Rutgers Board of Governors Gets New Member

Gov. Chris Christie has named a civil rights activist to the governing board of Rutgers University.

Martin Perez (Image courtesy of Facebook)

Christie announced the appointment of Martin Perez on Wednesday. He will start his term on the Board of Governors in July and will be the panel's lone Latino member.

The governor had nominated Perez for the post 19 months ago, but that was blocked by Democrats in the state Senate. Christie was able to make the unilateral appointment because the recently enacted university merger legislation allows him to bypass the Senate in making one appointment to the board.

Perez, a native of Puerto Rico, is a graduate of Rutgers Law School, as is his wife. His two children were also Rutgers students.