Chief Policy Counsel to the Governor

Michellene Davis was appointed as Chief Policy Counsel in January 2009 and is responsible for helping the administration shape and pursue policy initiatives. Prior to her current position she served as Senior Special Counsel to the Governor, overseeing appointments.  Ms. Davis has also served as acting State Treasurer since September 2007, and previously served as chief of staff for the Department of the Treasury. Earlier positions include executive director for the New Jersey State Lottery, and senior policy advisor to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Public Health Services in the Department of Health and Senior Services. She is a former assistant public defender in the Essex County Public Defender’s Office.

Davis was born in Camden, and is a 1994 honors graduate of Seton Hall University. She holds a juris doctorate from Seton Hall University School of Law, and was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1998.