Bret Schundler has had a successful career in politics, education, and business. Most recently he served the State of New Jersey as the Commissioner of Education and The King’s College as the Chief Operating Officer.
In 1992 Bret became the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, one of the biggest cities in America. Under his management the city saw unprecedented growth and prosperity. According to a Harvard University study, during Bret’s tenure Jersey City was first among the nation’s 100 biggest cities for job growth and poverty reduction. His success prompted him to run for New Jersey governor and he received his party’s nomination in 2001. The campaigns provided him with a national platform to discuss important policy issues, and he became one of the leading voices for charter school legislation.
Before entering politics Bret accrued extensive experience in the financial sector. In the late 1980s he built a successful career on Wall Street working for Salomon Brothers and C.J. Lawrence, now a part of Deutsche Bank. At Salomon he dealt with institutional fixed income sales and worked in institutional equity research sales at C.J. Lawrence.
Bret graduated Cum Laude from Harvard in 1981. He and his wife Lynn live in Jersey City. Bret and Lyn have two children a daughter, Shaylin, and a son, Hans Otto III.