Mayor Carney Announces Former Cabinet Secretary Claire DeMatteis as City of Wilmington Director of Human Resources

WILMINGTON - Today, Mayor John Carney announced the appointment of Claire DeMatteis as Director of the City of Wilmington Department of Human Resources. DeMatteis brings extensive experience in public service, having most recently served as Secretary of the Delaware Department of Human Resources. She was also the first woman to lead the Department of Corrections as Commissioner.

"Claire is someone I often rely on to handle complex and challenging tasks, and she always delivers," said Mayor John Carney. "She was responsible for revitalizing how the State of Delaware served its over 20,000 employees, transforming the department into a service-oriented organization. And as the City of Wilmington's workforce continues to evolve, both in how we do our work and in what employees expect, I am confident that Clarie will help us navigate these changes successfully."

DeMatteis' appointment follows the retirement of longtime Human Resources Director Charlotte Barnes, who recently accepted a position with Delaware State University. The City of Wilmington has over 1,100 employees on its payroll and works collaboratively with four public employee unions.

As Director of Human Resources, DeMatteis will lead efforts to strengthen the City's workforce by enhancing recruitment strategies and improving employee retention, while expanding professional development opportunities for City employees.

"Wilmington employees are the heart and soul of everything the City does to make our community a vibrant, safe, fun place to live, work, and play," said DeMatteis. "I look forward to being part of the team that shows how much we value their work and commitment, as well as increasing recruitment efforts to encourage more people to join the City workforce."

A lifelong Delawarean, DeMatteis is a graduate of the University of Delaware and earned her law degree from Delaware Law School.

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