The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs has officially announced Jacquelyn A. Suárez as Commissioner following her confirmation by the New Jersey State Senate. Commissioner Suárez is the 19th individual to lead the department since its inception in 1967 and the first Hispanic person to hold this position. Governor Murphy hosted a ceremonial swearing-in earlier this week at the Statehouse.
Commissioner Suárez had been serving as Acting Commissioner since September 18, 2023. Governor Murphy formally nominated her in January, and the State Senate confirmed her nomination on May 20, 2024. She succeeds former Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who served as DCA Commissioner until her passing in August 2023.
“It was my honor to officially welcome Jacquelyn into my Administration’s cabinet earlier this week as the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs,” said Governor Murphy. “Jacquelyn’s expertise and leadership as the director of the Division of Local Government Services has benefited our Administration for years, helping us through challenging times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While Sheila Oliver can never truly be replaced, Jacquelyn will undoubtedly continue to build on her legacy on behalf of all New Jersey communities.”
“I am humbled and honored that Governor Murphy has entrusted me to lead DCA. I also appreciate the late Lt. Governor Oliver’s mentorship and the potential she saw in me, which resulted in me being able to carry the DCA torch,” said Commissioner Suárez. “It is my privilege to lead a Department that is helping to create housing people can afford, revitalize neighborhoods, make communities safer through building and fire codes, support local governments’ efforts to run more efficiently, and fortify communities against future disasters. I will continue to work to ensure that access to DCA resources is fair and equitable and meet our communities where they are so New Jerseyans can thrive.”
DCA is one of the state's largest departments with a budget exceeding $1 billion and more than 1,000 employees across seven divisions. The department also oversees five affiliated state agencies.
Commissioner Suárez will continue serving as director of DCA’s Division of Local Government Services (DLGS), a role she has held since January 2021. In this capacity, she provides technical and financial assistance to local governments while overseeing municipal, county, and fire district budgets.
Prior to her role at DLGS, Suárez provided legal advice to Governor Murphy's administration as an associate counsel in his office. Her responsibilities included advising on pending legislation, statutory responsibilities, litigation, administrative regulations development, and public policy proposals affecting various departments including Community Affairs.
Before joining the Governor’s Office, Suárez acted as a legislative liaison at DCA where she facilitated communication with the State Legislature and advised on legislative matters impacting the department.
A native of New Jersey, Commissioner Suárez holds a Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law in Camden and a bachelor’s degree from American University in Washington D.C., majoring in communications, legal institutions, economics, and government. She is a member of both New Jersey and New York bar associations as well as the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey.
DCA offers various programs related to local government management and finance, affordable housing production, fire safety, building safety community planning development disaster recovery mitigation historic preservation information privacy among others.
For more information about DCA visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow them on social media: Facebook | X | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube
