TRENTON, N.J. — Gov. Mikie Sherrill has appointed Shirley U. Emehelu as New Jersey’s lieutenant governor and secretary of state, making it the first time in state history that women hold both of the state’s top offices, the governor’s office announced Monday.
Emehelu took office Monday. She had been serving as acting secretary of state and, before that, as acting state comptroller since the start of the Sherrill administration, according to the governor’s office.
“From prosecuting financial fraud and rooting out waste and abuse, to defending civil rights and protecting consumers, Shirley has fought for New Jersey families at every step of her career,” Sherrill said. The governor also credited Emehelu with overseeing last week’s elections.
“I’ve spent my career upholding the law, protecting families, and rooting out fraud, abuse, and corruption,” Emehelu said. “As Lieutenant Governor and continuing my role as Secretary of State, I’ll bring that same tenacity to lowering costs, expanding opportunity for every community, and ensuring government delivers for the people we serve.”
The governor’s office said the choice followed a review of a wide range of candidates, consultation with community leaders and vetting.
From 2022 to 2024, Emehelu was the state’s executive assistant attorney general, the third-ranking official in the Attorney General’s Office, where she helped oversee more than 500 attorneys in the Division of Law. Before that, she spent nine years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, handling complex financial fraud cases and serving as chief of asset recovery and anti-money laundering.
She clerked for U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer in the Eastern District of Virginia and holds undergraduate and law degrees from Yale.
Democratic lawmakers praised the pick. State Sen. Brian Stack, D-Hudson, said Emehelu “has the experience to make government work for the people it represents.” Senate President Scutari, in a statement released Tuesday by Senate Democrats, pointed to her work “with just weeks remaining before Election Day” to help run the election and called the appointment of two women to the top offices “historic.”
U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez, D-8th District, called Emehelu “a proven and dedicated public servant.” Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey, said she will play a crucial role in enforcing the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act as secretary of state.
This report is based on press releases from the Office of the Governor and New Jersey Senate Democrats.
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