Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill will nominate Margo Chaly, the executive director of the state Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, to her cabinet as Secretary of Higher Education.
Chaly joined Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration as chief of staff at the HESAA in 2021 and became executive director in 2024. She worked as the litigation and operations manager at Sheeley LP, a New York law firm, after spending a decade in the insurance industry.
“Margo Chaly is an experienced, innovative leader, and I’m excited to nominate her as New Jersey’s next Secretary of Higher Education,” Sherrill said. “Margo brings years of leadership experience in helping students and families afford higher education which will be critical as we fight back against cuts from the federal government. New Jersey has some of the best colleges and universities in the world, yet far too many of our students are pursuing their degrees out of state. Every New Jerseyan deserves the opportunity to pursue higher education in the Garden State,
At HESAA, Chaly played a role in the Murphy administration’s expansion of New Jersey College Promise, which offered tuition-free college degrees to low and moderate-income students.
She is a first-generation Guatemalan-American. Chaly is a resident of Middletown and must receive signoff from her two home county senators, Declan O’Scanlon (R-Little Silver) and Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch).
Her predecessor, Brian Bridges, resigned in December. Angela Bethea, the assistant secretary and CFO, is serving as acting secretary until Murphy leaves office on January 20.