Richard E. Constable III is an American lawyer who was the 16th Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, serving from 2012 to 2015. A former Assistant US Attorney, he was also the Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Early life and education Constable was raised in East Orange, New Jersey, and graduated from Seton Hall Preparatory School. He attended the University of Michigan, where he was awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship, and graduated magna cum laude in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. In 1997, he received his J.D. degree and Master of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. Career After graduating from law school, Constable clerked for Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and NFL Hall of Fame inductee Alan Page. Constable then worked as a litigation associate with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City from 1998 to 2002. Subsequently, he was hired by Chris Christie as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark. For eight years, Constable represented the United States in criminal matters including public corruption, government, tax, and mortgage fraud. He investigated and prosecuted high-profile elected and appointed officials including US senators, state assemblymen, and mayors charged with bribery and extortion. In 2010, he left the U.S. Attorney's office to join the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development as Deputy Commissioner, where he managed the daily operations. Along with Commissioner Harold J. Wirths, Constable implemented several administrative and programmatic reforms to streamline the efficiency of the department. Constable was also an adjunct professor at Rutgers School of Law–Newark and Fordham Law School in New York. In 2011 he was appointed Commissioner of the NJ Department of Community Affairs by Governor Christie. As commissioner, Constable chaired the Council on Affordable Housing, the Interagency Council on Homelessness, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority, and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. Constable resigned as commissioner in 2015 and joined the private sector. Commissioner of NJ Department of Community Affairs On November 21, 2011, Governor Chris Christie announced that he chose Constable to join his cabinet as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), and replace incumbent Commissioner Lori Grifa. Christie stated that Constable was "someone who has worked with me for years and whom I have turned to many times