Murphy’s office taps 4 new economic advisors

Gov. Phil Murphy’s office added four longtime state officials as economic advisors, tasked with gauging the state’s COVID-19 recovery, the front office announced on Feb. 23.

All four figures will work under Joe Kelley, the deputy chief of staff on economic development for Murphy’s office, and alongside Corporate Affairs Coordinator Philip Loureiro.

They include former New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Executive Director and former Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Charles Richman; former Rhode Island Commerce Secretary and a longtime New Jersey urban planning official Dan Jennings; former New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority Executive Director and Diegnan & Brophy law partner Eric Brophy; and former Goldman Sachs employee and governor’s officer staffer Carolyn Canella.

“Chuck, Dan, Eric, and Carolyn are critical additions to our Economic Growth team led by Joe Kelley,” Murphy said in a prepared statement.

“Together, they bring to the Governor’s Office decades of expertise in attracting businesses and development, and will serve as key advisers in our administration as we continue to make New Jersey the country’s best destination for high-growth businesses and innovation,” the governor said of the four individuals.

Targeted industries that the governor’s office has tried to lure to New Jersey range from clean energy and fintech; to film, television and digital media productions; advanced manufacturing and logistics; and pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

And Murphy’s office has indeed notched several wins in the past year, like the governor’s approval of a massive $14.5 billion economic incentive program in January 2021.

Offshore wind is showing promise to make New Jersey a national leader in the industry. Meanwhile, Netflix is eyeing the old Fort Monmouth army base for several studios, while other major film productions and film studios have already set up shop here.

Fintech giant Fiserv said it would move several thousand jobs to Berkeley Heights in exchange for a $109 million state subsidy under the newly launched NJ Emerge program, and the HAX tech accelerator in Newark – announced in October – has the potential for an added 2,500 jobs in the years to come.

Richman’s work will center on state permitting, where he will “lead the administration’s efforts to review various state development permit processes and devise ways” to cut red tape, the governor’s office said.

“The effort will include examining use of new technologies to assist the review and inspection process as well as working to assist developments of statewide importance through the permitting process,” Murphy’s office continued.

Jennings, in his role as senior economic development advisor, will focus on real estate and planning projects. He was previously planning director in East Orange where he oversaw $1.5 billion of real estate projects and before that, senior vice president of real estate for the Brick City Development Corp. where head $3 billion for offices, hotels, warehouses, residential and retail projects through the city.

Brophy and Canella will both also be senior economic development advisors in Murphy’s office. Brophy’s work at the Monmouth County-based law firm focused on business and municipal law.