Some didn't have college degrees. Others lacked professional accreditation. Or even relevant work experience. One didn't have a driver's license.

Yet they were all hired — at least 10 of them — at the Schools Development Authority by chief executive Lizette Delgado-Polanco.

For the last six weeks the authority has withheld job descriptions for its new employees, contending that they were exempt under the state's Open Public Records Act. But NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey were able to analyze the job descriptions and résumés after filing a complaint with the state.

It was only then that the Attorney General's office, on behalf of the authority, released what it called "generic job descriptions."

Each of those job descriptions includes titles held by employees hired by Delgado-Polanco, whose restructuring of the authority is the subject of one internal investigation and a review by the governor's office. She also faces pressure from lawmakers who say the authority, which is charged with building schools in the state's poorest areas, should be abolished.

When Delgado-Polanco became CEO in August, she began a restructuring that shifted the authority's direction toward external affairs and community relations as it seeks to secure billions of dollars in new funding for the agency. It has no money for new projects after running through most of the $12 billion in bonding authority the past decade. Paying that debt already costs $1 billion a year to taxpayers and would likely grow if another round of funding is approved.

Delgado-Polanco, who is also vice chairwoman of the Democratic State Committee and a former union leader close to Gov. Phil Murphy, fired about two dozen longtime workers and hired 38 people between August and February.

Many of those new employees had personal or professional connections to Delgado-Polanco but did not appear, based on their résumés, to be qualified for jobs that pay up to six figures. An authority spokesman has said that "these individuals are not only highly qualified for their positions, but also share the same values as our mission statement of serving the underprivileged 31 SDA Districts."

"All of the new hires are experienced professionals with the skill-set and decades of experience needed to succeed in their roles at the SDA," the authority said in February.

An analysis of résumés and job descriptions seems to contradict that statement for a quarter of the employees Delgado-Polanco hired.

Some of the positions require bachelor's degrees but, in some cases, a master's degree is preferred. Other jobs demand specific certifications. A few mandate "extensive" knowledge or experience in construction and insurance. One employee did not have a valid driver's license as needed.

Delgado-Polanco declined to answer questions from reporters following a Wednesday meeting of the authority's board. A spokesman for Murphy did not answer detailed questions about the disparity between employees' qualifications and the requirements for the jobs they hold.

"These matters are subject to an ongoing review conducted by counsel," the spokesman, Mahen Gunaratna, said in an email.

Not meeting the basics

The review by the Network found that at least 10 employees did not meet basic qualifications laid out in job descriptions.

For example, Cory LeDet was hired in October as deputy director of Small, Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise. At a salary of $105,000, the deputy director is responsible for assisting in "strategic planning and implementation of business diversity and inclusion efforts," as well as managing administrative staff, meeting with "key stakeholders" and ensuring administrative compliance of the program, according to the job description.

A bachelor's degree or equivalent education or experience is required, but a master's degree is preferred, the description said. LeDet does not list any college degree on his résumé and last worked as a shop steward for a car dealership. His résumé does not list any experience in strategic planning or business diversity. But he is the husband of Kellie LeDet, chief of staff at the Department of Education, where Delgado-Polanco's husband was hired in December.

Riya Arora is a friend of Delgado-Polanco's daughter. Arora was hired at a salary of $66,000 to be a senior pre-qualification analyst, according to records the authority provided. Listed job duties for that role include coordinating and executing the construction insurance program, serving as a liaison to brokers, resolving "complex" insurance situations and adjusting vendor insurance coverage.

Requirements of the job include a bachelor's degree "and/or five years relevant business experience in risk management and/or insurance brokerage field." And experience should include "extensive product knowledge in commercial property and casualty insurance." Arora has a degree from Seton Hall University, according to her résumé, but no insurance experience. Her last two jobs were in financial services. Before that, she was an administrative assistant for six years, according to her résumé.

Lack of human resources certifications

The human resources director is Miguelina Diaz. While she does have the 10 years of work experience the position requires, she earned an associate's degree, not a bachelor's as required. And she does not list the professional certification the job requires on her résumé.

Diaz was acting director of human resources for just two weeks when her department accidentally released sensitive employee data. After that she was named director of the department and given back pay, according to records.

Other new employees in human resources do not meet certain requirements.

Jenna Arcila, who is the daughter-in-law of deputy chief of staff Patricia Arcila Cabrera, is listed in records as benefit administrator. The authority has said it was an entry-level position. But the job description for "human resources specialist-benefits" said it requires a bachelor's degree, a minimum of three to five years in human resources and the same or similar professional certifications Diaz must have.

Arcila’s last job was as an operations assistant at Bloomingdales and she has no human resources experience, according to her résumé. She also does not have a degree and or the certifications required, according to the résumé.

The human resources project coordinator must also have a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and two to three years of experience, according to the job description. But Joel Guzman, who holds that position, was a shipping and receiving manager with no college degree or experience in human resources before coming to the authority, according to his résumé.

Union ties

William Alexander Lee III, who goes by Hashim Shomari, holds the title of "director-special projects." That means leading the special projects division and being accountable for supporting the authority's executives in cost recovery, legal reviews for errors, construction defects and project close-outs. That title requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, design, construction, business administration or a related field, but a master’s degree is preferred. It also requires a "basic understanding of design and construction."

If Shomari has any of those qualifications, they are not listed on his résumé and the governor's office did not answer questions about his experience. He was paid $56,000 by the Murphy campaign before coming to the authority, according to election records. Before that, he was acting executive director of the Service Employees International Union New Jersey State Council, where Delgado-Polanco and her deputy chief, Arcila Cabrera, once worked.

Delgado-Polanco hired other people who came from the unions she worked for or companies her union represented.

Frank DiBartolo, for example, worked as a senior branch manager for ABM industries, a janitorial services company represented by the service employees union. He was hired as deputy director of contract management at a salary of $110,000, according to authority records.

That job requires a bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture, construction management, law or a related field, as well as a minimum of five years' experience in the construction industry, experience negotiating construction claims and "extensive knowledge" in construction, consultants and architectural contracts.

According to his résumé, DiBartolo is halfway toward a bachelor’s degree and has no experience in construction.

Another new authority employee that came from ABM Industries is Nicole Vinci. At ABM, she was a supervisor in charge of floor inspections, submitting payroll reports and ordering supplies, according to her résumé.

Now as deputy director of risk management, Vinci's requirements include overseeing claims and insurance, tracking corporate litigation, reviewing contract language and maintaining oversight of subcontractor policy and procedures. Her résumé does not list the required 10 years of experience in risk management or with an insurance company, nor does it include "extensive" construction experience or safety and insurance certifications the job description calls for.

Delgado-Polanco also hired Garrison Keck, a young former political coordinator at the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, the union she led before coming to the authority. Keck earns $75,000 as a deputy director of legislative affairs, which requires a bachelor's degree, according to the job description. He does not list a degree on his résumé.

And the hiring of Elizabeth LeVaca as deputy director of communications required her to have a valid driver's license. But motor vehicles records as of last month showed that she had a suspended license after two driving under the influence charges before she was hired.