Former Princeton University President To Help Reopen New Jersey

PRINCETON, NJ — Dr. Shirley Tilghman, former Princeton University President, was selected by Gov. Phil Murphy to help New Jersey recover and reopen from the new coronavirus closure.

"To guide me and us in this process I have assembled a team that I believe is unrivaled in terms of its diversity, of experiences, perspectives and expertise," Murphy said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Tilghman was among two to be named as Co-Chairs to Murphy's Restart and Recovery Commission on Tuesday. Kenneth Frazier, Chairman and Chief Execute Officer of Merck & Co., was named as the other Co-Chair.

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Tilghman was the first female president of Princeton University and currently serves as a Professor of Molecular Biology and Public Policy.

"These people will bring passion ad vision to the table and if there is anything we need right now it is both," Murphy said.

The committee will immediately begin remote discussions and will:

• Advise on issues of public health, workforce development and transportation;
• Seek ways to maximize future federal support;
• Review potential long-term investments;
• Ensure restart and recovery works for every family

Along with Tilghman and Frazier, 19 other members will also serve on the commission. Five of those will be from Murphy's administration along with:

• Dr. Ben Bernanke - Distinguished Fellow in Residence at the Brookings Institution and Former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
• Dr. Richard Besser - President CEO of the Robert Woof Johnson and Former Acting Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• Evelyn McGee Colbert -Founding Board Member and President of the Board of Montclair Film, and Vice President of Spartina Productions
• Tony Coscia - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); Partner and Executive Committe member of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP; and Chairman of Suez North America Inc.
• Jessica Gonzalez - Founder and Chief Executive Officer of InCharged, VendX and Lux-UVC
• Dr. Jonathan Holloway, Incoming President of Rutgers University and former Provost of Northwestern University
• Lisa P. Jaskson - Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives at Apple Inc. & former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Jeh Johnson - Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and Partner at the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP
• Charles Lowrey - Chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc.
• Denise Morrison - Found of Denise Morrison & Associates, LLC and a Senior Advisor for PSP Partners. Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Campbell Soup Company
• Dr. William Rodgers - Professor of Public Policy and Chief Economist at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rugets University. Former Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor
• Neera Tanden - President and CEO of the Center for American Progress and the CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund
• Reverend Dr. Regena Thomas - Director of the Human Rights and Community Relations Department of the American Federation of Teachers and former New Jersey Secretary of State
• Richard Trumka - President of AFL-CIO

Murphy provided a reopening plan on Monday. Read more: Gov. Murphy Issues 6-Point NJ Reopen Plan In Coronavirus Crisis

New Jersey now has had 113,856 coronavirus cases and 6,442 deaths. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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