Katz Spevak will be Murphy’s new cabinet secretary

With Cabinet Secretary Christine Guhl Sadovy headed to the state Board of Public Utilities after a Senate confirmation vote on Monday, Andrea Katz Spevak will be Gov. Phil Murphy’s next cabinet secretary, the governor announced today.

Katz Spevak is currently the deputy commissioner of operations at the Department of Human Services; she previously worked on the legislative side of the statehouse, serving as associate general counsel to the Assembly Majority Office and as chief of staff to former Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Englewood).

“Andrea has been a valued member of this administration since day one, overseeing the groundbreaking work that our Department of Human Services has done to protect some of our most vulnerable residents,” Murphy said in a statement. “She understands the coordination required for a well-functioning department and I am confident this wealth of experience will be an asset as she assumes the role of cabinet secretary.”

Murphy also announced two other staff hires: Carolyn Cannella as deputy chief policy advisor and Catherine Klinger as the director of the Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy. Cannella will take over for Dennis Zeveloff, who became chief policy advisor last year, while Klinger will succeed current director Jane Cohen.

Cannella currently works in the governor’s office as the senior advisor on economic growth, and Klinger is a senior policy advisor in the office she will now lead.