Obama Foundation USA Leaders Alumni in NJ & Nationwide Support Derick Dailey for NJ’s Next Attorney General

Last Tuesday, Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill (D) won a clear mandate to make life more affordable for New Jerseyans.

To help deliver on that mandate, her choice for Attorney General (AG) will set the standard for impartial, legal enforcement while maintaining independence from partisan pressures. Unlike most other states, our AG is appointed by the Governor, not elected, and wields broad, independent authority over civil and criminal matters.

As Obama Foundation Leaders, and New Jersey residents, we believe the choice for this consequential appointment is clear: our fellow Obama Foundation Leader, Derick. D. Dailey.

Mr. Dailey knows that peace in state governing is a prerequisite for prosperity. To that end, from 2022-24, he proudly served New Jersey as Senior Counsel to the AG. In that role, Mr. Dailey pioneered ARRIVE Together, New Jersey’s statewide alternative responsive program (now a national exemplar),pairing mental health professionals with police to diffuse mental health crises and free busy officers to devote more time to fighting crime and keeping our communities safe.

In addition to his proven success in providing for public safety, Mr. Dailey has a track record of standing up to monied and powerful interests to protect citizens’ civil rights and their pocketbooks. As Senior Counsel to the AG, Derick oversaw litigation dedicated to combatting discriminatory practices and consumer fraud, and led the office’s work on youth justice and racial justice. Moreover, like Governor-elect Sherrill, Mr. Dailey is a former federal prosecutor. As an Assistant United States Attorney, and Chief of his office’s Financial Litigation Unit, Mr. Dailey held bad actors to account and ensured that the American taxpayer was made whole.

Upon appointment, Governor-elect Sherrill can rest assured that Mr. Dailey would hit the ground running. He has a deep network of relationships with New Jersey enforcement professionals, from police chiefs to antitrust litigators, is known and respected within the Department of Law and Public Safety—the department that the AG oversees—as well as the trust and respect of civil rights leaders up and down the Garden State. In addition, Mr. Dailey—now Counsel at a global law firm where he helps lead the State Attorneys General practice group—has remained at the vanguard of nationwide Democratic AG efforts, regularly working closely with top state law enforcement officers across the country.

New Jerseyans chose Governor-elect Sherrill to make safety and economic security a reality for all. The New Jersey Obama Foundation leaders, and our nationwide cohort, hope Governor-elect Sherrill chooses Derick D. Dailey to help her realize this mandate as she embarks on this historic first term.

Brittany Giroux Lane is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader, native of Haddonfield, NJ, and resident of Hoboken, NJ.

Robert W. Fernandez, PhD is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader and native of Elizabeth, NJ.

Ben Schornack is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader and resides in Chicago, IL after a nearly decade of living and working in New York City.

Carlisha Williams Bradley, MPA is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader from Tulsa, OK.

Jonathan D. Pride is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader and a native of Staten Island, NY.

Julian Beaudion is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader and resides in Sioux Falls, SD.

Kamala Avila-Salmon is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader and grew up in New York City.

Mackenzie Feldman is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader from Honolulu, HI.

Mahogani A. Chery is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader and native of Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Matthew S. Johnson, 24-25 Obama Foundation USA Leader, and resides in Baltimore, MD.

Rob Collins Jr., Ed.D. is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA leader and native Kentuckian.

Tyler Smith is a 24-25 Obama Foundation USA leader from Houston, TX.