Susan Ochs has been nominated by Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill to serve as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI). Ochs brings experience from both government and private sector roles, including positions at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and senior advisory work within New Jersey.
If confirmed, Ochs will be responsible for overseeing Get Covered NJ, which is the state’s healthcare exchange. She will also manage regulatory oversight for banking, insurance, real estate, and healthcare markets in New Jersey with an emphasis on consumer protection.
Governor-elect Sherrill stated: “We need a leader who will work to lower insurance costs for Garden State families whether that’s healthcare or auto insurance. 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.”
Ochs responded to her nomination by saying: “It is an honor to be nominated by the governor-elect to be the commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance. I share Governor-elect Sherrill’s deep commitment to protecting New Jersey consumers and ensuring that their critical needs – from health insurance to mortgages to small business loans – are accessible and affordable. These are challenging times for financial consumers, and I look forward to leading an agency that is working every day to help secure their health and financial wellbeing.”
Currently serving as CEO of Ochs Advisors, LLC—a consulting firm based in New Jersey—Ochs also teaches corporate ethics and compliance at Fordham Law School. Her previous work includes founding a policy initiative at the Aspen Institute focused on banking reform following her time at the US Treasury during the 2008 financial crisis. She has collaborated with regulators such as the NY Federal Reserve Bank.
Ochs’ background includes serving as senior advisor for economic and business affairs in New Jersey state government, holding roles at behavioral research firms within WPP Group, acting as global head of capital markets at Long-Term Stock Exchange, investment positions at J.P. Morgan Investment Management, and Solera Capital.
She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Duke University. A native of New Jersey, she currently lives in Monroe Township in Middlesex County.
