Gov.-elect Sherrill taps Morris County resident Priya Jain for NJ transportation commissioner
TRENTON, N.J. — Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill on Monday announced Morris County resident Priya Jain as her nominee to serve as New Jersey’s next transportation commissioner, tapping a civil engineer and business executive she said will help deliver “faster commutes and safer roads” while speeding permitting and advancing major projects ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“I am thrilled to announce Priya Jain as my nominee for Commissioner of the Department of Transportation. A proud Morris County resident, she has advanced large scale transportation and major projects across New Jersey and the globe and understands how to build new infrastructure from the ground up,” Sherrill said. “With Priya at the helm and Kris Kolluri overseeing both the Turnpike Authority and NJ TRANSIT, we are going to reimagine and streamline how transit is run in the state of New Jersey. Together, we’ll cut through red tape and make sure we’re fixing our aging roads and bridges, reducing delays on NJ TRANSIT, expanding bus services to communities across the state, and continue progress on the Gateway Project.”
Jain said she would focus on commute times, safety and transit access if confirmed.
“I am honored to be nominated as the next Commissioner of the Department of Transportation. New Jerseyans rely on our transit systems each and every day and as Commissioner, I plan to work closely with the Governor-elect in order to reduce commute times, make our roads and bridges safer, and improve access to transit all across the state,” Jain said. “We will cut through red tape and permitting delays in order to finish what we started and build the Gateway Tunnel, expand transit access in South Jersey, and repair aging roads across the state.”
Kris Kolluri, CEO and president of NJ Transit and executive director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, said the administration plans to prioritize reliability, communications and project delivery.
“Governor-elect Sherrill is taking a different approach to transportation in the Garden State and Priya is the perfect choice to help us reach those goals. Together, we’ll seek to reduce delays, improve communication with riders, fix aging roads and bridges, and speed permitting times to get new projects underway quickly,” Kolluri said. “I look forward to working with Priya as we prepare for America’s 250th and FIFA World Cup, build the Gateway Tunnel, and improve access to mass transit options across the state.”
Jain most recently served as president of the Americas for Mace Consult and previously held senior leadership roles at Atlas, Atkins and CH2M, according to the announcement. Earlier in her career, she worked as an engineer on the original ARC Tunnel project, focusing on early permitting, environmental reviews and enabling infrastructure.
She also serves on the Advisory Board for Civil Engineering at the City College of New York and previously served on the foundation board of the International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Authority, the announcement said.
Jain earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in physics from Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University at Buffalo.
