Building Technology for the Garden State
From state government leadership to civic technology and open-source tools, Gavin Rozzi's work is rooted in serving New Jersey residents. Director at NJ DCA, founder of OPRAmachine, and creator of NJ-focused data science tools.
New Jersey State Government
Leading digital transformation at the NJ Department of Community Affairs
Director, DHCR Data Center
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
Leading the data infrastructure that supports housing programs serving millions of New Jersey residents. Built in-house development teams creating modern web applications that reduced municipal compliance reporting time by 70%.
Key NJ Government Projects
Operation Right Answer: Housing Services Modernization
My Certified Public Manager capstone: replacing thirteen siloed phone queues in New Jersey's largest housing division wi...
View ProjectNJ HOMES Choice Tool
Interactive planning tool implementing A4/S50 affordable housing calculations for all 564 municipalities, supporting NJ ...
View ProjectWinter Termination Program Digital Transformation
Digital transformation of New Jersey's utility shutoff protection self-certification process, replacing a manual PDF wit...
View ProjectNJ Eviction Guide
Interactive self-help tool connecting New Jersey's most vulnerable residents directly to housing assistance and legal re...
View ProjectBringing Veterans Home Digital Infrastructure
Statewide digital infrastructure supporting New Jersey's initiative to end veteran homelessness: data systems, electroni...
View ProjectMunicipal Lead Reporting Portal
Statewide compliance platform capturing residential lead-paint inspection data for all 564 New Jersey municipalities....
View ProjectNew Jersey Civic Technology
Platforms that increase government transparency and citizen access
OPRAmachine
New Jersey's first statewide OPRA (public records) request platform. Founded in 2017, it has processed over 75,000 requests and released 250GB of government data to the public.
NJ Civil Service Navigator
Searchable database of 6,740+ civil service job specifications with career exploration tools for public sector employment.
View ProjectNJ Foundation for Open Government
Served on the board (2023–2026) of the state's leading government transparency advocacy organization, promoting public access to government records.
Visit NJFOGNJ-Focused Open Source
R packages and tools built specifically for New Jersey data
njgeo
R package for working with New Jersey geographic data, providing easy access to municipal boundaries, county data, and spatial features.
njtr1
R package for analyzing New Jersey traffic crash data (NJTR-1 reports), enabling researchers to study road safety patterns statewide.
zipcodeR
While not NJ-specific, this R package (122,000+ downloads) is widely used by New Jersey researchers for ZIP code analysis and geocoding.
New Jersey Roots
Education, community involvement, and ongoing connections
Education
- Stockton University - M.S. Data Science & Strategic Analytics (4.0 GPA), B.A. Political Science (3.9 GPA)
- National CPM Consortium - Certified Public Manager (CPM), 2026
- Rutgers University - Founding Data Scientist, Urban & Civic Informatics Lab (Bloustein School)
Speaking
- Rutgers Bloustein School career panels
- Stockton University AI & Higher Education lecture
- Montclair State University workshops
- NJ civic tech and government events
Recognition
- 2026 - Eviction Data Response Network (1 of 11 states)
- 2025 - Governor's Team of Excellence Award
- 2022 - NJDEP GIS Mapping Contest Winner
- InsiderNJ 100 Most Influential
New Jersey Speaking & Media
Appearances at NJ institutions and media outlets
New Jersey reaches its goal to eliminate veteran homelessness
Route Fifty
pressNJ Selected for the National Eviction Data Response Network
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
talkArtificial Intelligence in Higher Education Panel
The Power of Public Colleges & Universities Conference - Stockton University
talkCareers in Public Informatics, Data Analytics and AI Panel
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy - Rutgers University
podcastEpisode 2: Data for Action
Community at the Core: A DCA Podcast
talkRe-envisioning Housing Data: Usability, Integration, and Systems Alignment
2025 Monarch Housing Associates Conference
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Gavin Rozzi in New Jersey?
Gavin Rozzi is a civic technologist and data scientist based in New Jersey. He is Director of the DHCR Data Center at the NJ Department of Community Affairs, where he leads digital transformation work serving 564 municipalities. He is also the founder of OPRAmachine, New Jersey's first statewide public records platform.
What has Gavin Rozzi built for New Jersey?
Gavin Rozzi has led or built multiple platforms serving New Jersey residents, including: the NJ Eviction Guide (a self-help tool for tenants facing eviction), Bringing Veterans Home (the data infrastructure behind the state reaching Functional Zero veteran homelessness in July 2026), the NJ HOMES Choice Tool (used by all 564 municipalities for A4-S50 affordable housing obligations), Operation Right Answer (contact center modernization with the NJ Innovation Authority), OPRAmachine (75,000+ OPRA requests processed), NJ Civil Service Navigator (6,740+ job specifications), and NJ-specific R packages for geographic and crash data analysis.
Where did Gavin Rozzi go to school in New Jersey?
Gavin Rozzi earned his M.S. in Data Science & Strategic Analytics and his B.A. in Political Science from Stockton University in Galloway, NJ, and served as Founding Data Scientist at the Rutgers Urban & Civic Informatics Lab (Bloustein School). He earned the Certified Public Manager (CPM) credential in August 2026 through the New Jersey program administered by the Civil Service Commission and delivered by the Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration. He continues to speak and collaborate with both institutions.
Working in New Jersey?
Whether you're in state government, local municipalities, nonprofits, or research institutions across New Jersey, I'm always interested in conversations about civic technology and government innovation.