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CORZINE NAMES
SECRETARY OF STATE AND MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
ADJUTANT GENERAL
Taps Nina Mitchell Wells and Major General Glenn K.
Rieth to Serve
TRENTON – Governor-elect Jon S. Corzine today
nominated Nina Mitchell Wells to serve as Secretary
of State and renamed Major General Glenn K. Rieth as
Adjutant General of New Jersey and head of the Department
of Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
“I’m very pleased to name these two outstanding
individuals to serve in my administration,” Corzine
said. “I’ve always said that I’d
choose nominees with impeccable credentials and distinguished
experience, and I’m proud that both Nina Mitchell
Wells and Major General Rieth have agreed to be a part
of my team.”
Wells, who served as Vice President of Public Affairs
for Schering-Plough until February 2004, graduated
from Newton College of the Sacred Heart, now known
as Boston College, and earned her law degree from Suffolk
University Law School. Previously she served as Assistant
Dean and Director of the minority student program and
financial aid at Rutgers University School of Law.
She resides in Livingston with her husband, and they
have two children.
"I am honored and excited to join Governor Corzine's
cabinet. I look forward to being a champion for New
Jersey's extraordinary cultural and arts institutions,” said
Wells. “I am very interested in partnering with
foundations, corporations and interested individuals
to ensure needed funding so these institutions can
continue to flourish. These cultural institutions are
the true jewels of New Jersey."
Major General Rieth has served as Adjutant General
of New Jersey since 2002. During that time he has commanded
over 9,000 soldiers and airmen of the New Jersey Army
and Air National Guard. The General earned a Bachelor
of Arts from The Citadel Military College of South
Carolina where he was the Distinguished Military Graduate,
he is also a graduate of the Army War College. The
General resides in Ewing with his wife, and they have
two children.
“I’m proud of the work that I’ve
been able to accomplish for New Jersey’s veterans
and military over the past few years,” said General
Rieth. “I approach this continued opportunity
to serve with great excitement and look forward to
working every day for New Jersey’s veterans and
our men and women in uniform.”
These are Governor-elect Corzine’s first cabinet
appointments. All Department heads are appointed by
the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The only exception is the Secretary of Agriculture
who is appointed by the Board of Agriculture pending
the Governor’s approval.
The Department of State oversees arts, cultural and
historical services in New Jersey. This includes the
State Archives and Records Management, the State Museum,
the Historical Commission, the Council on the Arts,
the Cultural Trust, the Governor’s Office of
Volunteerism, the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative
Commission, the Commission on American Indian Affairs,
and the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives.
The Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs
oversees veterans services in New Jersey as well as
the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard.
The department is also responsible for the military
response element of the state’s homeland security
program. |