NRI
Commissioner of Transportation took post as Governor of New
Jersey- but only for today
New Jersey, Dec 28, 2006
Gary Singh
NRI press reporter confirmed, talked to him on Wednesday and
he said, " I WILL BE A GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY ON DEC. 28,
2006." This is very excited conversation with him. We assure
him and promise him, on behalf of all NRIs that we will continue
to support him. He thanked and always looking support from NRIs.
He is very gentle, honest and qualified person considered in
New Jersey's cabinet.
Under NJ state law, an acting governor has to be appointed
whenever the governor is absent from the state. Governor Corzine
will be out of town. So will the Senate president, Assembly
speaker and attorney general, all of whom are ahead of Kolluri
in the line of succession. New Jersey does not yet have a lieutenant
governor; its first will take office in 2010. Under current
law, the transportation commissioner is the last in the line
of automatic succession.
Kris Kolluri is currently Commissioner of the New Jersey Department
of Transportation, will be N.J. New Governor on December 28,
2006 - but only for today.
Kolluri joked that his one-day stint won't give him enough
time to solve the state's property tax dilemma. Instead, he
planned to bring his family and a few friends to Drumthwacket,
the governor's mansion, to snap some pictures. "I actually
have a day job to do," he said. "I have to make sure
the roads are safe and trains are running on time."
NRI Kris
Kolluri will be a NJ governor for one day
New Jersey, 26 Dec, 2006
Gary Singh
Kris Kolluri, 38, well known Commissioner of transportation
for New Jersey will be the first NRI (non-resident Indian) to
become the governor of a US state for only a day, on December
28, until the president of the state senate gets back from his
holiday, said Erin Phallen, director of his department. He is
also the first Indian American to hold a cabinet post in New
Jersey.
According to our sources, Mr. Kris Kollur will
bring his family to Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion, for
a few pictures.
Kris Kolluri was named Commissioner of tansportation
for New Jersey by Governor Jon Corzin and sworn into office
on March 13, 2006. Now as head of the Department of Transportation
for the State, Kolluri will oversee some 3,900 employees and
a budget of $2.6 billion. There are 2,344 miles of state-maintained
roadways and 2,454 state bridges in New Jersey and Kolluri's
Department of Transportation is charged with the construction,
operation, maintenance and management of the state's transportation
infrastructure.
Prior to that, Kolluri specialized in redevelopment and transportation
law as an attorney at Parker McCay of Marlton. Kolluri was Chief
of Staff to New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Jack Lettiere.
In this capacity, he served as counselor to the Commissioner
and managed the development and implementation of the department's
legislative and regulatory policies and communications strategies.
Before taking this post, Kolluri was Assistant Commissioner
of Intergovernmental Relations for the New Jersey Department
of Transportation, in charge of legislative relations, customer
advocacy and public outreach and the the divisions of Policy,
Legislation and Regulatory Actions, and Federal and International
Transportation.
Prior to working in state government, Kolluri held a variety
of top positions in Congressional offices. Most recently he
served as Senior Policy Advisor to House Democratic Leader Richard
A. Gephardt, heading the Member Support Program which was established
to help freshman Members of Congress design and implement long-term
strategic initiatives. In early 1998, Kolluri was tapped to
be special advisor to Congressman Gephardt on India and Indian-American
affairs.
Before he worked for Congressman Gephardt, Kolluri served as
Congressman Robert E. Andrews' Legislative Director and his
principal staffer on the International Relations Subcommittee
on Asia and the Pacific
He was born in Hyderabad and came to USA from India in 1985
as a teenager. His father was 50, his mother 40, when they packed
their sons and left their homeland. Though his father had his
Ph.D. in physics, he couldn’t find work for more than
two month. He lives in West Windsor with his wife and two daughters.
“My parents sacrificed everything that they knew - their
friends, their jobs,” Kolluri said. “They didn’t
come here for themselves but they came here for my brother and
me.”Kolluri received a Bachelor of Science degree in Management
and Marketing from Rutgers University, a Masters degree in International
Business from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from
Georgetown University.
