Gov.-elect Phil Murphy named a former Passaic freeholder Monday as New Jersey’s next secretary of state.

Murphy announced Monday in Trenton that Tahesah Way would be his pick for the post. Way previously served as an administrative law judge.

"I've had the pleasure of knowing a strong, independent, intelligent and forward-thinking person in Tahesha, who believes strongly not just in public service, but in our state and in our communities,” Murphy said.

Murphy posted on Twitter that Way’s leadership will help expand and protect New Jersey’s voting rights, promote tourism and the arts and “uphold the work of our cultural commissions.”

The secretary of state oversees New Jersey’s election division as well as the state museum and archives.

Way is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Like all cabinet appointees, Way still needs approval by the state Senate to serve in Murphy's administration.