The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has a new Commissioner. Aaron R. Fichtner, Ph.D. was sworn in by Governor Christie.

Fichtner, who served as Acting Commissioner since his appointment Sept. 23, 2016, was unanimously confirmed by the N.J. Senate Judiciary Committee, and confirmed by the full Senate May 25. 

Fichtner had previously served as Deputy Commissioner, where he directly oversaw the department’s program areas including Workforce Operations and Business Services, Workforce Development and Economic Opportunity, Research and Information, Income Security and Labor Standards and Safety Enforcement. In that role, Fichtner led the department’s efforts to develop a strategic vision and direction for workforce and talent development in New Jersey and to implement all four titles of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

He focused the department’s workforce investments on the needs of employers in the state’s key industries. He led the development of seven industry-focused Talent Networks, including the New Jersey Health Care Talent Network, each of which is responsible for building high-quality, employer-driven partnerships. 

Fichtner currently serves as Chair of the National Association of State Liaisons for Workforce Development Partnerships, the workforce development committee of the National Governors Association. In March 2016, he was appointed to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Information Advisory Council, which is advising the Secretary of Labor and the Commissioner of the Bureau of the Labor Statistics on the use of workforce and labor market information.

Fichtner earned a Ph.D. in Planning and Public Policy from Rutgers University, a Master’s degree in City Planning for the Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.A. in History from Vassar College.