Andrew H. Gross

Executive Director, New Jersey-Israel Commission

New Jersey Department of State

Andrew H Gross was announced by Governor Philip D. Murphy and Secretary of State Tahesha Way on July 1, 2019 as the Executive Director of the New Jersey – Israel Commission. In that capacity Andrew oversees the State’s relations with the State of Israel and the Commission’s objectives of promoting the development of trade, culture, and educational exchanges; encouraging the development of capital investment and joint business ventures; and fostering a spirit of cooperation between the citizens of the State of Israel and the State of New Jersey.

Between 2012 and 2019 Andrew served as the Director of Political Affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in New York. He advised Ambassadors Dani Dayan and Ido Aharoni during their respective tenures as Consul General and successfully promoted bipartisan and bilateral ties between the United States and Israel with regional stakeholders. He acted as the primary liaison to federal, state, and local officials in New York and New Jersey as well as leaders of Jewish and other faith-based organizations, community groups, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, diplomatic missions, and industry executives.

During those years Andrew participated in the planning and execution of high-level delegations including Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s inaugural visit to New York, senior state and local officials to Israel, and relief missions to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Additionally, he oversaw the Consulate’s outreach to diverse and minority communities and was a frequent public speaker.

Prior to the Consulate, Andrew was a Fellow at the global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller and assigned to both the Issues and Crisis Group and the U.S. Digital Practice.

Andrew was born in New York City and raised in Bergen County. He holds a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs, speaks conversational Spanish, and has a working knowledge of Hebrew and Arabic. He is a Member of the Councilor’s Program of the Atlantic Council, a foreign policy think tank.