Kim Guadagno

Kimberly Ann Guadagno (née McFadden; born April 13, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the first lieutenant governor and 33rd secretary of state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania in 1980, and a J.D. degree in 1983 from the Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C.

Kim Guadagno is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and the District of New Jersey.

She was also Assistant New Jersey Attorney General.

Serving as deputy chief of the U.S. Attorney's office's corruption unit from 1994 to 1998, Guadagno was responsible for the corruption prosecutions of former Essex County Executive Thomas D'Alessio (a Democrat) and of Somerset County Prosecutor Nicholas Bissell (a Republican).

In 1994, in a case involving an executive of lottery contractor GTECH Corporation, the U.S. Attorney's Office was criticized by the judge overseeing the case for the disclosure of grand jury testimony in a sentencing report; the issue was never referred for further ethical or legal investigation.

The lottery executive went to jail.

The D'Alessio and Bissell cases were each recognized as one of the top federal prosecutions in the country at the time by the US Department of Justice.

She served as deputy director from 1998 to 2001 in the Division of Criminal Justice, where she supervised prosecutions of a $40 million financial fraud and of David L. Smith, creator of the "Melissa" computer worm.

She taught legal research and writing at Rutgers School of Law–Newark from 2003 until Nov. 2009.

In 2005 Kim Guadagno was elected to Monmouth Beach's non-partisan governing body as one of its three Walsh Act commissioners.

Elected the 75th sheriff of Monmouth County in 2007, succeeding Joseph Oxley, she became the first woman to serve in the post when she took office in 2008.

Guadagno served as the chief executive and administrative officer of Monmouth County's largest law enforcement agency with nearly 700 employees who serve in the Law Enforcement Division, the 1,328 bed maximum security correctional institution, the youth detention center, the Civil Division and the Public Safety and 911 Emergency Dispatch Center.

During her time as sheriff, the office received the Department of Defense Pro Patria Award which recognizes employers for their extraordinary support of employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

Under her supervision, the office also received the "Six Star" simultaneous accreditation of the law enforcement division, the correctional facility, correctional healthcare and youth detention center from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. The Monmouth County Sheriff's Office was the first out of 3,088 Sheriff's Offices in the United States to receive the award.

The department was one of 11 accepted nationwide into the federal program established under Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287(g) which allowed corrections officers to check the immigration status of prisoners before they were released.

Sheriff Guadagno also expanded "Project Lifesaver," which uses bracelets with a radio-tracking device that allows Sheriff's Officers to locate persons with Alzheimer' or Autism who wander or become lost.

On July 20, 2009, Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie chose Guadagno as his running mate, in the first New Jersey election to include voting for a lieutenant governor.

Guadagno was selected over a number of other Republican women, including State Senator Diane Allen and Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan.

Guadagno was not a well known political figure statewide in October 2009.

According to Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Poll, Guadagno's name recognition in New Jersey was low with only 15% of voters reporting that they were aware of her.

Out of the New Jersey voters that knew of Guadagno, 4% reported having a "very favorable" or "somewhat favorable" opinion while 3% reported that they had a "very unfavorable" or "somewhat unfavorable" opinion of the prospective lieutenant governor.

Christie and Guadagno defeated Jon Corzine and Loretta Weinberg on November 3, 2009.

Christie also appointed Guadagno New Jersey's Secretary of State and charged her with overseeing economic development efforts and the streamlining of government regulations.

She was sworn in on January 19, 2010 as lieutenant governor of New Jersey.

As the secretary of state, Guadagno was responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within New Jersey, as well as volunteerism and community service projects within the state.

She supervised multiple programs, including the State Archives, the state's research facility and repository for public records of historical value and the Division of Travel and Tourism, which is charged with promoting New Jersey as a premier travel destination.

Additionally, Guadagno headed the Division of Elections and served as the Chief Elections Official and chair of the Board of State Canvassers, which certifies election results for federal and state office elections and public questions.

She oversaw the Division of Programs which includes the Governor's Office of Volunteerism, the New Jersey Commission on National and Community Service, the Office of Faith Based Initiatives and the Center for Hispanic Policy, Research, and Development.

Guadagno was the Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 2017, but lost in the general election to Democrat Phil Murphy.

Kim Guadagno was born Kimberly Ann McFadden in Waterloo, Iowa, the middle child of five of Mary Patricia "Pat" (Blevens) and Charles A. "Chuck" McFadden Jr.

Her father's job in sales had her living in many different places prior to going to college.

Kim Guadagno was the 2017 Republican gubernatorial nominee, having won approximately 46.8% of the popular vote in the June 2017 statewide primary.

She lost to Democrat Phil Murphy on November 7, 2017, garnering 42.2% to Murphy's 55.7%.

In April 2018, Guadagno joined law firm Connell Foley as a partner working out of its Jersey City office.

In May 2019, Guadagno became CEO and president of Fulfill NJ (formerly known as The Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean County).

During her two-year tenure at the foodbank, Guadagno closed a $1.5 million budget gap.

She was removed from the position in April 2021 amid disputes with Monmouth County officials, including Shaun Golden, the chair of the county Republican Party.

That July, Guadagno left the Republican Party and registered as an unaffiliated voter, reportedly due to her discontent with Golden.

Guadagno supports a pro-choice position on abortion but would like to see fewer women choose the option of abortion.