Sean P. Kilkenny

Sean P. Kilkenny was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 as the Sheriff of Montgomery County, the third largest county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with over 850,000 residents. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office ‘MCSO” has over one hundred sworn Deputies and two dozen administrative staff members. The MCSO’s core responsibilities are courthouse security, prisoner transport, and personal service of criminal warrants and legal documents.  In addition to these core responsibilities, the MCSO has robust bomb disposal and canine units.  

Since taking office in 2016, Sheriff Kilkenny has directed the MCSO to focus on transparency, innovation, diversity and professionalism. To promote transparency, the MCSO became the first sheriff’s office in the Commonwealth to implement body cameras for Deputies. The MCSO is also the first sheriff’s office in Pennsylvania to modernize sheriff’s sales by taking them online. Thirty percent of MCSO employee hires under Kilkenny have been minorities and/or women, which ensures diversity in the office. Finally, to ensure the professionalism that the County deserves, all MCSO Deputies and Staff receive comprehensive sexual harassment and anti-bias training facilitated by the Anti-Defamation League.

Before being elected Sheriff, Kilkenny served his country as an officer on both active duty and in the Army Reserves for more than two decades. Now a retired lieutenant colonel, he began his military career as a paratrooper and federal prosecutor in the Judge Advocate General Corps. He served our country overseas in Bosnia, Iraq, Kosovo, and South Korea. 

In addition to his elected position, Sheriff Kilkenny serves as the managing partner of Kilkenny Law, LLC, which has 15 attorneys, and staff who provides legal counsel on real estate, zoning, and litigation matters to municipalities, corporations, and individuals throughout the Philadelphia suburbs. Kilkenny and his Firm serve as Solicitor to numerous Townships, Boroughs, Zoning Boards, and School Districts.

Sheriff Kilkenny has served on the Board of Trustees of Montgomery County Community College “MCCC” since 2013.  In 2017, Kilkenny established an endowed Scholarship at MCCC, which benefits Deputies and Staff seeking to pursue their educational goals through associate degree programs at the college. 

Sheriff Kilkenny is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff Training Program. Kilkenny’ s civilian education includes a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, a master’s degree of public administration from the University of South Carolina, a law degree from Temple University, and a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University.  

Sheriff Kilkenny resides in Jenkintown with his wife and two daughters. When out of the office, Kilkenny can be found jogging, reading history, and cheering on the Phillies and Villanova Basketball.