New Jersey’s 2023 General Election results have set the stage for a new-look state legislative roster for the next legislative session starting in January 2024 – including 4 new state senators and 26 new members of the state assembly.
Below is a list of incoming members of the NJ State General Assembly, with biographies, for the incoming legislators for the 2004-25 legislative session.
Heather Simmons (D-3):
Four-term Gloucester County Commissioner Heather Simmons is the longest-serving female Commissioner in Gloucester County history and the first woman to be elected Deputy Director to the board of commissioners. Simmons has worked in public education for 32 years and is the assistant vice president for Strategic Initiatives at Rowan University. Before that, she owned her own communications firm.
Simmons has lived in Gloucester County since 1994. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and politics from Saint Joseph’s University, where she was valedictorian of her class. She earned a master’s degree in public relations from Rowan University.
Dave Bailey Jr. (D-3)
Dave Bailey Jr. is a lifelong Salem Countian and the CEO of the faith-based nonprofit Ranch Hope, Inc. He leads a dynamic team of 200 staff, including licensed clinicians, educators, health care and management professionals, volunteers, and support staff working for children, youth, and families in South Jersey.
Bailey Jr. earned a master’s in nonprofit management from Eastern University. He volunteers with Meals on Wheels and is a member of the Rotary Club of Woodstown. He and his wife Julie reside in Woodstown and have three adult children. They are members of Holy Spirit Catholic Church.
Dan Hutchison (D-4):
Dan Hutchison is a father of four, an attorney, and a five-term Gloucester Township Councilman.
Hutchison earned his J.D. from Widener University Law School. He opened his law practice in Gloucester Township in 1997 and is currently working on obtaining a master’s degree in law at Saint John’s University.
Hutchison and his wife Karen have resided in Gloucester Township since 1995.
Cody Miller (D-4):
Cody Miller currently serves on the Monroe Township Board of Education and is the director of Foundation and Alumni Relations at Rowan College of South Jersey.
Prior to his election to the school board in 2021, Miller served on the Monroe Township Council for four years and was the youngest Democratic council member elected in township history at age 23.
Miller is a proud first-generation college graduate who worked through college and was raised by a single mom of four. He is currently enrolled in the Doctorate of Higher Education Leadership at Rowan University and is a volunteer firefighter with Williamstown Fire Company #1.
Andrea Katz (D-8)
Andrea Katz is a mother of three turned public policy advocate. She is the communications director of the Fair Funding Action Committee, a bipartisan grassroots group that advocates for increased school funding.
While serving as a committeewoman, she worked to implement the Chesterfield Township Parks and Recreation Master Plan. She was a member of the Chesterfield Township Alliance Against Substance Abuse.
Katz lives in Chesterfield Township with her husband, Jonathan, and three children. She volunteers with the Chesterfield PTA and the Chesterfield Public Education Fund. She studied fine arts at Bucks County Community College.
Gregory Myhre (D-9)
Gregory Myhre is the Mayor of Stafford Township in Ocean County.
He is a former Stafford Township Planning Board Member, served on the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Advocacy Committee, and was a Pinelands Municipal Council Member.
Gregory is an operations manager for a computer network integration firm and is a licensed realtor.
He earned his BS in Geography from the University of Maryland and a graduate certificate in Geospatial Intelligence from Pennsylvania State University. He lives in Ocean Acres with his wife, Amber and their three children.
Paul Kanitra (R-10)
Paul Kanitra is a former councilperson and current Mayor of Point Pleasant Beach in Ocean County. Paul is the Founder and President of Lobbyit, a nationally recognized leader at the forefront of a groundbreaking movement in the federal lobbying industry.
Paul graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. He is a Board Member on the New Jersey Conference of Mayors and active in multiple philanthropic organizations.
Margie Donlon (D-11)
Margie Donlon is a practicing physician and mom currently serving as Deputy Mayor of Ocean Township where she was elected twice to serve on the council with her bi-partisan ticket.
Dr. Margie Donlon graduated from Middlebury College before receiving her Masters in Public Health from Yale University and her Medical Degree from the University of Rochester. Margie is now a Board-Certified Doctor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Luanne Peterpaul (D-11)
Luanne Peterpaul, Esq., a former County Prosecutor, has tried a number of successful cases against criminals – which includes those who have committed thefts and homicide. Most recently, she served as a Municipal Judge for the City of Long Branch and for the City of Asbury Park.
She previously served as Chair of the Board for Garden State Equality – where she was instrumental in persuading the New Jersey State Legislature to enact bi-partisan Anti-Bullying legislation. A graduate of Duquesne University, and Seton Hall School of Law, she lives with her wife Robin in Long Branch.
Tennille McCoy (D-14)
Tennille McCoty received a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Virginia State University. She pursued a master’s degree in Management and Employee Relations at Rutgers University, where she studied abroad in China and India.
Tonnille formerly served as President of the Rutgers School of Management Alumni Association, and as a former member of the RUAA Board of Directors. She completed a Global MBA with the TRIUM Program, an alliance between the London School of Economics, New York University Stern School of Business, and HEC Paris.
She recently served as the Assistant Commissioner of Human Capital Strategies and Project Management Lead for Public Apprenticeships to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Tonnille is the Founder and CEO of the Samuel McCoy III Scholarship Fund, which aims to support youth through educational and wellness-driven activities and provides financial support to students in pursuit of higher education
Mitchelle Drulis (D-16)
Mitchelle Drulis began her career as a legislative aide to Assemblyman Bob Smith in December of 2000 before serving as the Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Joe Egan from 2002 to 2013. Drulis was the Political Director for then candidate Tom Malinowski in 2018 and went on to serve as the Congressman District Director,
Mitchelle is the owner of a Somerset County based small business, has volunteered as class mom at Copper Hill and as Vice President of the RFIS PTO in the Flemington Raritan school district. Mitchelle is also a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Readington Township where she was a volunteer RF instructor.
Mitchelle attended Rutgers University where she was an Eagleton Institute of Politics – Undergraduate Associate. Mitchelle lives in Raritan Township with her husband Michael Drulis and her daughter.
Dawn Fantasia (R-24)
Dawn Fantasia was first elected to the Sussex County Board of Commissioners in 2018 and is currently serving in her second term. Dawn served on the Franklin Borough Council for three years and was appointed Council President in 2018. Prior to this, she served on the Zoning Board and was first appointed to the Economic Development Committee in 2014.
She graduated from Wallkill Valley Regional High School, and completed her undergraduate degree at Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia. She continued her studies with Rutgers Center for Effective School Practices, and earned an MS in Educational Leadership from Capella University as a recipient of the National Project Working Mom scholarship program.
Dawn has extensive experience over the past fifteen years as both an educator and administrator in public charter school districts. Dawn has taught English, speech, and theater, and was named Teacher of the Year in 2010. She has served as both Chief Growth Officer and Chief Communications Officer, has directed communications and media outreach, and has led the growth and development of visual and performing arts across each school campus. She is currently the middle school principal of Bergen Arts and Science Charter School in Garfield, NJ.
Michael Inganamort (R-24)
Mike Inganamort is the mayor of Chester Township. He previously served on the Township Council, including three years as Council President. While on the Council, Mike co-founded a working group of western Morris County municipalities that has forged new, cost-saving shared service agreements. He is currently the Chester Township Republican Municipal Chairman.
As a volunteer Merit Badge counselor and Eagle Scout, Mike works with local Scouts on the citizenship merit badges and often talks to area troops about civic duty.
Mike earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from American University and a masters degree in American Government from Georgetown University. He is a member of the American Enterprise Institute's Leadership Network and was named to NJBIZ's Forty Under 40 List.
Rosy Bagolie (D-27)
Livingston Township Councilwoman Dr. Rosaura “Rosy” Bagolie is a 15-year resident of Livingston with three children currently attending Livingston Public Schools.
Bagolie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Seton Hall University; a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Seton Hall University; a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership, Management and Policy from Seton Hall University; Applied Behavior Analysis BCBA Certification Program from the University of West Florida; and a Master of Education degree as a Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant from Rutgers University.
Bagolie emigrated from the Dominican Republic to settle with her family in Elizabeth, NJ at eight years old and now serves as Superintendent of Schools for the East Newark School District.
Alixon Collazos-Gill (D-27)
Alixon owns and operates The BGill Group, a public affairs and communications business based in Montclair. She is a member of the Montclair Democrats, a BlueWaveNJ board member, a former LUPE Fund (Latinas United for Political Empowerment) board member, and she serves on the board of the Hispanic Research and Information Center – a nonprofit organization housed at the Newark Public Library whose mission is to preserve the history of Latinos in New Jersey.
Alixon is also an alumna of Emerge New Jersey, an organization that trains and encourages Democratic women to run for office.
Alixon Collazos-Gill is a mother, wife, immigrant, Latina, small business owner, and proud Democrat. She and her husband, Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill live in Montclair with their two children, Gabriel and Kristen, both of whom attend Montclair Public Schools.
Garnet Hall (D-28)
Garnet has been a Maplewood resident for 35 years and currently serves as Deputy Essex County Clerk, a position she assumed following a decades long career in Executive Corporate Sales. She is also Vice-Chair of the Maplewood Democratic Committee for the past ten years and a long-time Maplewood District Leader.
Garnet and her husband, George Hall, are the parents of two adult children who attended the South Orange-Maplewood School District from kindergarten through Columbia High School. Her son is a Newark Police Officer, her daughter a registered nurse and they are the proud grandparents to two. Garnet studied at Fairleigh Dickinson University
Avi Schnall (D-30)
Avi Schnall is an influential member of the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood and is the director of the New Jersey office of Agudath Israel of America and a staunch advocate for non-public school students.
The 38-year-old Orthodox activist is a registered Republican who backed Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021, switched parties and was elected as a Democrat in the 2023 General Election.
Barbara Stamato (D-31)
Barbara McCann Stamato was born, raised and raised her family in Jersey City.
Barbara’s extensive career spans three worlds: private (working in healthcare), governmental (as Council Aide), and political (as Vice Chair of the Hudson County Democratic Organization and Chairwoman of the Jersey City Democratic Committee). She worked as a Legislative Aide in two Assembly Offices for 8 years, currently serves as the Jersey City representative on the Hackensack Meadowlands Municipal Committee, as a trustee on the Hudson County Schools of Technology, and a former board member of the Madeline Fiadini LoRe Foundation for Cancer Prevention.
Jessica Ramirez (D-32)
Jessica Ramirez is a partner with the firm and a trial attorney specializing in serious personal injury, sexual abuse, medical device and product liability litigation. Jessica earned her Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law and has a Bachelor of Arts from Stockton University, with a Major in Political Science and a Minor in Latin American History. She has served on the New Jersey Ethics Committee and served as an Eminent Domain Commissioner for the State of N.J.
Jessica was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New Jersey when she was eight years old. Jessica is a member of the American Association for Justice’s (AAJ), where she was selected as one of only eighteen attorneys nationwide to participate in the AAJ Leadership Academy. She is also a member of the New Jersey Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, the New Jersey Hispanic Bar Association where she served as Press Secretary, the New Jersey American Association for Justice where she serves in the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Women in Mass Torts.
John Allen (D-32)
For the past 5 years John Allen served as the chief of staff and then assistant corporation counsel for Mayor Ravi Bhalla.
Prior to working for the mayor, John was an attorney at a law firm that specializes in education issues where I represented School Boards around the state, along with other clients. His interest in education issues began early. A product of New Jersey public schools, John served on the School Board in Old Bridge, his hometown, while still in college and ended up the Board president.
John is active in the Democratic Party, having served two terms as a Hoboken Democratic Committeeman alongside his wife, Tara, as Committeewoman, and now serving as an Honorary Hudson County Democratic Party Vice-Chair.
Gabriel Rodriguez (D-33)
Born and raised in West New York, the 40-year-old Rodriguez works as an accounting manager for the West New York Board of Education and has worked with former New Jersey governors Jim McGreevey and Jon Corzine, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, and U.S. Rep. Albio Sires.
Rodríguez was a staffer at the Assembly Majority Office at the beginning of his career and was first elected West New York Commissioner in 2015 and as mayor in 2019.
He earned his Executive Master of Business Administration Degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and further has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from New Jersey City University.
Julio Marenco (D-33)
Mr. Julio Marenco currently serves as an Associate Board Member of the New Jersey State Parole Board as well as the Commissioner of Revenue and Finance for the Township of North Bergen, New Jersey.
Marenco is a Navy veteran, having served on the USS Whale Submarine as the Torpedo/Mission division leader and was honored with the Navy Achievement Medal upon his honorable discharge. Marenco went on to graduate with his Bachelors from Montclair State University, his Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University and a Masters in Administrative Sciences from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
In 2015, Marenco was elected Commissioner of the Township of North Bergen, New Jersey. After his election, he was selected by the township's 5 member board of Commissioners to oversee the Revenue and Finance Department. Mr. Marenco currently resides in North Bergen, New Jersey with his family.
Michael Venezia (D-34)
Michael Venezia was first elected into office as Bloomfield Councilman at Large in 2011 before running for Mayor in 2013. After winning the election, Mayor Venezia became the youngest mayor in Bloomfield to be elected into office at the age of 31.
Venezia announced plans to resign his seat as Mayor of Bloomfield prior to being sworn in as an Assemblyman.
Venezia formerly served as the Assistant County Administrator under the direction of the County Executive of Essex County. He also served as a senior advisor for the late Senator Lautenberg and served as a field representative for U.S Representative Bill Pascrell. Mayor Venezia’s extensive accomplishments were recently recognized at the 2018 NJMMA Awards Luncheon where he was honored with the Elected Officials Award. He currently also sits on the Executive Board Committee for the New Jersey League of Municipalities and is a member of the U.S Conference of Mayors. Mayor Venezia continues to reside in Bloomfield with his wife Laura and two daughters.
Carmen Morales (D-34)
Carmen Morales, a Belleville resident and Principal of Newark Tech High School, began her career as a preschool teacher at The North Ward Center, a non-profit by the late Newark powerbroker Stephen Adubato. She became the operations manager five years later. Morales taught kindergarten in Belleville and became an assistant principal there before joining the Essex County Schools of Technology as a vice principal in 2014 and principal in 2019.
Morales earned her undergraduate degree from Montclair State University and a Master’s in Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She earned an Ed.S. in the Educational Specialist in Education Leadership Management and Policy program from Seton Hall University. Morales is also a trustee of Essex County College.
John Azzariti (R-39)
Dr. John Azariti is a lifelong Bergen County resident and resides in Saddle River with his wife and son. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Case Western Reserve University, majoring in both chemistry and economics. He earned his M.D. from UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at New York University Medical Center.
Since 1996, John has practiced anesthesiology at The Valley Hospital, where he currently serves as Associate Director, Department of Anesthesiology.
John has served on the Saddle River Board of Health for many years, as well as the Zoning Board of Adjustment and recently as a member of the Borough Council.
Al Barlas (R-40)
Al Barlas began his career in Trenton as Legislative Director for then-Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon before serving as Chief of Staff to State Senator Kevin O’Toole. Al is also the Essex County Republican Chairman and was former Chairman of the Essex County Young Republican Federation.
He served as staff member on both the New Jersey Legislative Reappointment Commission and the New Jersey Congressional Reapportionment Commission. In 2020, Al was named as Chair of the Republican delegation to the Commission. Al has been named on NJ Globe’s Power List for several consecutive years.
Al lives in Cedar Grove with his wife and two children.
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