Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver has served in the NJ General Assembly since 2004, representing the 34th Legislative district. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from Lincoln University and was awarded a Masters in Science in Planning and Administration from Columbia University. She is the Assistant County Administrator of Essex County. Ms. Oliver served on the East Orange Board of Education from 1994-2000, serving as its President from 1999-2000 and as Vice President from 1998-1999. She served on the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 1996-1999. In 1997, she became the first woman to launch a competitive campaign for Mayor in the City of East Orange, losing the election by a mere 51 votes. Oliver was one of the founders of the Newark Coalition for Low Income Housing, an organization that successfully sued the Newark Housing Authority and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in federal court to block the demolition of all publicly subsidized low income housing in Newark, as there was no plan in place for the construction of replacement housing for low-income Newark residents. As a result, the Newark Housing Authority was directed by a federal consent order to build one-for-one replacement housing for low-income residents. Assemblywoman Oliver is currently the Chair of the Human Services Committee and serves as a member of the Higher Education and Labor Committees.