Chairman, Capital Healthcare, Inc. Board of Trustees
Chairman, New Jersey State Parole Board
Samuel J. Plumeri, Jr. has served as a guiding force for Capital Health System for 16 years, helping to lead the health care system as a member of the Board of Directors from 2003 to 2018. During his tenure as a Board Member, Mr. Plumeri functioned as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors from 2005 to 2009. With the formation of the corporation of Capital Healthcare, Inc. in 2015, Mr. Plumeri was appointed Chairman, Board of Trustees— a role which he still holds.
Mr. Plumeri is also Chairman of the New Jersey State Parole Board. In this capacity, he oversees an organization that serves as the state’s lead reentry agency working to ensure that ex-offenders return to society as law-abiding citizens. Additionally, Mr. Plumeri is charged with reducing the state’s recidivism rate.
Prior to joining the New Jersey State Parole Board, Mr. Plumeri served at the Port Authority of NY & NJ as Superintendent of Police and Director of Public Safety. He joined the agency following the attacks of September 11, 2001, and faced the immediate challenge of providing safety and security for tens of millions of people who used the Port Authority’s vast network of transportation facilities each year in a post-9/11 world.
In 1990, Mr. Plumeri was elected Mercer County Sheriff where he instituted many public safety programs for senior citizens, most notably his national award-winning “Blue Light Program.” He also developed and established the county’s first K9 Bomb Detection Unit and county wide emergency response teams. Mr. Plumeri was re-elected Sheriff by overwhelming margins in 1993, 1996 and 1999. Following his successful work in Mercer County as Sheriff, Mr. Plumeri was asked to help lead the Port Authority Police in April 2002 as the agency recovered from 9/11.
Prior to being elected Sheriff, Mr. Plumeri was appointed Mercer County Undersheriff where he oversaw all training, special operations and special investigations. In 1989, he was promoted to First Undersheriff, a title he held until May 1990, when Governor James J. Florio appointed him County Sheriff.
Mr. Plumeri began his law enforcement career when he joined the Trenton Police Division. He walked the proverbial cop beat as an officer before eventually being promoted to the highly sensitive Special Services Unit. As an undercover operative, he removed millions of dollars of illegal narcotics from the streets and shut down high-level drug distributors— work that is still considered legendary. His talent with the Trenton PD as an undercover agent was soon recognized, and he was assigned Chief of Intelligence to the Trenton-Mercer Organized Crime Strike Force.
Mr. Plumeri is a graduate of Rider University where he is also an honored member of the school’s Alumni Hall of Fame. He lives in Hamilton Township, New Jersey with his wife, Barbara and is the proud father of two grown children, Jessica and Matthew, and two grandchildren, Nina Rose and Samuel Joseph.