Annette Quijano

Annette Quijano (pronounced KEE-hah-no) is an American Democratic Party politician, who was selected by Union County Democrats to fill a vacancy to represent the 20th District in the New Jersey General Assembly. Quijano succeeds Neil M. Cohen, who resigned on July 28, 2008 amid allegations of child pornography on an official computer. [ [http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080821/NEWS02/808210337/1123 "In Brief: Lawyer chosen to replace disgraced Union lawmaker"] , "Daily Record (Morristown)", August 21, 2008. Accessed August 21, 2008.]

In the General Assembly, Quijano has been assigned to serve on the Labor Committee and the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee. [ [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/BIO.asp?Leg=309 Assemblywoman Quijano's legislative web page] , New Jersey Legislature. Accessed October 5, 2008.]

Quijano is a native of New Jersey, though her heritage stems back to her Puerto Rican parents. Quijano, currently a resident of Elizabeth, is the first woman and first minority to represent the 20th District. Quijano was selected by a convention of Union County Democrats over Patricia Perkins-Auguste by a margin of 87-82. [Livio, Susan K. [http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1219293324118720.xml&coll=1 "Corzine attorney to replace Cohen"] , "The Star-Ledger", August 21, 2008. Accessed August 21, 2008.] She will be sworn in on September 25th.

Quijano graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Management and earned her Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law—Newark. She served clerkships at New Jersey Superior Court in Newark, and in Trenton at both the Office of the Governor's Counsel and the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate in Trenton. She has bar admissions in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. [http://www.njcommunityfirst.com/quijano.html Assemblywoman-Select Annette Quijano] , Community First. Accessed September 12, 2008.]

She has worked as a Compliance Manager for Prudential/ Aetna U.S. Healthcare and as an attorney in civil practice. She served as Chief of Staff to State Senator Raymond Lesniak from 1992-1994, Assistant Counsel to Union County, Clerk to the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and as the Assistant Counsel to Governors Jim McGreevey, Richard Codey and Jon Corzine. Quijano has served on the United Way Hispanic Advisory Council of Union County, the Governor’s Working Group for Hispanic Affairs, a Legal Services committee in Elizabeth, and as a Commissioner for New Jersey’s Congressional Redistricting efforts. She is the recipient of the Excellence in State Government Leadership and the Women of Excellence in Government awards and mentors young adults to consider law and graduate school in her free time.

District 20

Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 20th District for the 2008-2009 Legislative Session are:
*Senator Raymond Lesniak, and
*Assemblyman Joseph Cryan

References

External links

* [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/BIO.asp?Leg=309 Assemblywoman Quijano's legislative web page] , New Jersey Legislature