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Acting Commissioner Velez Announces DHS Leadership Team
For Immediate Release:
March 7, 2007
For Information, Contact:
Ed Rogan, (609) 292-3703
TRENTON -- Acting Commissioner Jennifer Velez announced today that she has put in place key elements of her leadership team for the department including chief of staff, Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs and Assistant Commissioner for Division of Developmental Disabilities.“This is a group of talented individuals who have the experience, competence and compassion to help lead this department, “said Acting Commissioner Velez. “They will buttress our existing management team, which is dedicated to providing the best services we can to those who depend upon this department.”
Velez announced the following new appointments:
- Diane M. Zompa, of Pennington, who has served in management positions in the departments of Treasury and Corrections for over 20 years, was named chief of staff. Zompa has served as deputy executive director of the New Jersey State Employment and Training since 2003. Prior to that, she was Director, Office of Drug Programs in the Department of Corrections. Zompa is a graduate of Ithaca College and holds a PhD from the University of Rochester, New York.
- Nicole Brossoie was named Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs. Brossoie, of Trenton , has been a legislative assistant with Gluck, Walrath of Trenton since 2003. She also served as director of Intergovernmental and Community Affairs for Mercer County, director of community relations for the Mercer County Improvement Authority, director of state government relations for the New Jersey Hospital Association and as a communications specialist with the New Jersey General Assembly.
- Kenneth W. Ritchey, who headed the state of Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities for eight years, was named Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Developmental Disabilities. In Ohio, Ritchey oversaw a department with ten developmental centers, 3,700 employees and a budget of $1.1 billion. During his tenure, he settled three class action lawsuits and initiated legislation for an abuser registry, licensure reform, medication reform and a victims of crime task force. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, PA, and holds a Masters of Education in Special Education from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Science in Educational Administration from the University of Dayton.
Also:
- Carol Grant , who had been serving as acting chief of staff since July 2006, was named Assistant Commissioner for Administration and Operations and will supervise the Office of Information Technology, Human Services Police, Emergency Management, Facilities, Real Estate and the Office of Program Integrity and Accountability.
- Deputy Commissioner Jim Smith will continue in his post and supervise the divisions of Family Development, Addiction Services, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
- Kim Rogers-McLean was named Assistant Commissioner of Human Resources. She had been acting in that position since March 2006.
- Raquel Mazon-Jeffers was named Director of the Division of Addiction Services. She had been acting in that position since July 2006.
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