Gary B. Taffet Joins the Board of Governors

Gary B. Taffet today joined the Rutgers University Board of Governors as a public member, appointed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and confirmed by the state Senate.

Taffet fills the seat vacated by Kevin Egan, who was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in November. Taffet's board term runs until June 30, 2025.

A lifelong Middlesex County resident who received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers College in 1988, Taffet is managing member for Acrisure New Jersey, a global financial technology leader in financial services solutions for insurance, reinsurance and cyber services. He is a member of the firm’s national health care advisory board and president’s council.

“Rutgers has been a passion in my life for decades, since my time on the Banks as an undergraduate,” said Taffet.  “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the university and its students, staff and alumni. I am proud of the incredible success Rutgers has achieved and will work diligently to strive for an even brighter future.”

Prior to his current role with Acrisure, Taffet was president of Reliance Insurance Group from 2005-2013.

Taffet was a former governor’s chief of staff and has served in various senior executive positions within state and local government. He began his career as a staff member in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he served as staff to the insurance, housing and veterans affairs committees.

Involved in many philanthropic and community activities, Taffet is a trustee member on several boards, including the New Jersey Hall of Fame, Middlesex College and the North Hudson Community Action Foundation. He also previously served as a member of New Jersey’s Legislative Reapportionment Commission.

He earned his master’s degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania-Fels Center of Government and completed the senior executive management program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

As a Rutgers student, Taffet served as an undergraduate university senator as well as president of the Rutgers College Student Centers before beginning his career in government via the Eagleton Institute’s Undergraduate Associates Program.

Board member Amy Towers also was sworn in as a public governor today for a second term, which runs through June 2027. Towers is executive director and founder of the Nduna Foundation.