Westmoreland court administrator leads state association

Westmoreland County District Court Administrator Amy Mears DeMatt is the new president of the Pennsylvania Association of Court Management.

“I am just absolutely delighted to be elected to this position,” DeMatt said. “It is such an honor to be recognized by my peers and fellow colleagues throughout the state.”

DeMatt said that one of her goals is to educate fellow court managers and administrators, improve the job as a whole and hold meaningful conferences.

“The main focus of this role is education,” DeMatt said. “We hold two conferences a year, and one of them I want to be one creating a strong workforce in a post-covid world, which is what we really need right now.”

DeMatt is also excited to work closely with Andra Tuominen, deputy court administrator at the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

“Andrea is great, and I am super-excited to work closely with her on conferences and the organization as a whole,” DeMatt said. “Our court community in the state is great.”

The Pennsylvania Association of Court Management is composed of “court professionals who develop and implement effective court management techniques, policies and standards to improve the efficient and effective administration of justice” in the state, according to the group’s website.

DeMatt was sworn in by her brother and Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears at the state association meeting last week in State College.

The Pennsylvania Association of Court Management is a nonprofit organization and was established in 1989 through the consolidation of two previous organizations: the Pennsylvania Council of District Court Administrators and the Pennsylvanian of Court Administrators for Courts of Initial Jurisdiction.

The organization assists in maintaining the accountability and independence of the courts, providing education, training and service to advance professionalism in the system.

DeMatt will serve in this position through 2024 and while she continues to serve as court administrator for the county, a post she has held eight years. Her term will occur at the same time as Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd, the first woman installed as chief of the court.

DeMatt was a law clerk in Westmoreland for eight years before becoming district court administrator in December 2014.