Shirley Emehelu is the first Black woman to serve as New Jersey’s lieutenant governor. Gov. Mikie Sherrill appointed her Monday, and she is also the first immigrant to hold the office in the state’s history.
Emehelu was born in Nigeria and came to the United States at age 3. She spent nine years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, where she handled financial fraud cases and became chief of asset recovery and anti-money laundering. She holds degrees from Yale University and Yale Law School and clerked for U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer. Under Sherrill she served as acting state comptroller, then as acting secretary of state through the midterm election. She keeps the secretary of state’s job alongside the new one.
The vacancy opened in September, when Dale Caldwell resigned as lieutenant governor after Sherrill called for his departure following an ethics investigation. Sherrill said she wanted someone who fit what she promised in Trenton. “I promised to bring a different kind of leadership to Trenton, rooted in accountability, relentless dedication to service, and a commitment to putting New Jerseyans first. Shirley embodies those values,” the governor said.
It is also the first time New Jersey has had women in both of its top two offices.
Emehelu described her record in her own words: “I’ve spent my career upholding the law, protecting families, and rooting out fraud, abuse, and corruption.” She said she would work to make “life more affordable” and “expand opportunity for all our communities.”
The post matters to Black New Jersey for a practical reason. The secretary of state’s office oversees the state’s elections, and Emehelu ran them this month as acting secretary. Her background is in prosecuting fraud. The test for a Black woman now holding both offices is whether she brings the same energy to ballot access, and to making sure state contracts reach Black-owned firms. A first is worth marking, and so is what she does with it.
Emehelu now holds both titles, and Sherrill has said she wants her government judged on accountability.
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