A'Dorian Murray-Thomas

A’Dorian Murray-Thomas serves as the Vice President of the Essex County Board of Commissioners, representing District 2. As one of the youngest women ever elected to the Board, she is committed to advancing policies that strengthen communities across Essex County. Her priorities as a Commissioner include expanding support for women- and minority-owned businesses, increasing youth engagement and civic participation, and improving safety and accessibility on county roads and infrastructure.

A’Dorian is also the Founder & CEO of SHE Wins Inc., a leadership and mentoring organization for girls who, like her, are homicide survivors who have lost a loved one to gun violence.

Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, A’Dorian made history when, at 23 years old, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the Newark Board of Education, representing the largest school district in the state of New Jersey. She made history again as the youngest woman elected to the Essex County Board of Commissioners. A’Dorian has been named a Glamour Magazine “College Woman of the Year,” a Root Magazine Young Futurist, a President Obama White House Champion of Change, an NAACP NextGen Leadership Fellow, a member of the Aspen Institute's Cross-Partisan Education Policy Work Group, a School Board Partners Anti-Racist Education Policy Fellow, and more.

A’Dorian currently serves as the Chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Women’s Caucus. In education, A’Dorian has worked in public and independent schools as an English teacher, an administrator of equity and inclusion programs, a leader for restorative justice alternatives to suspension, and an educator for opportunity youth.

A’Dorian is a graduate of Swarthmore College, where she held a special major in Political Science and Educational Studies. She attained her Master of Divinity with a concentration in Religion and the Black Experience at Union Theological Seminary in May 2025. She is currently earning an advanced Master’s degree at Princeton Theological Seminary.