Paulina Banasiak O’Connor

Paulina Banasiak O’Connor is a seasoned veteran of New Jersey politics with years of experience in the executive and legislative branch as well as the private sector. She has years of experience in public policy and government affairs, specializing in relationship management, issue advocacy, and strategy implementation.

She is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Offshore Wind Alliance, an advocacy project established to represent the offshore wind development community in the state. Previously, Paulina was a lobbyist at The Zita Group, a woman owned lobbying firm in Trenton, where she served as Vice President. Prior to The Zita Group, Paulina served in the role of Director of Legislative Affairs as well as Acting Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Philip D. Murphy. Since the start of the Murphy administration, she was a part of developing and advancing the Governor’s legislative policy priorities which included bills related to the environment, clean energy, gun violence prevention, economic tax incentives, and online sports gaming. Among various high-level responsibilities, Paulina contributed to crafting the Governor’s state budget, preparing cabinet officials for confirmations, legislative hearings, and participated in the appointments process. Paulina also served on the Commission on Capital Budgeting and Planning as the Governor’s Appointee. Paulina began her career in public service as a Legislative Director for former Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), then Chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee and Vice-Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee. In 2017, Paulina became the Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson) working on legislation pertaining to clean energy, public transportation, veteran’s services, and the state budget.

Before starting her career in government, Paulina worked as a social worker in Bergen County with survivors of domestic violence. She received her Bachelors in Psychology from Montclair State University and her Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University. She lives in Bordentown City with her husband and dog.