GOVERNOR NAMES NEW DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

TRENTON - Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced that longtime reporter Deborah Howlett will join the administration as his new Director of Communications. Howlett comes to the administration after spending three years at the Newark Star Ledger, the largest daily newspaper in New Jersey.

"I am extraordinarily pleased to welcome an individual with Deborah's talent, experience and integrity to our team," Governor Corzine said. "She is a great addition."

Howlett will fill a post vacant since Anthony Coley left on January 8. She is scheduled to start with the administration March 4.

"After years as an observer of the political process, I'm looking forward to participating," Howlett said. "I am honored by the confidence Governor Corzine has placed in me and I am excited at the prospect of working for a leader with undeniable integrity and a clear vision for New Jersey."

Prior to her time with the Star Ledger, Howlett worked for USA Today in Chicago for 16 years. While there she covered stories around the globe with datelines from more than a dozen countries. She has written on issues ranging from the United State's war in Afghanistan, to Ross Perot's 1992 presidential campaign, to the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Howlett was also a regular guest on "Beyond the Beltway", a syndicated radio talk show about national politics based in Chicago. She is a contributing author to the book Desert Warriors, an account of servicemen and women who fought in the Gulf War.

Howlett received a Bachelors in Journalism from the University of Oregon and attended the University of Michigan as a journalism fellow. She now lives in Pennington, NJ with her life partner and two daughters.

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Photos from Governor Corzine's public events are available in the Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page.