Kenneth Merin

In 1981, Merin joined the campaign of Thomas Kean for Governor of New Jersey as the Director of Research. After Kean was elected Governor, Merin joined his administration as the Deputy Chief Counsel to the Governor.^{[citation needed]} He also served on the Board of Directors of New Jersey Transit.^[2]

Following the resignation of Joseph F. Murphy as state Insurance Commissioner in March 1984, Kean appointed Merin to serve as Acting Commissioner.^[3] He was later nominated to serve as Commissioner and won confirmation by the New Jersey State Senate.^{[citation needed]}

A resident of Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, Merin was appointed by Kean on January 12, 1985, to serve as Director of Policy and Planning in the Governor's office. He replaced Gary Stein, who had been appointed by Kean to the New Jersey Supreme Court.^[4]

On February 9, 1986, Kean announced that Merin would return to the cabinet as Insurance Commissioner.^[5] He held that post until the end of the Kean administration in 1990.^{[citation needed]}

After leaving state government, Merin headed the Insurance Coverage practice at Purcell Ries Shannon Mulcahy & O'Neill, a New Jersey law firm.^{[citation needed]} He served as a Director of DSL.net, a nationwide provider of broadband communications services.^{[citation needed]} He also served as president and CEO of the Charles Hayden Foundation.^[6]