WILMINGTON, Del. –  Governor John Carney on Wednesday issued the following statement on Senate confirmations of Cabinet officials to lead the Department of Human Resources (DHR) and the Department of Education (DOE).

“I want to thank members of the Delaware Senate for their thoughtful consideration of these two important Cabinet nominations,” said Governor Carney. “Both Claire and Mark will bring years of experience and commitment to public service that will benefit all Delawareans. I look forward to continuing to work with these two in their new positions.”

Claire DeMatteis was confirmed by the Senate as the next Secretary of the Department of Human Resources (DHR). In her current position as Special Assistant to Governor Carney, DeMatteis oversees management of federal stimulus funding received by the State of Delaware, and assists with crisis management projects across state government. DeMatteis previously served as Commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction (DOC) from 2019-2021, as Special Assistant to Governor Carney overseeing reforms to Delaware’s corrections system, and in a senior role at the Delaware Department of Labor (DOL). 

Mark Holodick was confirmed by the Senate as Secretary of the Department of Education (DOE). Last year, Holodick joined the Delaware Academy for School Leadership at the University of Delaware, where he leads coaching and professional development programs for principals and other school and district leaders. He had been Superintendent of the Brandywine School District since 2009, overseeing 16 schools with more than 10,000 students. Previously, Holodick was principal at Concord High School and at a blended middle and high school in the Delmar School District. Holodick was named Administrator of the Year in 2016 by the Delaware Association of Educational Office Professionals and Superintendent of the Year in 2017 by the Delaware Chief School Officers Association.

Click here to view Dr. Holodick’s initial press announcement.

Click here to view Claire DeMatteis’ initial press announcement.

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WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Wednesday issued the following statement on the Delaware Senate’s confirmation of judicial nominations to the Court of Chancery, the Superior Court, and the Court of Common Pleas:

“Thank you to the Delaware Senate for confirming these members of our world-class judiciary who will continue their service to Delaware,” said Governor Carney. “The Delaware Court of Chancery is Delaware’s preeminent business court, and Vice Chancellor McCormick will use her experience to make sure it’s well prepared for the future as the next Chancellor.”

The Senate confirmed the following judicial nominations on Wednesday:

Vice Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick was confirmed as Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery. McCormick will be the first woman to serve as Chancellor and will replace Chancellor Andre Bouchard, who is retiring. McCormick was nominated by Governor Carney to serve as Vice Chancellor and confirmed by the Delaware Senate in 2018. Previously, she was a partner in Wilmington at Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, where her practice focused on commercial, corporate, and alternative entity litigation in the Court of Chancery.

Judge Jeffrey Clark was confirmed as Resident Judge of Superior Court in Kent County and will replace Judge William Witham, who is retiring. Clark was nominated to serve on the Superior Court and confirmed by the Delaware Senate in 2015. Previously, Clark was a Partner at Schmittinger & Rodriguez in Dover.

Judge Carl Danberg was confirmed as Chief Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and will replace Chief Judge Alex Smalls, who is retiring. Danberg was nominated to serve on the Court of Common Pleas in 2013 and confirmed by the Delaware Senate. Danberg previously served as Attorney General of the State of Delaware, and Commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction.

Justice of the Peace Court Magistrate Emily Ferrell was confirmed as Commissioner on the Court of Common Pleas. Ferrell has served since 2015 as a Justice of the Peace, presiding over both criminal and civil matters. Previously, Ferrell served as staff counsel at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

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WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Wednesday issued the following statement on the Delaware Senate’s unanimous confirmation of Superior Court judicial nominations:

“Thank you to the Delaware Senate for confirming Judge Karsnitz as Resident Judge of Superior Court for Sussex County and Robert Robinson as a Superior Court Judge for Sussex County,” said Governor Carney. “Both Judge Karsnitz and Rob have the knowledge, experience and commitment to legal service to serve Delaware well in these positions.”

The Senate confirmed the following judicial nominations on Wednesday:

The Hon. Craig Karsnitz, Resident Judge, Sussex County: Governor Carney nominated and the Delaware Senate confirmed Judge Karsnitz as Superior Court Judge in Sussex County in October 2018. Before his confirmation, Judge Karsnitz was a Partner in the Litigation and Trial Practice Section of Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, where he had for forty years litigated in all of Delaware’s courts, principally in the Superior Court. Prior to his time at Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, Judge Karsnitz was a law clerk for The Honorable John J. McNeilly on the Delaware Supreme Court.

Robert Robinson, Superior Court, Sussex County: Since 2006, Robert Robinson has served in the Sussex County Office of the Public Defender, first as an Assistant Public Defender and currently as a Division Head, where he focuses on felony trial defense in Superior Court and appellate work. Previously, Robinson was an attorney for Wilson, Halbrook & Bayard, P.A., and his areas of practice primarily included land use; real estate and commercial transactions; municipal representation; estates and trusts; and civil litigation. Before joining Wilson, Halbrook & Bayard, P.A., Robinson was in private practice at O’Leary Law Offices. He also served as a law clerk for The Honorable T. Henley Graves, Resident Judge on the Superior Court of Delaware in Sussex County.

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DOVER, Del. (June 23, 2020) – Through a virtual confirmation hearing, the Delaware Senate confirmed and appointed Mark Collins to lead the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation Board of Trustees.

“We want to take this time to personally to thank Chairman Bob Garey for his dedicated service to the Aglands Foundation over the past 25 years,” said Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse. “We are pleased with the Senate’s confirmation of Mark Collins and are looking forward to working with him as he steps into the chairmanship of the Foundation. As a fifth-generation family farmer, Mark has participated in the Aglands Preservation Program and understands the importance of preserving farmland so that we can continue to locally produce food.”

Mark Collins, Chairman, Delaware Aglands Foundation Board of Trustees:
As a life-long family farmer from Laurel, Mark Collins tills 1,300 acres. He and his wife, Dawn, produce watermelon, corn, soybeans, and poultry. Collins has been involved in the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Program with land enrolled in an agricultural district for 25 years. He has had the development rights purchased by the state over the years, so that farmland can be preserved for the next generation at DMC Farms. A graduate of the University of Delaware, Collins earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural engineering. He has been instrumental in the Laurel Auction Market and the Mar-Del Watermelon Association, having served as a board member and president. He has served as an Executive Committee Member and Executive Council Member of the National Watermelon Association. Collins was recognized by the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in March 2019 with the Distinguished Alumni Aware for his outstanding career accomplishments, service, and leadership to the agricultural profession and community.

The original farmland preservation law was passed in 1991, which established the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation Board of Trustees and county level advisory boards. The first funding was received in FY1996, part of the 21st Century Fund.

Collins is only the third chair of the Board of Trustees in the history of the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation. His appointment will begin on July 1, 2020.

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Media Contact: Stacey Hofmann, 302-698-4542, stacey.hofmann@delaware.gov

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Tuesday issued the following statement on the Delaware Senate’s unanimous bipartisan vote to confirm Molly Magarik to serve as the next Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, as well as judicial nominations confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday:

“I want to thank members of the Senate for their confirmation of Molly, and for confirming several distinguished Delawareans to serve on our world-class judiciary. Molly is a proven leader, a problem solver, and the right choice to serve as our next Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services. As we continue to fight COVID-19, I’m confident Molly will be able to lead this department without missing a beat, while continuing our work to make Delaware a stronger and healthier state.”

The Senate confirmed the following judicial nominations on Tuesday:

Mark Conner, Superior Court, Sussex County:

Since July 2016, Mark Conner has served as the managing attorney for the Office of Conflicts Counsel for Sussex County within the Office of Defense Services. During his time in this position, he represented criminal defendants in the Superior Court, the Court of Common Pleas, the Family Court, and the Justice of the Peace Court. Conner has previous experience as a Deputy Attorney General at the Delaware Department of Justice in both the Criminal Division and Civil Division, as well as in the Public Defender’s Office. Between 2007-2016, Conner served as an adjunct professor at Delaware Technical and Community College and Wilmington University, teaching courses on business law and criminal law and procedure. 

A graduate of Wilmington Friends School, Conner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Dickinson College, and his law degree from Widener University School of Law.

Conner will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Scott Bradley, on May 1, 2020, on the Superior Court in Sussex County.

Monica Horton, Court of Common Pleas, New Castle County:

Since 2016, Monica Horton has served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Department of Justice, where she is the head of the Health Law Unit in the Civil Division and provides general counsel to the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. Horton’s public and private legal experience includes serving as an Assistant County Attorney for New Castle County, as an Associate Attorney for Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin, and as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Family Court.

From 2000-2009 and again from 2014-2016, Horton, who is also a registered nurse, attended to obstetrical patients in the labor and delivery department of Christiana Care.

Horton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Delaware. Horton earned her law degree from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.

Horton will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John Welch, on June 30, 2020, on the Court of Common Pleas in New Castle County.

Rae Mims, Court of Common Pleas, Sussex:

As a Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Department of Justice since 2007, Rae Mims has experience on a wide range of matters, and has represented the Delaware Department of Correction, the State Board of Education, the Delaware State Police, and the Division of Public Health. During her time as a Deputy Attorney General, Mims also oversaw criminal adult felony prosecutions in the Superior Court, and prosecuted misdemeanor cases in the Family Court, the Justice of the Peace Court, and the Court of Common Pleas. Additionally, Mims has experience in private practice as an Associate with Binder & Binder in Philadelphia, and was an Assistant District Attorney in Bucks County, PA. Previously, Mims served as an assistant to the City Manager of Longmont, CO, and was an acting regional manager for the Peace Corps in Boston.

Mims earned her Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, a Master of Public Administration in not-for-profit management from Suffolk University, and her law degree from Widener University School of Law.

Mims will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Rosemary Betts Beauregard, on April 1, 2020, on the Court of Common Pleas in Sussex County.

Francis E. Mieczkowski, III, Family Court Commissioner, New Castle County:

As a Deputy Attorney General, Francis Mieczkowski serves as Assistant Unit Head in the Juvenile Delinquency and Truancy Unit in the Family Division at the Delaware Department of Justice. While Mieczkowski’s practice has focused on prosecuting serious felonies and misdemeanors in Family Court, he works with partners to divert children from the criminal justice system who are at low risk to reoffend. Mieczkowski also has experience in the Domestic Violence Unit and Child Support Unit of the Delaware Department of Justice. Previously, Mieczkowski was a legal extern to the Hon. Calvin L. Scott Jr. in the Superior Court, and gained experience as a law clerk with the Delaware Department of Justice and with Elzufon Austin Reardon Tarlov & Mondell.

Throughout his career, Mieczkowski worked with youth. He was a coach, program director, teacher, and assistant principal at Salesianum School. Beginning in 2013, he taught as adjunct faculty at Wilmington University and currently teaches  criminal procedure and criminal law in the Paralegal Certificate Program at the University of Delaware.

Mieczkowski, a graduate of Salesianum School, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Delaware. While at the University of Delaware, Mieczkowski participated in the Legislative Fellows Program.  Mieczkowski earned his law degree from Widener University School of Law.

Mieczkowski will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Susan Tussey, on June 1, 2020, on the Family Court in New Castle County.

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