Kevin Dehmer has been appointed as New Jersey’s next Chief Technology Officer, according to an announcement from Governor Mikie Sherrill. In this role, Dehmer will oversee the New Jersey Office of Information Technology and focus on modernizing the state’s digital infrastructure, improving efficiency in state permitting processes, adopting new technologies to address licensure backlogs and wait times, and strengthening cybersecurity measures against challenges related to artificial intelligence.
Governor Sherrill stated, “I am pleased to announce Kevin Dehmer as my choice to lead the New Jersey Office of Information Technology. Kevin is a trusted and experienced public servant who has dedicated his career to strengthening our state’s nation-leading public education system. In doing so, he has implemented impressive reforms to modernize New Jersey’s education data systems. I look forward to working with Kevin to institute similar modernization efforts across our state’s digital infrastructure. Improving how our state government uses technology is fundamental to eliminating bureaucracy and saving our residents time and money.”
Dehmer responded, “As a lifelong public servant, I am honored for the opportunity to continue serving New Jersey as the state’s Chief Technology Officer. I look forward to supporting Governor Sherrill’s efforts to bolster our state’s digital infrastructure, ensuring state agencies can serve New Jersey residents more effectively and efficiently while also maintaining a strong emphasis on cybersecurity.”
Since 2024, Dehmer has served as Commissioner of the Department of Education where he was responsible for implementing statewide education policy for over 600 public school districts and managing more than one-third of the state’s budget allocated for public schools. He led a comprehensive redesign of educational data systems during his tenure.
Before this position, Dehmer was Executive Director and Senior Researcher at the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. At this research center—which is part of Rutgers University according to its official website (https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/)—he managed multidisciplinary teams and expanded technical capacity for statewide data systems in New Jersey. The Bloustein School operates various research centers that focus on areas such as workforce development, community development, transportation, health, and energy policy (https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/). The school is nationally recognized with high rankings in urban planning and public health programs (https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/), fosters inclusive communities (https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/), recognizes distinguished alumni through awards programs (https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/), and has Stuart Shapiro serving as dean since 2023 (https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/).
Earlier in his career at the Department of Education, Dehmer held several leadership roles including Assistant Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer; he also served twice as Interim Commissioner.