Sherrill selects leaders for NJDOH, DOBI

The basics:

• Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill nominates Raynard as New Jersey health commissioner
• Susan Ochs selected to lead the Department of Banking and Insurance
• Appointees bring extensive public- and private-sector experience

Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill announced her latest cabinet picks Jan. 15.

The incoming governor tapped Raynard Washington to serve as New Jersey’s next commissioner of the Department of Health. Additionally, Sherrill will nominate Susan Ochs to serve as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.

NJDOH

Washington brings extensive public health experience to the NJDOH role. He has led Mecklenburg County’s Department of Public Health in North Carolina as director since 2021, after serving as deputy director.

He also previously served as chief epidemiologist and deputy health commissioner for the City of Philadelphia as well as a health research scientist with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Washington will succeed acting Health Commissioner Jeff Brown. In the role, he will oversee public health initiatives, expand access to physical and mental health care, bring transparency to health care pricing and protect residents’ access to affordable care.

Sherrill says she is honored to nominate Washington. The incoming governor described him as a lifetime public servant who will be essential in keeping New Jersey healthy and safe.

“At a time when [President Donald] Trump and RFK Jr. [U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services  Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] are rewriting longstanding guidelines and undermining trust in medical care, it is critical New Jersey have experienced leadership to keep us healthy,” said Sherrill. “Dr. Washington is exactly that type of leader, and I look forward to working with him to keep all New Jerseyans healthy.”

“While Washington is attacking our public health institutions, New Jersey must do everything we can to protect the public’s health and safety, including providing reliable medical information, based in science,” said Washington.

At a time when Trump and RFK Jr. are rewriting longstanding guidelines and undermining trust in medical care, it’s vital for New Jersey to have experienced leadership to keep us healthy. That’s why today, I am honored to nominate Dr. Raynard Washington to be our next Department… pic.twitter.com/PeJ81NiSjs

— Mikie Sherrill (@MikieSherrill) January 15, 2026

He thanked Sherrill for placing her trust in him – and for the opportunity to serve New Jerseyans.

“I look forward to working with the Gov.-elect to lower the cost and improve access to health care and ensure the state’s public health system is prepared to respond to ongoing and emerging public health threats, while continuing its work to make good health possible for all New Jerseyans.”

NJDOBI

At the Department of Banking and Insurance, Ochs brings decades of experience across state and federal government, the private sector and nonprofit work.

She currently serves as CEO of Ochs Advisors, a New Jersey-based consulting firm. She is also an ICF-certified executive coach as well as an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School. Her public sector background includes senior roles with the State of New Jersey, the U.S. Department of the Treasury during the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Rockefeller Foundation.

I’m excited to nominate Susan Ochs to be NJ’s next Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance. She brings decades of experience that will be vital in protecting health insurance access for NJ families, lowering auto insurance prices, holding prescription middlemen… pic.twitter.com/xstlF8Ap3I

— Mikie Sherrill (@MikieSherrill) January 15, 2026

Ochs has also worked in senior leadership and investment roles in the private sector, including at J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Solera Capital and the Long-Term Stock Exchange.

At NJDOBI, she will oversee the state’s banking, insurance, real estate and health care markets, including Get Covered NJ. According to the announcement she will bring a focus on consumer protection.

Consumer concerns

Sherrill stressed the need for a leader who will work to lower insurance costs for Garden State families.

“That’s why I’m nominating Susan Ochs as our next commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance,” said Sherrill. “Susan brings decades of experience driving reform in the financial sector that will be key to regulating roles for New Jersey’s health and auto insurance marketplaces, holding PBM [pharmacy benefit manager] middlemen driving up prescription drug costs accountable, and going after anyone discriminating in mortgage and business lending.”

Ochs would succeed current NJDOBI Commissioner Justin Zimmerman. She called the nomination an “honor.”

Ochs said she shares Sherrill’s “deep commitment” to protecting New Jersey consumers and ensuring that their critical needs are accessible and affordable — from health insurance to mortgages to small business loans.

“These are challenging times for financial consumers, and I look forward to leading an agency that is working every day to help secure their health and financial wellbeing,” said Ochs.