Special Counsel to the Governor

Michellene Davis was appointed as special counsel in January 2008. She had served as acting State Treasurer since September 2007, and previously served as chief of staff for the Department of the Treasury. Earlier positions include executive director for the New Jersey State Lottery, and senior policy advisor to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Public Health Services in the Department of Health and Senior Services. She is a former assistant public defender in the Essex County Public Defender’s Office.

As special counsel, Davis has oversight over all gubernatorial appointments, including judicial, prosecutorial, and boards and commissions. She also works on special initiatives and is responsible for management of personnel statewide.

Davis was born in Camden, and is a 1994 honors graduate of Seton Hall University. She holds a juris doctorate from Seton Hall University School of Law, and was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1998.

She is married and resides in West Orange.