TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy today announced that Jeff Brown – the current Deputy Commissioner for Health Systems at the New Jersey Department of Health – will serve as Acting Health Commissioner. Brown will succeed Commissioner Kaitlan Baston, who announced this week that she will serve as the interim CEO of University Hospital. Brown will begin in his new role on Monday, April 28, 2025.

“Jeff Brown is a tested public servant who has spent his career working to uplift New Jersey’s health care infrastructure, and I am thrilled that he will serve as Acting Commissioner of the Department of Health,” said Governor Murphy. “Through his advocacy and leadership, Jeff has played an important role in ensuring New Jerseyans have a trusted public health system and access to high-quality health care. I am confident that his experiences will serve him well at the helm of the Department of Health.”

“It is an honor to serve as Acting Commissioner of the Department of Health. I thank Governor Murphy for entrusting me with this position,” said Jeff Brown, incoming Health Commissioner. “I look forward to maintaining the Department’s commitment to protecting public health, improving the quality of health care, and supporting the delivery of critical services to promote healthy New Jersey communities.”

"It has been a true privilege to serve as Health Commissioner under the Murphy Administration. I am immensely proud of all that we have accomplished to create a healthier, more equitable state for all New Jerseyans,” said Kaitlan Baston, outgoing Health Commissioner. “I am confident this work will continue under Jeff Brown and the incredible leadership team at the Department of Health.”

Brown currently serves as the Deputy Commissioner of Health Systems at the New Jersey Department of Health, overseeing inspections and the enforcement of regulations for approximately 2,200 licensed New Jersey health care facilities; over 2,700 mental health and addiction services and programs; the Certificate of Need Program; the Office of Health Care Affordability and Transparency; and major hospital funding programs such as Charity Care, Graduate Medical Education, and the Quality Improvement Performance Program. 

Prior to becoming Deputy Commissioner, Brown served as the first Executive Director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, where he was responsible for organizational strategy, policy, and management of a new State commission, and as Assistant Commissioner for Medicinal Marijuana under the Department of Health. His work included expanding access to the medicinal marijuana program from 17,000 patients to more than 125,000 patients, leading and overseeing the first-ever comprehensive regulations to underpin New Jersey's personal use cannabis industry, developing one of the most innovative laws and tax structures for cannabis sales in the country, and managing the regulatory oversight of a new billion-dollar industry.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown served as the Department of Health’s lead in establishing the Atlantic City Field Medical Site and was a member of the Department of Health’s COVID-19 testing task force.

Before his time at the Department of Health and the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, Brown worked extensively on the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act, particularly the creation of health insurance exchanges and the expansion of Medicaid. He also led an association of community-based providers to implement innovative new payment models in Medicaid and fought to expand access to health care in New Jersey’s urban communities by developing sustainable financing policies. 

Brown grew up in Mercer County and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rutgers University.

For a photo of Jeff Brown, click here.