Deborah Alessandro

Deborah Alessandro, a New Jersey resident for over 35 years, has called South Orange home since 1999. She has been actively involved in voter engagement, as well as progressive candidate and issue advocacy throughout that time.

Currently, Deborah is a Democratic Party District Leader in South Orange District 6. In that role, she has worked with a team of other South Orange Democrats to fill the many vacant seats on our municipal committee. Having a full committee for the first time in years has given us a greater ability for community outreach and for ensuring voter turnout, as evinced in the 2025 general election and 2026 Special Election Primary.

In addition to her District Leader role, Deborah serves as co-chair of SOMA Action’s Reproductive Rights Committee and is a frequent volunteer with its Democracy Action Committee. She is also on the planning committee for the annual South Orange- Maplewood Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Service, representing St. George’s Episcopal Church.

As a volunteer for many Democratic campaigns, allied groups and as a District Leader, I have numerous conversations with rank-and-file Democrats in Essex and across the state, regarding what they need from their government and their party; I also share ideas with other party volunteers and grassroots leaders around the state. This input indicates that the New Jersey Democratic party’s long-term success requires community-level voices, unencumbered by conflicts of interest.

Deborah holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia University. Her professional work has centered on consumer behavior and marketing strategy. She lives in South Orange with her husband, her two young adult children, an amazingly non-judgmental cat, and an extremely exuberant dog, who loves getting out with his people and exploring our town and county parks and trails.