Coleridge recently presented its Data Champion of the Year Award for 2026 to the State of New Jersey. The award recognizes exceptional leadership in advancing trust, collaboration, and the effective use of data to improve public outcomes. The award was presented to Stephanie Walsh, Ph.D., Assistant Director of the Heldrich Center, and Lesley Hirsch, Assistant Commissioner for Research and Information at the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, for their sustained leadership in advancing data-informed decision-making across New Jersey.

“It’s an honor to receive this recognition from Coleridge. The key to New Jersey’s achievement is our partnership model — among the agencies who collaborate to govern the New Jersey Statewide Data System and with the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers,” said Hirsch. “We are grateful to Coleridge for the opportunities to network, collaborate, and learn and are inspired by the work of the other states and their partners. Finally, we hope our experience offers proof that our day-to-day efforts can have a real impact on the people we all serve.”