We know Mary Pat Christie (formerly Foster) as the wife of New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie. Her husband of 28-years. Born in Paoli, Pennsylvania, Mrs. Christie is the ninth of 10 children she is certainly not afraid of big families.
But the first lady of New Jersey, has successfully combined her roles as wife and mother with a business career and community service.
Mary Pa’s success started early in her career, she became the first female student body president and has from there on has only put her career on hold to become a proud mother of four.
After graduation, the former engineering major who later switched to finance at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey; started handling institutional sales at Jefferies and Co. She was drawn to bond trading, a niche among securities, commodities and financial-services sales –a male-dominated industry.
She considered retirement after the birth of the couple’s fourth child in 2003 but after being away for 14 months she was persuaded to return by Michael Meyer, co-head of sales and trading at Seaport.
The New Jersey first lady is a managing director at Angelo Gordon & Co., where she works full time on strategic planning and marketing, focusing on bank debt and distressed funds. Previously in 2011, she worked at Cantor Fitzgerald LP, where she was a part-time vice president in Summit, New Jersey.
Some of her most notable work is overseeing a $33 million Hurricane Sandy charity. The former body student president set up the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund as a nonprofit organization and mined bond-desk contacts, plus Democratic and Republican circles and community leaders, for board members.
Mary Pat is often described as a super mom, and she certainly is, juggling her career while being the mom of the couple’s four children; two sons and two daughters. Andrew, Sarah, Patrick and Bridget.
Mary Pat and Chris met at the University of Delaware –where she earned a master’s degree in business administration –when Chris was a sophomore and Mary Pat was a freshman. They started dating in the winter of 1984 and tied the knot in 1986.
According to the National Governors Association, Mrs. Christie is focused on recognizing people and groups who inspire pride in others and help them to become more self-sufficient members of society. In 2010, she founded a nonprofit organization, New Jersey Heroes, to recognize and celebrate the work of individuals and nonprofit organizations in New Jersey.
Mary and her family might not be having the best of years, her hubby is currently in hot water as the 52-year-old Governor has been cleared from any wrongdoing in the Bridge scandal, however many people feel it is not a valid absolution since he was cleared by his own lawyers. He also went on exclusive interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, and said that former aides were “inexplicably stupid” when they allegedly shut down lanes of busy George Washington Bridge and flooded a New Jersey town with traffic.
You can find more info on her projects as the NJ first lady here.
Join the Conversation