Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill has made two additional nominations for her cabinet: she appointed Marine Corps veteran Tom Hauck to serve as New Jersey’s director of Homeland Security and financial expert Susan Ochs as commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI).
Tom Hauck is currently serving as the director of intelligence and operations of New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security, where he leads the state’s counterterrorism and counterintelligence efforts, works in coordination with the FBI and local law enforcement and implements intelligence collection and outreach programs to keep communities safe.
“I’m on a mission to deliver for New Jersey, and that means first and foremost keeping our residents safe,” said Sherrill. “Tom brings decades of professional law enforcement experience that will help us do just that.
“As director of Homeland Security, Tom will help us protect houses of worship, run the nation’s first state-level cyber information-sharing and incident response center and be a key part of our preparations to welcome the world to celebrate both the FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th anniversary.”
Hauck joined the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) in July 2022 as the director of the Intelligence and Operations Division. He oversees the activities of three bureaus that work in close collaboration with federal, state and local partners: Operations Bureau, Intelligence and Analysis Bureau and Mission Support Bureau.
He leads NJOHSP’s collaboration efforts on counterterrorism, domestic terrorism, counterintelligence and other specific criminal matters with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and other law enforcement entities.
Hauck also implements intelligence collection and outreach programs and resources to help NJOHSP meet its mission of helping to keep the residents and visitors in New Jersey safe.
He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the agency, having served the FBI for two decades, most recently as an assistant special agent in charge and compliance officer at the FBI’s Newark Field Office.
Before the FBI, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an intelligence officer/captain.
As nominee for commissioner of DOBI, Susan Ochs has served in senior roles in the State of New Jersey, at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and in the private sector.
She will oversee Get Covered NJ, the state health care exchange, and will manage the banking, insurance, real estate and health care markets with a focus on consumer protection.
“We need a leader who will work to lower insurance costs for Garden State families, whether that’s health care or auto insurance,” said Sherrill. “That’s why I’m nominating Susan Ochs as our next commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance.
“Susan brings decades of experience driving reform in the financial sector that will be key to regulating rates for New Jersey’s health and auto insurance marketplaces, holding PBM middlemen driving up prescription drug costs accountable and going after anyone discriminating in mortgage and business lending.”
With a career spanning state and federal government, as well as industry and nonprofit roles, Ochs has deep experience leading initiatives and driving reform in the financial sector.
Currently, she is CEO of Ochs Advisors, LLC, a N.J.-based consulting firm focused on leadership and organizational strategy. She is an ICF-certified executive coach and an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School, teaching in its program on corporate ethics and compliance.
Previously, Ochs founded a policy initiative at the Aspen Institute to reform banking culture and outcomes. She conducted original research, led executive trainings and partnered with regulators, including the NY Federal Reserve Bank. Her work has been published in The New York Times and Harvard Business Review.
Her further policy experience includes serving the State of New Jersey as senior advisor to the governor for economic and business affairs, where she was principal liaison to the business community and supervised the design and implementation of new economic growth programs. She has also held senior roles at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Rockefeller Foundation.
In the private sector, Ochs served on the executive teams of two behavioral research firms within the WPP Group, overseeing client portfolios and leading operational change efforts.
She also served as global head of capital markets at the Long-Term Stock Exchange, working to promote long-term thinking among companies and investors.
Earlier in her career, Ochs held investment roles at J.P. Morgan Investment Management and private equity firm Solera Capital.
