New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill has announced Priya Jain as her nominee for Commissioner of the Department of Transportation.

Jain is a civil engineer and business professional with extensive experience delivering complex infrastructure programs across New Jersey, the United States, and internationally. According to the Governor-elect’s office, her appointment is expected to support faster commutes, safer roads, reduced barriers and delays in the state’s permitting process, and major infrastructure upgrades ahead of the 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,” said Governor-elect Sherrill in a statement.

Sherrill added that with Jain leading the Department of Transportation and Kris Kolluri overseeing both the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and NJ TRANSIT, the administration plans to “reimagine and streamline how transit is run in the state of New Jersey.” She noted that the approach would focus on cutting red tape, repairing aging roads and bridges, reducing delays on NJ TRANSIT, expanding bus services statewide, and continuing progress on the Gateway Project.

“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,” said Jain. She added that her priorities would include reducing permitting delays, advancing the Gateway Tunnel project, expanding transit access in South Jersey, and repairing aging infrastructure across the state.

Kris Kolluri, CEO and President of NJ TRANSIT and Executive Director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, said the nomination reflects a new approach to transportation policy in the state. “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,” he said, adding that he looks forward to working with Jain as the state prepares for America’s 250th anniversary and the FIFA World Cup.

Jain most recently served as President of Americas for Mace Consult, where she led strategic growth and operational excellence across the region. Her career includes senior leadership roles in global engineering and consultancy firms, with a focus on business development, strategy, and organizational transformation.

Prior to joining Mace, Jain served as Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer at Atlas, where she led enterprise-wide growth initiatives. She previously oversaw Atkins’ expansion in North America as Senior Vice President for Sales and Strategy and held senior leadership roles at CH2M, managing major client programs. Earlier in her career, she worked as an engineer on the original ARC Tunnel project, contributing to early permitting, environmental reviews, and enabling infrastructure.

Beyond her corporate experience, Jain has been involved in professional and academic service. She serves on the Advisory Board for Civil Engineering at City College of New York and previously served on the Foundation Board of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Authority, according to the Governor’s Office.

Jain holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in physics from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, as well as a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University at Buffalo.

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