Governor-elect Sherrill names corrections commissioner, interim children and families commissioner
TRENTON, N.J. — Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill on Friday announced two additional Cabinet appointments, naming Victoria L. Kuhn to continue as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Corrections and Christine Norbut Beyer as interim commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.
Kuhn, a veteran corrections official with more than 26 years of experience in the criminal justice field, has held multiple senior roles within the Department of Corrections since 2007. Beyer will serve in an interim capacity at the Department of Children and Families while a search continues for a permanent replacement.
“I am proud to announce that Victoria Kuhn will continue to lead our Department of Corrections in my administration. Having served as the Outreach and Reentry Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, I know that high-quality mental health and job training services keep our streets safe, protect law enforcement officers, and set individuals up for success as they return to their families and communities. I look forward to working with Commissioner Kuhn as she continues the critical work with her team to improve our corrections system and keep officers and inmates safe,” Sherrill said.
“I am also grateful to Christine Norbut Beyer for continuing to serve our state on an interim basis and helping us search for her successor. It’s critical that we have experienced and steady leadership at the DCF as the federal government attacks state funding for programs that vulnerable children rely on, like Medicaid and resources for kids in the foster system,” she said.
As corrections commissioner, Kuhn will work with the incoming administration on public safety initiatives, protecting the rights of incarcerated individuals and expanding access to job training, mental health services and other programs aimed at reducing recidivism, officials said.
“I am grateful to Governor-elect Sherrill for the opportunity to continue leading the NJDOC. Together, we will continue in our mission of making NJDOC into a national model for reentry by investing in programs that support incarcerated New Jerseyans with opportunities, protect our hardworking officers, and keep our streets safe. I look forward to working with the Gov.-elect on reducing recidivism, enhancing public safety, and improving our corrections system,” Kuhn said.
Beyer, who has served as DCF commissioner since 2018, will remain in the role during the transition period. The department oversees child welfare, foster care and family support services statewide.
“Keeping our children safe and supported has been my number one priority throughout my career. I look forward to working with Gov.-elect Sherrill and Lt. Gov.-elect Caldwell to ensure a smooth transition. In the interim, keeping New Jersey children and families safe will continue to be my top priority and DCF will remain laser-focused on delivering prevention-focused, data-driven programs to make sure that every one of our children can thrive,” Beyer said.
Kuhn previously served as the Department of Corrections’ chief of staff and deputy chief of staff and led the department’s Equal Employment Division. She began her legal career as an assistant prosecutor and later worked in the state Office of the Attorney General’s Division of Law. Kuhn is a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law and Drew University.
Beyer is a longtime public servant who previously worked at the Department of Human Services, where she helped establish the agency as the state’s first Cabinet-level child-serving department. She has also served as director of the former Division of Youth and Family Services and as an assistant commissioner. Beyer is a graduate of Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and earned her master’s degree in social work administration, policy and planning from Rutgers University.
