Chrissy Buteas

Chrissy Buteas is the President & CEO of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ). Founded in 1997, HINJ serves as the trade association for leading research-based biopharmaceutical and medical technology companies in New Jersey. 

A seasoned leader, Buteas has held significant positions throughout her career. Before joining HINJ, she served as the Vice President of Government Affairs at Optimum, a prominent broadband communications and video service provider operating across 21 states. She also served as the Chief Government Affairs Officer of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), where she influenced policies affecting the 1 million employees of member companies. In addition, she led the NEW JOBS PAC, the State’s largest and most influential ideological business political action committee. 

Before joining NJBIA, Buteas served as President and CEO of the Home Care & Hospice Association of New Jersey, representing New Jersey home health agencies, hospices, and healthcare service firms providing care to the state’s Medicare, Medicaid, and private-pay patients. 

Buteas serves on the boards of trustees of Middlesex College, New Jersey Council of County Colleges, NJ Innovation Institute (NJII), Thanexus, Inc. (a funeral service cooperative), the National Association of Corporate Directors, NJ Chapter (NACD-NJ), Junior Achievement of New Jersey, and The Historic Village at Allaire.  She also serves on the boards of Focus NJ, an independent research nonprofit that conducts timely, innovative, nonpartisan economic and workforce research; the South Jersey Technology Park at Rowan University; and the New Jersey Medical Assistance Advisory Council.   

She recently served on Governor Mikie Sherrill’s Economic Development and Innovation Action Team. Previously, Buteas served on the Murphy-Oliver Transition 2018 Healthcare Team as Vice President of the Capital Impact Group, a public affairs and business development firm that advocates for nonprofit organizations and Fortune 500 companies. Earlier in her career, she was a policy specialist at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. She is also the former President and current board member of the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to advancing women in government.  

Buteas served on the New Jersey Small Employer Health Benefits Program, Associated Member Trust, and the New Jersey Mandated Health Benefits Advisory Commission, which responds to requests from the State Legislature by providing independent analysis of the medical, financial, and social impacts of proposed health insurance benefit mandates. 

In 2025, Buteas received the Industry Advocate Award from the NJ Chamber of Commerce, BINJE’s Best Healthcare 2025 recognition, and the Advocacy Champion Award from the Arthritis Foundation NJ. In 2024, she received the Made in NJ Honor Roll Award from NJ MEP. In 2022, she received the President’s Award from the Women’s Political Caucus of NJ. In 2021, Buteas was named a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, recognized as a Barrier Breaker as part of Jersey’s Best magazine’s Spring issue honoring trailblazing women in the state, named to NJBIZ’s  Next Generation of Leaders list, and included on ROI-NJ’s Influencers: Power List for Government Affairs. In 2018, Buteas was named to NJBIZ’s Best 50 Women in Business list. She was also included in NJBIZ’s “40 Under 40” and “Power 50 Health Care” lists in 2017 and 2025, as well as Insider NJ’s “Insider 100 Policymakers” in 2017. 

Buteas holds a Master of Public Administration from the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University-Newark and a Bachelor of Arts from Rowan University. She is a graduate of Leadership NJ, a leadership development program, and served as a Raimondo Fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. She is also a member of the Eagleton Institute of Politics Alumni Association.