Gov. Phil Murphy has named Rob Field and Assad Akhter as deputy chiefs of staff as part of a series of promotions and hires in the governor’s office that reveals what much of his team will look like as he heads into the final eighteen months of his time as Governor of New Jersey.
Field, who has worked in the governor’s office since Murphy took office in January 2018, has most recently served as director of intergovernmental affairs; Akhter, a former Passaic County Commissioner, has been Murphy’s senior director of government affairs since 2022.
“Both Rob and Assad have been indispensable members of my team, ensuring effective communication and collaboration with elected officials at all levels of government,” Murphy said. “I am confident they will continue to be fantastic assets to my Administration as we work to deliver a stronger and fairer New Jersey for every family.”
Field has worked for Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, as a campaign staffer for Bonnie Watson Coleman’s congressional run and helped then-South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg campaign for Democratic National Chairman.
Akhter spent eleven years as an aide to Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-Paterson) in Washington and New Jersey, eventually serving as the congressman’s deputy chief of staff. He is a former director of community relations at University Hospital in Newark.
Murphy also announced the promotions of Krishna Martes to director of the Office of Labor Relations and Stakeholder Engagement and Rob Matos-Moran to director of legislative affairs.
Martes, who combined Puerto Rican and Indian American backgrounds, joined the governor’s office in 2022 after working as an aide to Senate Majority Conference Leader Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch) and is now Murphy’s senior legislative aide. In the governor’s office, she worked on labor and workforce development and criminal justice reform issues. She’ll help manage Murphy’s relationships with labor unions, advocacy groups, houses of worship, and grassroots community leaders
Matos-Moran, whose parents were Peruvian and Portuguese immigrants, has worked for Murphy since 2021. He’s worked for a U.S. Senator and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and had interned on Murphy’s 2017 campaign at a time when the future governor was, at best, a third-place candidate.
“Throughout their time in my Administration, Rob and Krishna have worked to manage stakeholder relationships, connecting our office to people and organizations that are critical to our state,” stated Murphy. “I am excited to see them take on these new roles and continue the important work ahead.”
Murphy also announced a series of promotions and hirings:
— Athina Fassu-Nehemi and Devin Mulroy will be promoted to senior legislative aides in the Legislative Affairs Department. Lance Taylor, a former senior appointments aide, is joining the Legislative Affairs Department as a senior legislative aide. Fassu-Nehimi is the senior legislative aide of the group.
— Kenneth Clayton will be promoted to senior aide to the Governor in the Outreach Department, where he will be the primary liaison for faith, African American, and youth outreach, among other portfolios. Aaron Williams will be promoted to senior aide to the Governor in the Outreach Department, his primary liaison for veterans and disability outreach, among other portfolios.
— Riya Kamboj joined the Outreach Department in February and is serving as an aide to the Governor, acting as the primary liaison to the Education, Environment, and LGBTQIA+ advocacy community, and oversees AAPI and Muslim Community outreach, among others. Edan Blank will join as an aide to the Governor in the Legislative Affairs and Outreach Departments. Blank will be the liaison for Jewish Community Outreach for the Outreach Department.
Emy Quispe, deputy chief of staff for Labor Relations and Stakeholder Engagement, leads the outreach time; the legislative affairs group will be led by Akhter.