8-K

                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

       Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 22, 2005
                                                         -----------------

                       PROVIDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

          Delaware                        001-31566               42-1547151
- -----------------------------      ---------------------     -------------------
(State or Other Jurisdiction)      (Commission File No.)      (I.R.S. Employer
      of Incorporation)                                      Identification No.)


830 Bergen Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey                        07306-4599
- ------------------------------------------                        ----------
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)                          (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  (201) 333-1000
                                                     --------------

                                 Not Applicable
                                 --------------
          (Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check  the  appropriate  box  below  if the  Form  8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

[ ]  Written communications  pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17
     CFR 230.425)

[ ]  Soliciting  material  pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17
     CFR 240.14a-12)

[ ]  Pre-commencement  communications  pursuant  to Rule  14d-2(b)  under the
     Exchange Act (17
      CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ]  Pre-commencement  communications  pursuant  to Rule  13e-4(c)  under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))





Item 5.02       Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of
                ---------------------------------------------------------
Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers.
- ---------------------------------------------

     (d) On November 22, 2005, the Board of Directors (the "Board") of Provident
Financial  Services,  Inc.  (the  "Company"),  pursuant  to the  By-laws  of the
Company,  increased  the size of the Board from 13 to 15 members  and  appointed
Thomas W. Berry and Christopher Martin to the Board. Mr. Berry has been added to
the class of directors  whose term will expire at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the
Company's stockholders.  Mr. Martin, the Company's President,  has been added to
the class of directors  whose term will expire at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the
Company's  stockholders.  These  appointments  were made in  anticipation of the
Board  vacancies  following the retirements of J. Martin Comey and David Leff in
2006.  The  appointment  of Mr. Martin also  satisfies the Company's  commitment
contained  in the  Agreement  and Plan of Merger by and  between the Company and
First Sentinel Bancorp, Inc. dated December 19, 2003, as amended, to add a third
former director of First Sentinel to the Company's  Board.  Mr. Martin served as
President and Chief  Executive  Officer and director of First  Sentinel prior to
the merger of First Sentinel with and into the Company  effective July 14, 2004.
Both Mr. Berry and Mr. Martin have also been appointed to the Board of Directors
of The Provident Bank, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary.

The  Company  issued  a news  release  on  November  23,  2005 to  announce  the
appointments of Messrs. Berry and Martin to the Board. The full text of the news
release is attached as an Exhibit to this Current Report on Form 8-K.


Item 9.01.      Financial Statements and Exhibits
                ---------------------------------


                (c) Exhibits.

                Exhibit No.             Description
                -----------             -----------

                   99.1                 News release dated November 23, 2005.











                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

                                        PROVIDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.



DATE:  November 22, 2005        By:     /s/Paul M. Pantozzi
                                        ---------------------------
                                        Paul M. Pantozzi
                                        Chairman and Chief Executive Officer












                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit         Description
- -------         -----------

 99.1           News release dated November 23, 2005.

EX-99.1

                                  NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT:        John F. Kuntz, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
                Provident Financial Services, Inc.
                (201) 915-5701

FOR RELEASE 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time: November 23, 2005


Provident Financial Services, Inc. Names Two New Directors

JERSEY CITY, NJ November 23 /PRNewswire-First Call/ - Provident Financial
Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS) (the "Company") today announced that Thomas W. Berry
and Christopher Martin have been named to the Boards of Directors of the Company
and its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Provident Bank.

Thomas W. Berry was a partner of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and became a retired
partner in 1998. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1972 and became a partner in 1986,
where he had senior responsibilities for utilities and telecommunications
companies. Mr. Berry was a founding director of Red Oak Bank, a community bank
which operated in Morris County, New Jersey before it was acquired earlier this
year. Mr. Berry currently serves as a director of the Hyde and Watson
Foundation, as a trustee of the Community Foundation of New Jersey, as Vice
Chairman of the North American Electric Reliability Council, and as a member of
the board of trustees of Brown University. He also previously served as the
Chairman of the Board of Kessler Rehabilitation Corporation. Mr. Berry received
his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his MBA from Harvard
University Graduate School of Business.

Christopher Martin has served as President of the Company and The Provident Bank
since July of 2004 and he will continue to serve in those capacities. Mr. Martin
previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer and director of First
Sentinel Bancorp, Inc, which was acquired by the Company in July of 2004. The
appointment of Mr. Martin satisfies the Company's commitment to add a third
former director of First Sentinel to the Boards of Directors of the Company and
The Provident Bank. Mr. Martin is a trustee of the Flame of Charity Foundation
supporting Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Metuchen, Vice President and
Treasurer of The 200 Club of Middlesex County, an organization that provides
financial assistance and scholarships to families of law enforcement and public
safety officials, and is a member of the Investment Committee for Raritan Bay
Medical Center.

"With these board appointments we have added significant community banking
experience to our Board of Directors," said Paul M. Pantozzi, the Company's
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "I am sure both Tom and Chris will make
positive contributions to Provident's ongoing success and growth," Pantozzi
added.

Provident Financial Services, Inc., which reported assets of $6.2 billion as of
September 30, 2005, is the holding company for The Provident Bank. Founded in
1839, the bank has 76 branches in northern and central New Jersey.

This news release may contain a number of forward-looking statements, as that
term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could
cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated due
to a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to, factors discussed
in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission
from time to time. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after
the date on which such statements were made. Access the filings and other
financial and business information regarding the Company at www.providentnj.com.