NJ MVC Chief, LGBT Activist Tapped By Biden Administration

NEW JERSEY - After a lifetime of breaking barriers, Chief Administrator of the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission Brenda Sue Fulton has been nominated by President Joe Biden as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

“President Biden has made a tremendous choice in his nomination of Sue Fulton to serve our nation as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs," Governor Phil Murphy said. "Our nation needs leaders who understand our global challenges and have the skills to empower and inspire our men and women in uniform."

Brenda S. “Sue” Fulton graduated West Point in 1980, in the first class to admit women. She served as a platoon leader, staff officer, and company commander in Germany before her honorable discharge at the rank of Captain.

During a 25-year career in brand management at Fortune 100 companies, she gained expertise in budget management, cross-functional team leadership, and strategic communications. Continuing to mentor West Point cadets and junior officers, Fulton helped found Knights Out and OutServe, both organizations key in the battle to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Fulton founded and led SPARTA to successfully end the transgender ban, while at the same time providing counsel to Army leaders on removing the combat exclusion rule and integrating women in the combat arms.

In 2011, President Obama appointed her as the first openly gay member of the West Point Board of Visitors, and she was later elected Chair, twice, with strong bipartisan support. During eight years on the Board, she successfully advocated for significant increases in admissions of Black, Latino, and women cadets. In 2017, she was appointed to the Board of Visitors of the National Defense University.

In 2012, Fulton and Penny Gnesin were the first same-sex couple to wed in West Point’s Cadet Chapel. In 2019, after 24 years together, Penny died of breast cancer.

Since 2018, Fulton has run the MVC, an agency of 2,200 employees that generates $1.8 billion in annual revenue. During her tenure, she completely transformed and modernized NJ Motor Vehicles systems.

"Sue has been a trailblazer since her days as part of the first West Point class to include women and, as a member of my Cabinet, I have relied upon her clear, calm, and flexible approach to serving the needs of millions of New Jerseyans during one of the most challenging times in memory," Murphy said. "I know she will be the capable partner President Biden needs working alongside Secretary Austin at the Pentagon.”

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