Legislative Affairs Office has a notable new hire starting today – former DeAngelo Legislative Director Athina Fassu is joining the team as Senior Legislative Aid. Additionally, Krishna Martes has been promoted to Senior Legislative Aide. She joined the Governor’s Office on May 2022.

The Governor’s Office of Legislative Affairs is one of the offices under Government Affairs – which is led by Tim Hillmann as Deputy Chief of Staff for Government Affairs & Assad Akhter as Senior Director of Government Affairs – which also oversees Appointments, Intergovernmental Affairs, and Office of Constituent Relations.

Athina Fassu moved to the United States (Hamilton, NJ) in October of 2005 from Cameroon and was a proud resident until 2019. She Graduated from Steinert High School in 2013 and continued her academic endeavors at Rider University where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and American Studies in 2017.

Her political career started with an internship for Assemblyman Wayne P. DeAngelo in the spring of 2016. Athina then started her first political job at The Middlesex County Democratic Organization as an Assistant. Then she worked as an Administrative Assistant for the Assembly Majority Office for two years. She later joined the office of Assemblyman Anthony S. Verrelli for a year.

In April of 2019 Athina successfully rebooted the Mercer County Young Democrats and was elected as Chair. She continues to serve as Chair for the 2020-2021 year. In 2020 she was named Young Leader of the Year by the Mercer County Democratic Committee. She was also named a Rising Star on the InsiderNJ’s 100 Millennials List.

Athina most recently served as Legislative Director to Assemblyman Wayne P. DeAngelo, and resides in Ewing.

Krishna Martes, a resident of Middlesex County, started as an Aide for the Legislative Affairs department within the office of Governor Phil Murphy.  She currently serves as the Co-chair of the South Asian caucus for the New Jersey Young Democrats. Martes previously served as an intern and subsequently as a Legislative Aide for Senator Vin Gopal for two years after graduating from New York University. Martes graduated from NYU in 2020, where she received a major in Public Policy and Minor in Spanish. She is the proud daughter of Indian and Puerto Rican parents. In mid-February, she was promoted to Senior Legislative Aide.

“Emy Quispe serves as Director of Legislative Affairs; Samantha Bender and Sophia Dolashewich serve as Senior Legislative Aides.” The Governor’s Office of Legislative Affairs is one of the offices under Government Affairs – which is led by Tim Hillmann as Deputy Chief of Staff for Government Affairs & Assad Akhter as Senior Director of Government Affairs – which also oversees Appointments, Intergovernmental Affairs, and Office of Constituent Relations.