Shortly before leaving office, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy made permanent a little-known but influential office that will be the foundation for all things tech in state government.
His administration promoted the newly created New Jersey Innovation Authority as a national model for using technology such as artificial intelligence for more efficient government. Murphy named some of the state’s top legal and policy advisers to the agency’s board, promising","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://nj.gov/governor_murphy/news/news/562025/approved/20260105b.shtml","_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20620000","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20620001","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>promise of “To advance New Jersey’s reputation as a national leader in innovation.”
But the governor also quietly added two people to the board, especially close to him: his children.
Learned via Politico public record The outgoing Democrat appointed his daughter Emma and son Charles to the authority’s 13-member board in January. The Board is the governing body over the new authority.
Murphy’s appointment of his children raises questions of nepotism – and not for the first time. Former First Lady Tammy Murphy’s bid for Senate in 2024 drew so much opposition among grassroots Democrats that it inadvertently led to a massive change in the way New Jersey’s ballots are designed, weakening its long-standing party boss system. And in Phil Murphy’s first term, a patronage scandal at a school construction agency led to the ouster of his elected CEO, a series of reforms and nearly $1 million in taxpayer dollars paid out in lawsuits.
Murphy’s appointments aren’t the only controversial actions he took just before leaving office. he forgave his son","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/20/murphys-final-clemency-act-includes-those-with-political-connections-00738352","_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630001","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630002","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>forgave my son Of a well-connected Democratic donor who was convicted of a fatal hit-and-run changed the sentence","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://www.nj.com/monmouth/2026/04/nj-mother-convicted-of-killing-toddlers-in-1994-car-fire-denied-parole.html","_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630003","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630004","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>changed the sentence In 1994, a woman was found guilty of burning her children to death, drawing strong criticism from the victims’ family members and state lawmakers.
At least one good government group is raising questions about under-the-radar appointments.
“Too often, these practices reflect a broader culture where access and insider relationships matter more than qualifications, experience or accountability,” Erika Cruz Morales, democracy director for the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, said in a statement to POLITICO. “Political appointments become just another way for a small group of connected individuals to keep their thumb on the scale of power and influence. Even if family members are eligible to be appointed to influential positions, New Jersey deserves transparent processes that do not undermine public trust.”
The authority is playing a key role in the incoming administration of Governor Mickey Sherrill. Hopefully this will help find out how to implement","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://www.nj.gov/treasury/omb/publications/27bib/BIB.pdf","_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630005","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630006","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>how to implement Work requirements for Medicaid are mandated by President Donald Trump’s landmark domestic policy law and it oversees how artificial intelligence state workforceis used by","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://innovation.nj.gov/projects/ai-assistant/","_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630007","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630008","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>Used by state workforce. Sherrill’s spending plan proposes giving the authority $23.5 million for the upcoming fiscal year.
Assuming the money is approved by the state legislature, Murphy’s children will have a small role in determining how it is spent. The authority’s board oversees its annual operating budget.
according to state law","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/A5728/bill-text?f=AL25&n=190_","_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630009","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f2063000a","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>State LawBoard members must have “expertise” in “data science; public engagement; development and implementation of digital technologies and digital product development; and digital delivery of products, services or benefits.”
Emma Murphy, who is currently an MBA student at the University of Pennsylvania, is a 2022 graduate of the University of Virginia, where she earned a bachelor’s in English and a bachelor’s in data science, according to her LinkedIn profile. According to an online bio, Charles Murphy graduated from Princeton University in 2023, where he majored in German, and wrote his senior thesis on the influence of football in Germany.
Murphy family representative Maheen Gunaratna initially declined to comment. But after the publication of this story on Wednesday, they said that Charles Murphy had worked temporarily at Evident Insights after graduating from college, which describes himself","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://evidentinsights.com/about-us","_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f2063000b","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f2063000c","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>describes himself As an “intelligence platform that benchmarks and tracks AI adoption in the financial services sector.” He is no longer employed with the company. Gunaratna also pointed out that Emma Murphy had also worked at Goldman Sachs for about three years (Phil Murphy was an executive at the investment bank early in his career).
Former state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, a longtime good government advocate, said governors appointing their children to government boards does not provide the best option.
“It never looks good to appoint your children to influential positions in the government when you were governor,” he said. “If you have someone else to choose who can serve in those positions, someone who is not one of your children, then it is a better decision to go with that – no question.”
Shortly before leaving office, Murphy signed a bill that created the authority and allowed him to appoint multiple members. He appointed his children directly a week later and is mentioned in the authority’s latest meeting minutes","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://web.archive.org/web/20260428045107/https://innovation.nj.gov/assets/documents/notices/minutes_of_njia_board_meeting_2026-04-07_-_final–signed.pdf","_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f2063000d","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f2063000e","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>minutes of the meeting. Other appointments to the board also include former chief consultant","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"http://google.com/search?q=Matt+Berns&oq=Matt+Berns&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyDggAEEUYFBg5GIcCGIAEMgoIARAuGLEDGIAEMgc IAhAAGIAEMgcIAxAAGIAEMgcIBBAAGIAEMgYIBRBFGDwyBggGEEUYPDIGCAcQRRg80gEHMTQwajBqNKgCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8","_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f2063000f","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630010","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>chief counsel The state attorney general and a former senior Murphy aide who is now a lobbyist for an artificial intelligence company.
Governors appointed to the Board are paid unpaid salaries, but may be reimbursed for “expenses incurred in the performance of the duties of members”. state lawsaccording to","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2024/AL25/190_.PDF","_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630011","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-db6f-d930-a7fd-ff7f20630012","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>According to state law. Total board members are 13.
Like most government authorities, the Governor can veto the Board’s decisions – although this rarely happens in practice.
A spokesperson for Sherrill referred a request for comment to the authority, without commenting on specific members.
