Michellene Davis, Esq
As the Executive Vice President and Corporate Affairs Officer for RWJBarnabas Health, Michellene Davis helps to direct the strategic policy decisions of the system and strengthens the system’s position with state and federal elected officials and agencies. She oversees the areas of strategic messaging and corporate communications, community partnerships, external affairs, governmental affairs, healthy living, community and employee wellness, public relations, and marketing and branding. Ms. Davis joined Barnabas Health in 2009, and soon after was named Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, the first woman and first person of color to serve as an Executive Vice President in the Barnabas Health system’s history.
Frequently appearing in publications, she has graced the cover of Positive Community and most recently been featured in Montclair Magazine. She has been named to NJBIZ Magazine’s Health Care Power 50 list in 2015, and ranked by NJBIZ as the State of New Jersey’s top lobbyist in the healthcare industry and by PolitickerNJ as one of the most politically powerful people in the State of New Jersey. Prior to her current position, Ms. Davis served in several high-ranking statewide political appointment positions.
Previous to joining Barnabas Health, Ms. Davis served as Chief Policy Counsel to former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, the first African American to serve in this role. Before that, Ms. Davis served as Acting State Treasurer of the State of New Jersey, the first African American and one of only a few women to hold this position. Prior to Treasury, Ms. Davis led the $2.4 billion New Jersey Lottery as Executive Director and CEO and served as a senior policy advisor in the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. Ms. Davis has a proven record of supporting women throughout her career and, while
Acting State Treasurer of New Jersey founded the New Jersey Department of theTreasury’s Office of Supplier Diversity and Division of Minority and Women Owned Businesses in order to ensure that women and minorities were especially included the state’s contracting opportunities. At Barnabas Health, Ms. Davis led the effort to create the Barnabas Health Women’s Leadership Forum. The Forum was created to advance access to leadership development for dynamic leaders from diverse backgrounds and to encourage collaboration among the exceptional women of Barnabas Health in order to advance their positions within the organization and to enhance their personal contribution to the world.
Ms. Davis is also active in her civic community. She serves as: a member of the Board of Governors of Rowan University – Rutgers Camden; Trustee of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association; Secretary to the Board of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation; and President-elect of the Executive Women of New Jersey. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Caucus Educational Trust, and is a member of the Seton Hall Law School Diversity Council, the Association of Black Women Lawyers, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Garden State Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey. Formerly, she served on the Corporate Advisory Board of the Boys and Girls Club of New Jersey, the Board of Trustees of Essex County College and Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.
Ms. Davis has received national and statewide recognition for her dedication and career accomplishments. Most recently, she received the 2016 Evangelica Trailblazer Award from U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and was also the recipient of the 2016 Corporate Sector Award from the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association. Previously, she was named the 2015 LUPE Amiga of the Year, 2014 Business Advocate of the Year by the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and selected as one of The Network Journal’s 2014 Top 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business in the United States. She has been honored by numerous civic organizations, including the New Jersey Primary Care Association, the State NAACP, the Coalition of 100 Black Women of Bergen/Passaic County, the YWMCA, the Newark Community Health Centers, Babyland Family Services and others.
She began her legal career as a trial litigator, is an Honors graduate of Seton Hall University and holds a Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall School of Law.