The Surrogate – Essex County Surrogate's Court

“I have dedicated my life to public service and becoming the Surrogate is an opportunity to assist residents when they are at the most vulnerable time of their lives.”

On January 2nd 2019, Alturrick Kenney was sworn into his first term as the Surrogate of the County of Essex in the State of New Jersey. In this elected role, he is a Constitutional Officer and the Administrative Judge of the county's Surrogate's Court.

Alturrick Kenney is an experienced community leader who has always made it his mission to positively impact the citizens of the City of Newark and Essex County, New Jersey. In his 20+ years as a public servant, he has served in many roles, including: Deputy Mayor of the City of Newark, Member of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board (NPS), Manager for Port Activities and Business Development on behalf of the City of Newark, as well as Chair of The Port Oversight Committee.

Alturrick’s experience and dedication to public service has not gone unnoticed; he has received numerous awards including the Excellence in Business and Community Service Award from Project Re-Direct/Youth & Family Service, the Newark NAACP Award for Community Service, and acknowledgment by United Way of Metropolitan DC for his commitment to quality and consistent education for youth through afterschool programs.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History & Political Science from Howard University. Alturrick is the proud husband of rockstar Jheryn Kenney, the U.S. Head of Sales for Black Women Talk Tech, a Board Member for National Sales Network - New York/New Jersey, and an Enterprise Relationship Manager at LinkedIn. They are the proud parents of 2 beautiful children, Yasmin and Elijah.

The responsibilities of the office include probating Wills, appointing administrators for those who die without a Will of estates, qualifying trustees, and qualifying guardians of incapacitated persons. The Surrogate's Court is also the custodian of minors’ funds until the minor turns 18 years of age, when they either receive the proceeds from a lawsuit or are named as a beneficiary of an insurance policy or in a Will.