Rochelle Hendricks
Secretary of Higher Education

Rochelle R. Hendricks was named the first Secretary of Higher Education for the State of New Jersey in May 2011. As Secretary, she is responsible for policy and program development to enhance the capacity and competitiveness of New Jersey’s higher education institutions.

In this role, Secretary Hendricks has focused on advancing the blueprint for higher education reform as recommended by the Governor’s Higher Education Task Force. She has implemented the New Jersey Medical and Health Sciences Education Restructuring Act and the Building Our Future Bond Act, building cross-sector state and national partnerships.

In March 2013, Lt. Governor Guadagno named Secretary Hendricks as the newest member of the New Jersey Partnership for Action. She is also Chair of the Council on Innovation, established to enhance collaboration among academia, business, industry, and the state.

In 2014, Secretary Hendricks was appointed to the State Ethics Commission by Governor Christie, and she was elected Vice Chair of the Educational Facilities Authority Board.

Secretary Hendricks is a founding member of the Policy Steering Council for the Center for Higher Education Strategic Information and Governance at Stockton University.

She is a member of the Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey Board of Trustees and an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Before her higher education appointment, Secretary Hendricks served the Department of Education in a number of roles including Acting Commissioner, Acting Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner. Prior to joining the Department of Education, she worked for over 15 years at Princeton University in numerous capacities. She started her career as a teacher at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School.