New Jersey / Office of the Public Defender

Agency file

Office of the Public Defender

Source file: New Jersey — YourMoney State Payroll / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Office of the Public Defender handles legal functions of government — prosecution, legal advice, and representing the state in court.

In 2024, this agency had 672 employees with median total compensation of $86,980; the highest distinct record was $185,424.

Year: 2024
Total payroll: $60.2M
Employees: 672
Median total: $86,980
Highest record: $185,424

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$223$162,947+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2024 total compensation is spread across the 672 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($86,980) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $87,991 (98%)
Overtime — $40 (0%)
Other — $1,486 (2%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$45,849

$62,261

$86,980

$115,845

$136,555

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $136,555 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $45,849. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Assistant Deputy Public Defender 2

175 · $109,634

Invstgr 1 Publ Defndr

108 · $74,815

Assistant Deputy Public Defender 3

67 · $138,910

Assistant Deputy Public Defender 1

56 · $85,071

Legal Secretary 2

56 · $47,864

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2023	$57.6M —	720 —	$79,789 —
2024	$60.2M ▲ 4.5%	672 ▼ 6.7%	$86,980 ▲ 9.0%

Record list

Employees

Page 2

Daniel Mclear

Invstgr 1 Publ Defndr/Office of the Public Defender

2024 total comp

$69,761

Sub-department: Office of the Public Defender
Base pay: $68,992
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $770
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $69,761
Hire date: null
Union / bargaining unit: Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P
Pay basis: Annual
Middle name: null

Source-specific fields

As-of Date: Dec 31, 2024
Calendar Quarter: 4
Full Name: Mclear, Daniel
Paid Section Description: null
Payroll ID: 168115
Record Type: Master
Salary Hourly Rate: $71,063
Year-to-Date Earnings: $69,761

Daniel Mclear is a Invstgr 1 Publ Defndr at Office of the Public Defender within Office of the Public Defender. Records show a hire date of null. 2024 total compensation came to $69,761. Their bargaining unit is Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P.

Felicia Acheampong

Attorney Assistant/Office of the Public Defender

2024 total comp

$69,377

Sub-department: Office of the Public Defender
Base pay: $68,484
Overtime: $193
Other pay: $700
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $69,377
Hire date: null
Union / bargaining unit: Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P
Pay basis: Annual
Middle name: null

Source-specific fields

As-of Date: Dec 31, 2024
Calendar Quarter: 4
Full Name: Acheampong, Felicia
Paid Section Description: null
Payroll ID: 159827
Record Type: Master
Salary Hourly Rate: $70,367
Year-to-Date Earnings: $69,377

Felicia Acheampong works as a Attorney Assistant for Office of the Public Defender within Office of the Public Defender. Their hire date on record is null. Felicia earned $69,377 in 2024. Their bargaining unit is Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P.

Shirley Oscar

Invstgr 1 Publ Defndr/Office of the Public Defender

2024 total comp

$69,313

Sub-department: Office of the Public Defender
Base pay: $68,544
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $770
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $69,313
Hire date: null
Union / bargaining unit: Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P
Pay basis: Annual
Middle name: null

Source-specific fields

As-of Date: Dec 31, 2024
Calendar Quarter: 4
Full Name: Oscar, Shirley
Paid Section Description: null
Payroll ID: 134029
Record Type: Master
Salary Hourly Rate: $71,063
Year-to-Date Earnings: $69,313

Shirley Oscar is a Invstgr 1 Publ Defndr at Office of the Public Defender within Office of the Public Defender. Records show a hire date of null. 2024 total compensation came to $69,313. They are represented by Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P.

Mayra Miranda

Invstgr 3 Publ Defndr/Office of the Public Defender

2024 total comp

$69,240

Sub-department: Office of the Public Defender
Base pay: $68,090
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $1,150
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $69,240
Hire date: null
Union / bargaining unit: Higher Level Supervisors (Cwa) - Unit S
Pay basis: Annual
Middle name: null

Source-specific fields

As-of Date: Dec 31, 2024
Calendar Quarter: 4
Full Name: Miranda, Mayra
Paid Section Description: null
Payroll ID: 123885
Record Type: Master
Salary Hourly Rate: $105,733
Year-to-Date Earnings: $69,240

Mayra Miranda holds the role of Invstgr 3 Publ Defndr at Office of the Public Defender within Office of the Public Defender. Their hire date on record is null. In 2024, their total compensation was $69,240. Union affiliation: Higher Level Supervisors (Cwa) - Unit S.

Jacquelin Higueruela

Assistant Deputy Public Defender 1/Office of the Public Defender

2024 total comp

$69,084

Sub-department: Office of the Public Defender
Base pay: $68,525
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $559
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $69,084
Hire date: null
Union / bargaining unit: Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P
Pay basis: Annual
Middle name: null

Source-specific fields

As-of Date: Dec 31, 2024
Calendar Quarter: 4
Full Name: Higueruela, Jacquelin
Paid Section Description: null
Payroll ID: 164752
Record Type: Master
Salary Hourly Rate: $88,494
Year-to-Date Earnings: $69,084

Jacquelin Higueruela works as a Assistant Deputy Public Defender 1 for Office of the Public Defender within Office of the Public Defender. Their hire date on record is null. Jacquelin earned $69,084 in 2024. Their bargaining unit is Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P.

Karen Mckeown

Secretarial Assistant 2/Office of the Public Defender

2024 total comp

$68,844

Sub-department: Office of the Public Defender
Base pay: $68,069
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $775
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $68,844
Hire date: null
Union / bargaining unit: Administrative and Clerical Services (Cwa) - Unit A
Pay basis: Annual
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

As-of Date: Dec 31, 2024
Calendar Quarter: 4
Full Name: Mckeown, Karen A
Paid Section Description: null
Payroll ID: 144063
Record Type: Master
Salary Hourly Rate: $70,895
Year-to-Date Earnings: $68,844

Karen Mckeown holds the role of Secretarial Assistant 2 at Office of the Public Defender within Office of the Public Defender. Their hire date on record is null. In 2024, their total compensation was $68,844. Union affiliation: Administrative and Clerical Services (Cwa) - Unit A.

Renee Dandrea

Adminv Anlt 1/Office of the Public Defender

2024 total comp

$68,317

Sub-department: Office of the Public Defender
Base pay: $67,551
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $766
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $68,317
Hire date: null
Union / bargaining unit: Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P
Pay basis: Annual
Middle name: null

Source-specific fields

As-of Date: Dec 31, 2024
Calendar Quarter: 4
Full Name: Dandrea, Renee
Paid Section Description: null
Payroll ID: 131492
Record Type: Master
Salary Hourly Rate: $72,437
Year-to-Date Earnings: $68,317

At Office of the Public Defender, Renee Dandrea serves as a Adminv Anlt 1 within Office of the Public Defender. Records show a hire date of null. Their 2024 pay totaled $68,317. Their bargaining unit is Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P.

Shannon Glassman

Assistant Buyer/Office of the Public Defender

2024 total comp

$68,046

Sub-department: Office of the Public Defender
Base pay: $66,760
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $1,286
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $68,046
Hire date: null
Union / bargaining unit: Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P
Pay basis: Annual
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

As-of Date: Dec 31, 2024
Calendar Quarter: 4
Full Name: Glassman, Shannon R
Paid Section Description: null
Payroll ID: 125671
Record Type: Master
Salary Hourly Rate: $71,695
Year-to-Date Earnings: $68,046

At Office of the Public Defender, Shannon Glassman serves as a Assistant Buyer within Office of the Public Defender. Records show a hire date of null. Their 2024 pay totaled $68,046. Union affiliation: Professional Unit (Cwa) - Unit P.