Mary O’Dowd was serving as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Health and Senior Services when she was nominated by Governor Chris Christie on March 25, 2011, to serve as the State’s health commissioner. Ms. O’Dowd has wide ranging experience in the health care field with a focus on management and finances. As Deputy Commissioner since March 2010, she oversaw the areas of healthcare financing, facilities evaluation and licensing, and senior benefits.

She previously served as chief of staff for the department from January 2008 to March 2010. In that capacity, she managed a workforce of more than 1,800 and a budget of nearly $3 billion and shaped the department’s policy in the areas of health care delivery, senior services, public health, and emergency preparedness.

Earlier, Ms. O’Dowd managed revenue cycle operations for the Emergency Department at NYU Medical Center, served as a legislative aide for the New Jersey General Assembly on education and healthcare issues, and was assistant vice president of legislation and policy for the New Jersey Hospital Association.

Commissioner O’Dowd is a graduate of Douglass College at Rutgers University and holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She also completed a fellowship in hospital finance at NYU Medical Center.

Commissioner O’Dowd joined the Board in April 2011.