Governor Phil Murphy nominated O’Connor in January 2024, and he has served in an acting capacity since then. He will continue his work overseeing the department that manages the state’s multi-faceted transportation network. The Commissioner of NJDOT also serves as Chair of New Jersey Transit, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), and the South Jersey Transportation Authority.
O’Connor is a transportation professional with more than 40 years of public and private sector transportation experience. He began his public service career at the New Jersey Turnpike Authority as a Toll Collector and rose to be the Deputy Director of NJTA’s Electronic Toll Collection Program. In that role he launched the authority’s first electronic toll collection installation.
While in the private sector, O’Connor advised transportation agencies across the country on the development and execution of critical projects with a strategic focus on toll roads. In this work, O’Connor has overseen hundreds of employees at a time, implemented large-scale customer service centers, and engaged with regulatory entities at all levels of government. He graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. Peter’s University.
