Jennifer Webb-McRae is a native of Vineland, New Jersey. She is a proud graduate of the Vineland Public School System, Glassboro State University, and Rutgers–Camden School of Law (where she earned her law degree in 1994). She is also a graduate of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers College in Macon, Georgia and admitted to the bars of the State of New Jersey, United States District Court, and the State of Pennsylvania. Jennifer was an Assistant Deputy Public Defender for the State of New Jersey for six years.
Jennifer ventured into private practice between 2002 and 2009. Her practice concentrated in Criminal and municipal Court Defense, Business and Real Estate, and Wills and estates. She also served as Child Support Attorney for the Cumberland County Welfare Board, Solicitor for the Fairfield Township Land Use Board, and Public Defender for Maurice River Township.
Jennifer’s professional affiliations have included the Superior Court of NJ -Vicinage XV Minority Concerns Advisory Committee, serving as a trustee and officer for the Cumberland County Bar Association, and being a member of the County Prosecutor’s Association of New Jersey and the Cumberland County Human Relations Commission. Prior to being appointed Prosecutor, Jennifer was active in the community (as a past member of the Vineland Planning Board and Vineland Board of Education). Jennifer currently serves on the National District Attorney’s Association (NDAA) Executive Committee. Jennifer is also a proud member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the National Black Prosecutor’s Association (NBPA).
In January 2010, Governor Jon S. Corzine nominated Jennifer to be the first African American and first female Prosecutor of Cumberland County. In her capacity as Prosecutor, Jennifer is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the county. She is responsible for overseeing the 115-person office that prosecutes indictable crimes throughout the county. Prosecutor Webb-McRae preaches that while prosecuting crimes and keeping Cumberland County residents safe is her primary responsibility, helping people make positive choices is equally important. Prosecutor Webb-McRae has continued her work with the community by launching an Annual Back to School Initiative where the office attends 30+ Back to School events per year to let parents know that the office has a Speaker’s Bureau that can educate them about topics that keep kids safe (such as Anti-Bullying, Internet Safety, and Gang and Drug Awareness).
In November of 2016, Governor Chris Christie nominated Prosecutor Webb-McRae for a second five-year term as Cumberland County Prosecutor. In January 2017, Prosecutor Webb-McRae was sworn in as the first full-time Prosecutor in Cumberland County to serve a second term. In 2017, she helped to launch the Cumberland C.A.R.E.S. (Compassionate Addiction Recovery Equals Success) Peer Recovery Coach Program and continues the work by supporting the Recovery on Wheels (ROW) initiative.
Since 2017, Jennifer has shepherded over $5.4 Million in grant funds to Cumberland County to steer youth away from gangs, address trauma, treat mental health, and battle opioid abuse. In 2021, Jennifer eagerly welcomed Cumberland County, serving as the pilot county for the New Jersey Attorney General’s ARRIVE (Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation) Together initiative with the New Jersey State Police. ARRIVE Together is a co-responder model (police and mental health screeners arrive together) that responds to calls for mental health crises in order to de-escalate and reduce the need for the Use of Force. She later helped implement the program across all police departments in Cumberland County.
In 2022, Jennifer was re-nominated by Governor Phil Murphy for a third term as Cumberland County Prosecutor. She was confirmed by the Senate in December of 2023 and began her third term as Cumberland County Prosecutor in January of 2024. Prosecutor Webb-McRae’s motto for her work is “I will go anywhere, at any time, to help the citizens of Cumberland County make healthy, positive choices.