Background
Quijano is a native of New Jersey, the daughter of Puerto Rican parents.
Quijano is a native of New Jersey, the daughter of Puerto Rican parents.
Quijano graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Surgery in Management and earned her Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law–Newark in 1991.
Quijano succeeded Neil M. Cohen, who resigned on July 28, 2008 amid allegations of child pornography on an official computer. She is a resident of Elizabeth. She served clerkships at New Jersey Superior Court in Newark, and in Trenton at both the Office of the Governor"s Counsel and the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate in Trenton.
She has bar admissions in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
She is currently a municipal prosecutor for the City of Elizabeth. She has worked as a Compliance Manager for Prudential/ Aetna United States. Healthcare and as an attorney in civil practice.
Quijano has served on the United Way Hispanic Advisory Council of Union County, the Governor's Working Group for Hispanic Affairs, a Legal Services committee in Elizabeth, and as a Commissioner for New Jersey’s Congressional Redistricting efforts. She is the recipient of the Excellence in State Government Leadership and the Women of Excellence in Government awards and mentors young adults to consider law and graduate school in her free time.
Quijano is the first woman and first minority to represent the 20th District.
Quijano was selected by a convention of Union County Democrats over Patricia Perkins-Auguste by a vote of 87-82 to replace the vacant seat of Neil Cohen who resigned. She was sworn in on September 25, 2008. She is serving as General Assembly Deputy Majority Leader and Chairwoman of the Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee.
District 20
Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly.
The other representatives from the 20th District for the 2014–2015 Legislative Session are:
Senator Raymond Lesniak
Assemblyman Jamel Holley.
This is in addition to serving as a member of the Labor Committee.