“The need to hold the government accountable to those it serves and to provide voices for those rendered mute by poverty or other forms of political impotence is the noblest of missions.”  - Ron Chen, Senate Testimony, February 6, 2006

Ronald Chen is an accomplished lawyer and teacher who has dedicated himself for the last 18 years to public service and representing individuals on a range of civil rights and constitutional matters.

Prior to becoming the Public Advocate, Ron was the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Rutgers University Law School where he was responsible for overall academic and curricular operations and policy at the law school. Previously, he was Acting Director of the Minority Student Program and Director of Financial Aid and an Assistant Professor of Law. Through all these jobs, Ron has maintained a busy schedule as a law professor, teaching contracts, federal courts, constitutional law and church-state relations. In addition, to his teaching schedule, Ron has provided pro bono legal representation to a host of clients on a range of civil rights and constitutional law cases.

Since 1990, Ron has been an active member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He first served as a Trustee on the New Jersey board and then was elected to ACLU’s national board.  In 2002, he was elected by the board to serve on the National Executive Committee.  (As Public Advocate, Ron has resigned all his positions with the ACLU).

Ron earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Dartmouth College in 1980 and graduated from Rutgers University Law School with high honors in 1983. He served on the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Professional Ethics from 1996-2006 (the last year as Vice-Chair), served on the New Jersey Law Journal Editorial Board from 1996-2006, 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.

A child of Chinese immigrants who came to this country after World War II, Ron has lived most of his adult life in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.  Ron is an active member of the United States Rowing Association. Since 1980, Ron has been a nationally licensed judge-referee and in 1987 became an internally licensed umpire, and served as a referee at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.  He currently serves the Vice-President of the United States Rowing Association. Ron’s rowing activities will be the only board that he will remain active in while serving as New Jersey’s Public Advocate.