NJN Foundation Board of Trustees

Robert L. Smartt

Bob Smartt retired from the New Jersey Treasury Department in February 2010 after serving as the department’s Ethics Officer, Deputy State Treasurer, State Contract Manager for the New Jersey Lottery gaming system contract, and Administrator of the state Office of Telecommunications and Information Systems.

After leaving state government, he was appointed in March 2010 to the NJN Foundation Board of Trustees. In July 2010, Bob was invited to serve as a Visiting Associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University for the 2010-2011 academic year.

While at Treasury, Bob was appointed by the Governor to a team reviewing state contracting practices and represented the State Treasurer on boards and commissions including the New Jersey Transit Board of Directors, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority Board of Directors.

In addition, Bob has held management positions in planning, policy analysis and public affairs at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

He worked for ten years for New Jersey State Legislature, beginning as Executive Assistant to the Speaker, and serving as Deputy Director of Assembly Majority Office under five Speakers. He was elected by his colleagues to serve as Staff Vice President of the National Conference of State Legislatures, the highest-ranking staff officer on the Executive Committee, and served on the Executive Committee of the Eastern Regional Conference of The Council of State Governments.

Bob is experienced in press relations and political campaigns – as well as public policy and public administration. He worked as reporter and editor at the Daily Record in Morristown, as a reporter at the Star-Ledger, and as Deputy Press Secretary for the first Brendan T. Byrne gubernatorial campaign.

Bob received a B.A. from Drew University and an M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business at New York University.