Virginia Bauer, who rallied Congresss to enact tax breaks for families of Sept. 11, 2001 victims after her husband died in the attack, is leaving her post as state Commerce secretary to take a job with the real estate firm Mack-Cali Realty, according to today’s Star-Ledger.

The Red Bank resident, then living in Rumson, came into the public eye in the weeks immediately following the attacks. Nearly two years later, she was picked by then-Gov. Jim McGreevey to head the state lottery.

A year ago, she moved to the Commerce, Economic Growth and Tourism Commission at Gov. Jon Corzine’s request. Three months ago, she was tapped by Corzine to become a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. She joined the port’s board just last month.

As Mack-Cali’s vice president of public affairs, Bauer will Bauer will work with corporate leaders in the tri-state area to develop business opportunities, reporting to company president and CEOMitchell Hersh, Mack-Cali’s , the company said in a press release.

The company is a real estate investment trust that is New Jersey’s largest corporate landlord, owning or managing 34 million square feet of office buildings in the northeastern United States.

Bauer was previously a financial planner for Merrill Lynch.

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