Power List Methodology
The power lists are compiled by the NJBIZ editorial staff based on our reporting throughout the past year with input from experts in a variety of fields and recommendations from our readers. The staff looks for people who have gained public attention – and perhaps acclaim – for their professional accomplishments and public service. Each list identifies individuals who, through their efforts, are helping to make New Jersey a better place to live, work and do business. Honorees are not necessarily better at their jobs than others in their profession, but they have contributed meaningfully to the advancement of the public interest through their work and/or community service.
Joel Cantor
Rutgers Center for State Health Policy
Cantor is the founding director of the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy and a longtime leader in health policy research, having guided the center since its creation in 1999. A distinguished professor at the Rutgers Bloustein School, his work has focused on health services financing and delivery, particularly for Medicaid populations and individuals facing barriers to care.
Over more than two decades, Cantor has built the center into a nationally recognized hub for data-driven policy analysis, leading major initiatives on population health, health equity and outcomes for vulnerable populations. His work has been supported by leading institutions including the National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and he has earned recognition such as Rutgers’ President’s Award for Research in Service to New Jersey.
Cantor is set to step down from the director role this summer, with Lindsay Shea named as his successor following a national search. Shea, a nationally recognized Medicaid policy expert, will take the helm in July, marking a new chapter for the center as it continues its mission of shaping health policy in New Jersey and beyond.