Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday announced that Kellie Doucette will serve as New Jersey’s first Chief Operating Officer (COO) in a newly created role designed to drive efficiency, transparency, and accountability across state government.
As COO, Doucette will oversee day-to-day operations and transformation initiatives in the executive branch, working closely with the governor’s cabinet. The creation of the position reflects Sherrill’s commitment to modernizing and streamlining state government.
“Kellie Doucette has spent her career focused on bringing people together, solving tough problems, and making organizations work better for the people they serve,” said Governor-elect Sherrill. “As New Jersey’s first Chief Operating Officer, Kellie will help us build a dynamic government that focuses relentlessly on getting results—starting with our priority of making life more affordable for the people of New Jersey.”
Doucette, who currently serves as Executive Director of the Sherrill Gubernatorial Transition, previously held senior leadership roles in both government and the private sector. She brings deep experience in management, strategy, and organizational development — including prior work advancing initiatives in infrastructure, workforce development, and public engagement.
A Harvard graduate with a degree in economics, Doucette also served as district director of Sherrill’s congressional office from 2019-2024.
Under Sherrill’s leadership, the COO will serve as a key member of the Governor’s senior team focused on modernizing state processes and systems, achieving operational excellence, and coordinating across agencies. She will work closely with Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill’s incoming Chief of Staff Alex Ball and Chief Counsel Tim Lydon.
"I’m deeply honored to take on this new role,” Doucette said. “Governor-elect Sherrill’s vision for a more efficient, transparent, and innovative government is exactly what New Jersey needs right now. I’m excited to focus everything we do on results and customer service—cutting red tape, breaking down silos, and ensuring New Jersey’s public servants have the resources they need to make New Jersey stronger and more affordable.”
Doucette will be New Jersey’s first Chief Operating Officer. In states like Arizona, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Oregon, COOs have played key roles overhauling technology and citizen-facing systems to save time and money, guiding statewide initiatives to measure and improve agency outcomes, and aligning different agencies’ efforts to address critical priorities.
