On April 8, Gov. Mikie Sherrill took steps to clear the way for potential new nuclear power in New Jersey by signing legislation to remove an outdated permitting hurdle that has created a de facto moratorium on new nuclear power for decades.
Sherrill also created a Nuclear Task Force that includes utility executives, economic development figures, and government officials looking to boost atomic power in the Garden State. Here’s who they are:
Elizabeth Noll, Senior Strategist for Energy, Office of the Governor, Co-Chair
Noll, a former deputy assistant secretary for House Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy in the Biden administration, was one of Sherrill’s initial front-office hires. She was vice president at the Coefficient Group and before that worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council where she oversaw federal clean energy policy for the building, transportation and power sectors, working with Congress, the administration and clean energy industry partners.
Christine Guhl-Sadovy, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Co-Chair
Gov. Phil Murphy nominated Guhl-Sadovy to serve as a commissioner in 2023. Shortly after her appointment, Guhl-Sadovy was named president in September of that year. Before joining the Governor’s Office, she was chief of staff to President Joe Fiordaliso at New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and advanced initiatives related to solar, offshore wind, and lead service line replacement.
Colin Emerle, Senior Counsel, Office of the Governor, Counsel to Task Force
Emerle was hired as senior counsel in the Office of Governor Mikie Sherrill. He has held posts at New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Acting Commissioner Ed Potosnak, Department of Environmental Protection
Potosnak previously served as executive director of the New Jersey LCV, guiding the environmental group for 14 years. He was also co-chair of the New Jersey Keep It Green Coalition and the New Jersey State Lead of the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed.
Evan Weiss, CEO, New Jersey Economic Development Authority
Weiss previously served as President and CEO of the Newark Alliance, a private sector–led, inclusive economic development organization. Prior to that, he served as a senior adviser for finance and major projects to Gov. Phil Murphy. In that role, he managed more than $10 billion to advance renewable energy, transit, affordable housing, and major infrastructure initiatives such as the Gateway Project.
General Yvonne Mays, Department of Military Affairs
Brigadier General Yvonne L. Mays is the adjutant general of New Jersey and commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. She is the first Black woman to lead the state’s National Guard, commanding more than 8,400 soldiers and airmen and oversees all state veterans’ programs, commissions and facilities.
Aaron Binder, State Treasurer
Binder oversees 3,000 employees and 13 divisions and is responsible for management and oversight of the State Budget, the collection and administration of State taxes, fees, and revenues, the issuance of State debt, and the management of the pension and health benefit plans for public employees statewide. He joined the department in 2021 as deputy state treasurer. Binder served on the Stay NJ Task Force charged with implementing sweeping changes to New Jersey’s property tax relief programs for senior citizens, which resulted in the creation of a single streamlined application to allow taxpayers to apply for three programs simultaneously.
Charles McFeaters, President and Chief Nuclear Officer, PSEG Nuclear
McFeaters was appointed president and chief nuclear officer of PSEG Nuclear effective May 2023. He oversees the safe and reliable operations of the PSEG Nuclear Fleet, which includes the Hope Creek and Salem nuclear generating stations. He is a member of PSEG’s Senior Executive Team. Previously he was senior vice president of PSEG Nuclear Operations and oversaw the Salem and Hope Creek stations, as well as the PSEG Nuclear training organization.
Patrick O’Brien, Director of Government Affairs and Communications, Holtec
O’Brien is a senior government affairs and strategic communications executive with more than two decades of leadership experience in the nuclear energy, infrastructure, and public-sector sectors. He provides leadership in federal, state, and local government affairs, legislative strategy, media relations, stakeholder engagement and executive communications
Michele Siekerka, President and CEO, NJBIA
Appointed in 2014, Siekerka leads NJBIA’s New Jersey Business Coalition, a network of over 100 business and nonprofit associations. Under her guidance, NJBIA’s research on outmigration influenced pro-business reforms such as repealing the estate tax and adjusting the state income tax threshold for retirement income. Siekerka came to NJBIA from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), where she served as deputy commissioner.
Joseph Egan, New Jersey State Electrical Workers Construction Division Association President
Egan is long-time Democratic Party leader, former New Jersey General Assembly member, and prominent figure in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).
Mike Hellstrom, Vice President and Eastern Region Manager, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA).
Hellstrom is a member of LIUNA Eastern Region leadership representing more than 45,000 unionized workers in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, Delaware, and Puerto Rico.
Marion Abdou, Former Commissioner at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
Egyptian-born Abdou was appointed as a New Jersey commissioner of the NJBPU in 2023 by Gov. Phil Murphy to fill the remainder of a holdover seat left by Dianne Solomon. She stepped down in August 2025.
Matthew McKinzie, Senior Director, Data & Policy Analysis, Natural Resources Defense Council
Matthew McKinzie has worked at the intersection of science, policy, and computation at NRDC for over two decades. Prior to joining NRDC, he was a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University’s Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, and he performed his dissertation research at Los Alamos National Laboratory. McKinzie holds a Ph.D. in nuclear physics and a master’s degree in computer science.