Overview

Jenna Figueroa Kettenburg is a native Trentonian, raised in the city’s South Ward. She graduated from Trenton Central High School in 1999. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice from Rutgers University with minors in Communications and Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Caribbean Studies. She also holds a Master’s degree in Criminology from Boston University.

Before entering electoral politics she spent 18 years as an investigator for the State of New Jersey. She currently serves as Supervisor of Investigations for the Conflict Investigations Unit within the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. She is a member of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1038.

Figueroa Kettenburg first ran for the South Ward council seat in 2018 finishing third in the May election with 22.5 percent of the vote. She was elected to the council in 2022 after defeating Damian Malave in a December runoff. She won re-election by a single vote in a December 2024 runoff against the same challenger.

In January 2024 her council colleagues unanimously elected her Council Vice President for a one-year term. She was nominated for Council President in January 2025 but did not secure the position; Yazminelly Gonzalez was elected president instead. She was elected president at the start of 2026.

Political Career

Trenton City Council Member, South Ward: January 1, 2023 – present; current term ends January 1, 2029

Council Vice President: January 4, 2024 – January 2025

Candidate for South Ward Council: 2018 (lost in general election), 2022 (elected), 2024 (re-elected)

Ran in nonpartisan municipal elections under the Faulkner Act mayor-council system

Key Policy Areas

Infrastructure improvement (road paving and sidewalk repairs)

Public safety (abandoned property remediation and traffic calming)

Code enforcement and absentee landlord accountability

Constituent services and digital equity

Labor relations and Project Labor Agreements

Domestic violence awareness and prevention

Notable Actions / Initiatives

Authored and passed Trenton’s first Project Labor Agreement establishing prevailing wage standards for city contracts

Secured the renovation of Orange Street Park resulting in new sensory play equipment and ground-level accessibility features

Co-chaired the 2023 Communities of Light initiative with Womanspace raising awareness of domestic violence in the South Ward

Facilitated enrollment of nearly 100 residents into the state ANCHOR property tax relief program through four organized events

Secured more than 30 refurbished laptops for South Village residents through the Trenton Digital Initiative to address the digital divide

Education

Trenton Central High School (Class of 1999)

Rutgers University: Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice

Boston University: Master’s degree in Criminology

Personal

Birth date: Not publicly available

Residence: South Ward, Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey

Occupation: Supervisor of Investigations, New Jersey Department of Children and Families