and criminal matters before the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the U.S. Department of Justice, the New York Department of Financial Services, and various regulatory agencies.

Prior to law school, Platkin began his career as a policy advisor at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., working with members of Congress on job growth and economic recovery. He also served as an organizer in San Antonio, Texas.

Platkin was born and raised in New Jersey, growing up in Morris County, and graduated from Madison High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University, and his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School, where he was an editor of the Stanford Law Review. He lives in Montclair with his wife, Sophia, and children, Robert and Maya.

Sue Altman is the New Jersey State Director for Senator Andy Kim. A committed anti-corruption reformer for over a decade, Sue served as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, a non-profit organization that focused on fighting political corruption in Trenton, on both sides of the aisle.

A former professional basketball player and graduate of Columbia University in New York, Sue earned two graduate degrees from Oxford University in the UK: an MBA and a MSc in International and Comparative Education.

In 2024, Sue was the Democratic nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th District. Her high-profile race against Congressman Tom Kean Jr. was the most expensive House race in New Jersey history.

The Reverend Dr. Charles Franklin Boyer is a third-generation African Methodist Episcopal preacher. He is the pastor of Greater Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church in Trenton, New Jersey, and the co-founder with his wife Rosalee of Salvation and Social Justice, a non-partisan Black faith-rooted public policy. He is also a Senior Consultant to the Social Action Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Dr. Boyer is the leading faith voice in New Jersey for racial justice issues, the campaign to abolish the drug war and the criminalization of Black people. His advocacy led to several statewide policy changes such as racial impact analysis, closure of youth prisons, voting rights restoration for the formerly incarcerated, independent prosecutors, restricting solitary confinement, community reinvestment of millions of dollars each year through cannabis taxes, secured $8.4M for restorative justice hubs and $12M for community led first response as an alternative to police. He led the campaign to free over nine thousand people from New Jersey’s deadly prisons during the pandemic, making it the largest singular decarceration event in the state’s history.

In June of 2022, Reverend Boyer was appointed the 68th pastor of Greater Mount Zion. Since he and Rosalee’s tenure the church satisfied a $700,000 debt to the First Episcopal District, opened GMZ properties up to Afghan and Haitian refugees, established the Trenton Restorative Street Team to deal with gun violence, bought housing for people returning to Trenton from incarceration, repaired, remodeled and renovated the sanctuary, the parsonage, and the original church on Perry Street, established the GMZCDC, opened the Myra Ashley Outreach Center feeding hundreds of families per week, began repair of an old school building for a Black led birthing and restorative justice center securing over $4M and now Rosalee sits on the Maternal and Infant Health Authority for the state of New Jersey.

More than anything, Rev. Boyer is passionate about spiritual disciplines, especially prayer and meditation. His favorite scripture is Psalms 27:13, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed, that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”. Charles and Rosalee have three children: Shaina, Kyle, and Jayden and two grandchildren: Noah and Autumn.

Ronald Chen served as Dean and Co-Dean of the Law School (and the predecessor School of Law–Newark) from 2013 to 2018. Prior to his tenure as dean, he served as Vice-Dean and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 1994-2006 and 2010 ti 2013. In June 2018, the University Board of Governors bestowed on him the title of University Professor, with the universitywide privilege of teaching and conducting research and educational activities across disciplines and schools. Professor Chen is also a Distinguished Professor of Law and the Judge Leonard I. Garth Scholar. In 2020, he became a Faculty Associate of the Eagleton Institute of Politics.

Professor Chen earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1980 and received his J.D. from Rutgers Law School with high honors in 1983, where he was editor-in-chief of the Rutgers Law Review and the Saul Tischler Scholar and received the Alumni Senior Prize. He served as law clerk to the Honorable Leonard I. Garth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and then was associated with the firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore until 1987 when he returned to the law school as a member of the faculty, where he has taught courses in Contracts, Federal Jurisdiction, Mass Media Law and Church-State Relations. In addition, Professor Chen has appeared numerous times in state and federal court litigating civil rights, civil liberties and constitutional law cases. He currently continues this work through the Constitutional Rights Clinic.

From 2006 to 2010, Professor Chen was on leave of absence from the law school while serving as the first Public Advocate of New Jersey in 13 years when the Department of the Public Advocate was restored in 2006. As a member of the Governor’s Cabinet, he was charged with providing advocacy for a number of specific constituencies, including elder citizens, persons with disabilities, mental health services’ consumers, and ratepayers, and was generally given standing to represent the public interest in legal proceedings. His areas of focus included eminent domain reform, voters’ rights, affordable housing, childhood lead poisoning prevention, deinstitutionalization of persons with developmental disabilities and mental health services’ consumers, and affordable energy for ratepayers. As Public Advocate, he was named chair of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel on Immigrant Policy, which was charged with making recommendations on how state government can best assist immigrants to integrate into the New Jersey community.

Professor Chen is an active lay leader of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He served as a trustee on the New Jersey affiliate board from 1989 to 2002, and on the ACLU National Board from 1996, serving also on the National Executive Committee. After completing his term as Public Advocate, he was re-elected to the ACLU National Board and New Jersey affiliate board, and currently serves on the ACLU National Board Executive Committee and since 2017 as General Counsel of the ACLU.

He currently serves as Chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics, as a member of the New Jersey Law Journal editorial board, the Advisory Board of the New Jersey League of Women Voters, and the NJ Supreme Court Historical Society Advisory Board. He has served on numerous ad hoc committees and working groups for the New Jersey judiciary. He chaired the New Jersey State Bar Association Committee on Legal Education from 2003-2006, and chaired the Third Circuit Lawyers Advisory Committee from 2002-2003. In 2019, Governor Phil Murphy appointed him as Chair of the Governor’s Task Force on EDA Tax Incentives and as his delegate pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:15-7 to investigate the administration of programs by which billions of dollars of tax credits were awarded to private entities under the Economic Opportunity Act of 2013.

He is also the President of the Board of the Princeton National Rowing Association, the Vice-President of the Board of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Co., and a member of the Advisory Board of the NJ League of Women Voters.

He was named the New Jersey Law Journal’s “Lawyer of the Year” for 2007, in large part because of his work in using state constitutional principles to prevent eminent domain abuse. Among the other awards he has received are the Fannie Bear Besser Award for public service given by the Rutgers School of Law–Newark Alumni Association, the 2007 Mel Narol Excellence in Diversity Award given by the New Jersey State Bar Association, the 2002 Roger Baldwin Award bestowed by ACLU-NJ for contributions to civil liberties, and the 2001 Outstanding Achievement Award and the 2016 Trailblazer Award, both bestowed by the Association of Asian and Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey.

Jennifer Davenport served as the First Assistant Attorney General for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office from 2018 to 2020; and again from 2021 to 2022. She also served as the Principal Law Enforcement Advisor at the Office of the Attorney General. Prior, she was Division Counsel to the New Jersey Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Ms. Davenport also spent seven years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, where she served as Chief of the General Crimes Unit. Previously, Jen worked as a litigation associate in the Newark offices of Latham & Watkins and Patton Boggs and clerked for Chief Judge John W. Bissell of the U.S. District Court in Newark. Before and during law school, Ms. Davenport worked as an intelligence analyst at the DEA.

Ms. Davenport currently is the Senior Director, Compliance at PSEG in Newark, New Jersey. In this role, Ms. Davenport is responsible for the overall management of the Corporate Ethics and Compliance function, internal investigations, and for leading the development, implementation, and ongoing coordination of an enterprise-wide compliance program.

John J. Farmer, Jr. a former New Jersey Attorney General and Senior Counsel to the 9/11 Commission, has served as Director of Eagleton since September 2019. He is a University Professor and has served as Dean of Rutgers School of Law—Newark and EVP and General Counsel of Rutgers prior to his role at Eagleton. He has led the Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience since its inception in 2018, and will continue in that role after stepping down from the directorship of Eagleton. He is currently on a one-year research leave.

Farmer’s career has spanned service in high-profile government appointments, private practice in diverse areas of criminal law, and teaching and law school administration. Farmer began his career as a law clerk to Associate Justice Alan B. Handler of the New Jersey Supreme Court. He worked as an associate at Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti LLP before joining the Office of the U.S. Attorney in Newark, where he received the U.S. Attorney General’s Special Achievement Award for Sustained Superior Performance in 1993.

Farmer joined the administration of New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman in 1994, serving as assistant counsel, deputy chief counsel, and then chief counsel. From 1999-2002 he was New Jersey’s attorney general. From 2003-2004, as senior counsel and team leader for the 9/11 Commission, Farmer led the investigation of the country’s preparedness for and response to the terrorist attacks and was a principal author of the Commission’s final report. His book, The Ground Truth: The Story Behind America’s Defense on 9/11, was named a New York Times notable book. Farmer was a partner at K&L Gates and in 2007 became a founding partner of the law firm Arseneault, Whipple, Farmer, Fassett and Azzarello, LLP.

In addition to his law practice, in 2008 he served as senior advisor to General James Jones, special envoy for Middle East regional security, on development of the rule of law in the Palestinian Authority territory, and was invited by the U.S. Embassy in Armenia to assist that nation’s legislative commission in investigating widespread violence and unrest following its elections.

He was recruited to become dean of Rutgers School of Law-Newark in 2009, and served in that capacity until April 2013, when he was asked to complete his deanship contract by serving as senior vice president and general counsel of Rutgers University. He was named General Counsel of the Year for 2013 by the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. In 2011 he served as counsel to the commission that redrew New Jersey’s legislative districts and, later that year, was appointed the independent, tie-breaking member of the commission charged with developing a new map of New Jersey’s congressional districts. Farmer was also the co-principal investigator on a $1.95 million dollar grant from U.S. Intelligence agencies to develop programs that prepare professionals to work in intelligence and national security positions.

Farmer served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct from 2007-2014, and as the compliance monitor, from 2008-2014, of a National Security Agreement entered into with the federal government by Alcatel and Lucent Technologies upon their merger.

In 2012, Farmer received the Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. Award from the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey and the Distinguished Public Service Award from Leadership New Jersey. In 2014, he received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. In 2015, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Jersey Law Journal.

Paul Fishman heads Arnold & Porter’s Crisis Management and Strategic Response team and is a member of the firm’s White Collar Defense, Commercial Litigation, Securities Enforcement, and Appellate practices. He focuses on counseling executives and boards of directors on complex and sensitive issues, and handles internal and government investigations, white collar criminal defense, commercial litigation, corporate compliance and governance, and appellate advocacy.

Paul brings a wealth of experience from his public service and private practice. As the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2009 through 2017, he was the state’s chief federal law enforcement officer. He supervised the work of approximately 150 attorneys and was responsible for all criminal and civil matters in which the federal government was involved. Those matters included healthcare fraud; cybercrime; national security; political corruption; securities, corporate, and bank fraud; the FCPA; defense contracting; environmental crimes; tax evasion; civil rights; money laundering; and gang violence and narcotics distribution.

As United States Attorney, Paul served in national level leadership positions with the Department of Justice. Appointed by both Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) of U.S. Attorneys, he served as the Chair of that committee from 2011 to 2013. The AGAC provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General on policy, management, and operational issues affecting the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorneys across the country.

Immediately prior to serving as U.S. Attorney, Paul was in private practice for 12 years where he handled a broad array of white collar and civil litigation matters, representing institutions and individuals and serving as a corporate monitor. In government service and in private practice, he gained wide-ranging experience across a number of diverse industries, including financial services; healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences; consumer products; manufacturing; transportation; energy; and defense and government contracting. Paul also is an accomplished trial and appellate lawyer with extensive experience in federal and state courts, as well as before arbitration panels.

Jeannine LaRue is founder of the well-known blog LaRuelist Report and Senior Vice President of the Kaufman Zita Group, has spent almost 40 years serving the public on policy, governmental, and political issues in the public and private sectors.

Her life travels began in rural Mannington Township, Salem County NJ with the dream of becoming a concert pianist. But, a series of disappointments and tragedies put Jeannine on a road of detours, rugged roads, and roadblocks that would have destroyed most human beings. But, not Jeannine!

This thirst to become an agent of change catapulted Jeannine into the world of education, politics, and public affairs.

In 1974, Jeannine kicked off her professional career in New Jersey at Penns Grove High School as an English teacher. Her love for education and interest in labor relations led her to the New Jersey Education Association, the State’s most powerful union where she served as a lobbyist for a decade. She left that position when former Governor Jim Florio appointed her to a five-year term to the Casino Control Commission where she used that position as a catalyst to talk about urban renewal, job training, and minority set-aside programs.

She pressed on through sexual assaults, domestic violence, failed marriages, the passing of both parents when she was in her 20’s… and the responsibility of raising her biological children, an orphaned sibling, and shared care of stepchildren. Jeannine often felt broken and bound in a world of deep despair with no way out and no place to go.

Justice Long was born March l, 1942 in Elizabeth. She attended parochial schools in the city, graduating from Benedictine Academy in 1959. She was a dean’s list student at Dunbarton College of Holy Cross, Washington, D.C., and graduated in 1963. She attended Rutgers Law School, where she was captain of the Appellate Moot Court team and winner of the competition prizes for best oralist and best brief. She received her law degree in 1966 and was admitted to the bar.

Justice Long began her legal career as a Deputy Attorney General for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. She was a Deputy Assistant General in 1973 when she became a litigation associate with the law firm of Pitney, Hardin, Kipp and Szuch. She returned to government service in 1975 as Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, and then served as Commissioner of the Department of Banking from 1977 to 1978.

Justice Long was appointed to the Superior Court by Governor Brendan Byrne in 1978. She presided over civil, criminal and family law cases. From 1983 to 1984, she was the general equity judge for the Mercer/Somerset/Hunterdon Vicinage. In 1984, then-Chief Justice Robert N. Wilentz elevated her to the Appellate Division, where she served for 15 years and penned over 2,000 opinions. In 1995, she became a presiding judge. Justice Long chaired and served as a member of numerous Supreme Court committees, including the Extrajudicial Activities and Judicial Performance Committees.

Governor Christine Todd Whitman announced Justice Long’s appointment to the Supreme Court on June 8, 1999. The Senate confirmed the nomination nine days later, and she took her oath on Sept. 1, 1999. She served on the Court until she retired on Feb. 29, 2012. She is married to Jonathan D. Weiner and is the mother of three children.

Edward M. Neafsey was first in his family to graduate college. He is now an adjunct professor at Rutgers Law School – Newark. He teaches courses in criminal procedure and military justice. He is a volunteer mentor in NJ’s Veterans Diversion Program, and he handles pro bono mediations and arbitrations assigned by the court. In the interim, he has remained committed to the pursuit of justice through public service, continued learning and the education of others.

After graduating Assumption College and Southwestern Law School, Neafsey joined the U.S. Army as a Judge Advocate General attorney. He served as a Captain in the First Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas and in Germany. He was awarded an Army Commendation Medal for that service.

After the military, Neafsey spent over 33 years in public service at the county, state ,and federal levels. He was an assistant prosecutor, public defender, deputy attorney general, assistant counsel to Governor Tom Kean, Assistant Commissioner for Enforcement at the NJDEP during the Florio administration, Acting County Prosecutor, first State Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, Inspector General, Acting Director of State Police Affairs, and First Assistant Attorney General.

After leaving the executive branch, he was a Superior Court Judge in the civil and criminal divisions in Monmouth and Mercer Counties. He was retired when Superstorm Sandy struck, but he elected to serve as the lead legal advisor for the public assistance program in FEMA’s NJ field office. For that work, he received a U.S. Department of Homeland Security General Counsel’s Award for Excellence.

Neafsey, a certified criminal trial attorney for two decades before becoming a judge, tried murder cases for the defense and prosecution and as a judge. He handled two capital trials as a public defender. In both, juries unanimously rejected the death penalty. He also worked on the amendment to NJ’s death penalty law that barred the execution of juveniles. After the NJ Supreme Court recognized the battered woman’s syndrome defense, he was the first to use it. The jury in that Essex County murder trial found the defendant not guilty on all charges.

Neafsey prosecuted two major prison cases. First, as a deputy attorney general, he tried eight correction officers from Trenton State Prison. The jury found seven guilty of official misconduct for assaulting inmates and filing false reports. Second, as Acting Union County Prosecutor, he spearheaded an investigation that led to the indictment of 12 Union County correction officers who assaulted immigrant detainees and conspired to cover-up the abuse. Ten were convicted. A Star Ledger columnist, noting he took on tough cases, called him the “people’s prosecutor.”

Appointed by the Chief Justice of the NJ Supreme Court, Neafsey served two terms as Chair of the Court’s Minority Concerns Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and the Minority Defendant. Together, the Subcommittee and the Public Advocate produced a brochure that explained how persons completing probation or parole can restore their right to vote. Neafsey also taught judges at the Judiciary’s Annual Judicial College and Judicial Orientation Program, where he addressed the handling of search warrant applications, testimonial motions and jury trials.

Neafsey is Chair-Elect of the NJ State Bar Association’s Military Law and Veterans Affairs Section. He served as Chair of the NJ State Bar’s Criminal Law Section, and he has delivered continuing legal education lectures on a variety of topics including environmental enforcement and the Northern Ireland peace process.

Each of NJ’s three law schools has published a law review article written by Neafsey; the articles discussed criminal justice, enhanced interrogation techniques and civil rights. His Op-ed articles have appeared in The Star Ledger, Asbury Park Press, Trenton Times, NJ Law Journal and Irish Echo newspaper. In 1991, his article – “Bicycling the Jersey Shore” – and photographs were published in the New Jersey Outdoors (Spring) magazine.

Neafsey has received certificates in a variety of courses: Peace Studies, from the Irish School of Ecumenics; Restorative Justice, from Simon Fraser University; and Trauma Response and Crisis Intervention, from Rutgers School of Social Work.

Hetty Rosenstein was NJ State Director for the Communications Workers of America and was employed as a Job Corps educator in New Jersey and became a leader in the State Worker Organizing Committee (SWOC) which successfully led 34,000 state workers to select CWA as their union. As president of Local 1037 representing state workers throughout northern New Jersey, Rosenstein built a strong steward structure that fought for members in the workplace and turned out thousands of CWA activists at legislative hearings and rallies in contract and policy battles. Rosenstein cemented strong relationships with activist community groups as chair of New Jersey Citizen Action, leader in the New Jersey Working Families Party, and early supporter of gay marriage legislation.

Edwin H. Stier is a member of Stier Anderson LLC. Before entering private practice in 1982, he was a Federal and New Jersey State Prosecutor for more than 17 years. His public service has included serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, as Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and as Director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, the nation’s largest and most powerful state-level prosecutorial agency.

Since leaving public office, Mr. Stier has conducted and supervised investigations for private and public entities throughout the country, including monitoring of the clean-up activities at the World Trade Center following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.

Beyond his law practice, urban social problems have been the primary focus of Mr. Stier’s attention since leaving government. He has assumed leadership positions in a number of nonprofit organizations devoted to attacking their root causes.

Debbie Walsh is director of the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. CAWP is nationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about American women’s political participation. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about women’s participation in politics and government and to enhance women’s influence and leadership in public life.

Walsh joined the Center staff in 1981 and became the director in 2001. She oversees CAWP’s multi-faceted programs that include:

leadership and campaign training programs that empower women of all ages to participate fully in politics and public life;
research illuminating women’s distinctive contributions, roles and experiences in politics and government, including the impact of women officeholders and women’s routes to elective office; and
up-to-the-minute information and historical perspectives about women as candidates, public officials and voters.

Walsh is frequently called upon by the media for information and comment, and she speaks to a variety of audiences across the country on topics related to women’s political participation. She is a member of the Circle of Advisors to Rachel’s Network was named one of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century by Women’s eNews. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from SUNY Binghamton and her M.A. in political science from Rutgers, where she was an Eagleton Fellow.

B.A., Political Science from State University of New York-Binghamton; M.A. in Political Science, Rutgers University

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