Gov. Murphy Names New Cabinet Secretary, Deputy Chief Policy Advisor  

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced two staff promotions Wednesday. Andrea Katz Spevak was promoted to cabinet secretary, and Carolyn Cannella was named deputy chief policy adviser. 

Katz Spevak, who is currently the deputy commissioner of operations at the New Jersey Department of Human Services, will serve under Chief Policy Adviser Dennis Zeveloff. 

In her role as cabinet secretary, Katz Spevak will oversee agency actions and liaise with the administration’s cabinet-level agencies and offices. She previously had served as chief of staff at Human Services since 2018 before becoming a deputy commissioner in 2022. 

Katz Spevak has spent most of her professional career working in human services policy and legislative affairs. She served as associate general counsel at the New Jersey Assembly Majority Office and as chief of staff for Asw. Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Englewood). She also worked in private practice as an attorney. Katz Spevak received her B.A. from George Washington University and J.D. from the Seton Hall Law School. 

Cannella, who currently serves as a senior adviser for economic growth in the Governor’s Office, will also serve under Chief Policy Adviser Dennis Zeveloff. 

As deputy chief policy adviser, Cannella will play a critical role in advancing the administration’s policy agenda. Prior to the Governor’s Office, she worked at VF Corp. on global strategy for two brand divisions, and at Goldman Sachs, where she worked on commodity derivatives. 

Cannella grew up in Hudson County and received her Bachelor of Science in foreign service from Georgetown University and Master of Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, where she consulted for the Governor’s Office on green economic policy.