Background & Bio
Lisa Asare was appointed the President and Chief Executive Officer of the NJ Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority in March 2024, the first and only such state authority in the nation. In addition to leading the authority, she will also serve as a newly appointed member of Governor Phil Murphy’s cabinet.
Prior to this appointment, Ms. Asare served as Deputy Commissioner of Health Services within the New Jersey Department of Human Services. In this role, she oversaw the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services that administers NJ FamilyCare and the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. She also served as the Department lead on First Lady Murphy’s Nurture NJ maternal health initiative.
Ms. Asare previously worked as the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Family Health Services at the New Jersey Department of Health, for more than 20 years. During that time, she retooled the Division’s approach to addressing black infant mortality and maternal mortality, contributed to the NurtureNJ strategic plan, addressed the social determinants of health by collaborating with sister state agencies and non-traditional partners, and leveraged additional state, federal, and philanthropic funding to address emerging issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. She is happiest moving from data to action through engagement with the community.
Ms. Asare also serves as the President on the Board of Directors of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP).
She received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in public health from the Rutgers School of Biomedical and Health Sciences.
Throughout her career, she has received many awards for her work in the maternal child health space. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Rutgers School of Public Health, the President’s Award from the NJ Public Health Association and the 2023 HRSA Maternal and Child Bureau (MCHB) Director’s award.
