by Kym Byrnes, photography by Nikola Tzenov
Heather DeWees’ Playbook: Leadership, Family and Community
As the first female clerk of the Circuit Court for Carroll County, Heather DeWees delivers top-notch customer service while driving innovation and efficiency in her office. She is also a celebrated high school girls basketball coach, a role she calls her stress relief.
She considers herself a “straight shooter” and believes that her straightforward, honest approach to life has earned her respect both on and off the court. With her husband, Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees, Heather raised three children in Carroll County, now young adults forging professional lives.
Looking ahead, Heather confirmed she plans to run for re-election and joked that since her daughter is expecting a baby this spring, she may have to stay in the coaching game for another 18 years so she can potentially coach her grandchild.
“I believe if I give my team everything they need — good lighting, the right technology, comfortable working spaces, education and training — then they will treat our customers right. It’s important to me that information flows freely and responsibly out of this office. I set the example. I set the tone. I feel like we do a good job on that, and I want feedback from the community on how we’re doing because we want to do a good job.” – Heather DeWees
Where Did You Grow Up, and When Did You Settle in Carroll County?
I grew up in Rivesville, a small coal mining town in West Virginia. I played basketball in high school — I was the all-time leading scorer in my county for boys and girls — which led to a full basketball scholarship to Mount St. Mary’s University. There I played Division I basketball while earning a bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish in addition to a minor in theology.
I met Jim [DeWees] in college during my senior year. I got a fellowship to attend Wake Forest in North Carolina, where I got a master’s degree in secondary education. Then, I came back to Maryland, where I started teaching and coaching at Western Tech [Western School of Technology and Environmental Science] in Baltimore.
When You Were Young, What Did You Want to be When You Grew Up?
My dad was a West Virginia state trooper, and I also planned to be a state trooper. I took criminal justice classes in college and wanted to be a state trooper, attorney or prosecutor. But then I got injured in college and couldn’t do the police training, which took me down the path of graduate school at Wake Forest, which led to teaching social studies and coaching basketball.
How Did You Go From Teaching And Coaching to Being the First Female Clerk of the Circuit Court for Carroll County?
Jim became the sheriff in 2014, and several years later, the clerk position opened up, and he encouraged me to take a hard look at it. I’m from a police family — my dad was a state trooper, my nephew is a police officer, and now two of my kids are police officers. I have taught courses in government, political science and law and had training to become a principal, so I felt like I had the knowledge and skill sets for something like this. It wasn’t that I wanted to leave teaching, but I had entertained the thought of going to law school — it wasn’t a good time for my family to take that on — so we thought this might be a good next step for me.
That said, this is an elected position, which would mean campaigning. That worried me because although we had already gone through a campaign with Jim running for sheriff, I was concerned. I’m a straight shooter. I’m not good at “putting on a show” that some politics require. But I’m also very competitive, so once I started running, I realized I just needed to be myself — honest and straightforward.
What Does the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Carroll County Do?
When I got the job, I had a lot to learn. I never pretended I knew something I didn’t know. I was very honest about my leadership philosophy, and I want people to hold me accountable for that. I have 33 people on my team, and they are my family. I listen to staff needs, and we work hard to make improvements and adjustments that benefit the staff and the citizens who come to us for services.
I’m a state-funded agency, and I’m the keeper of the record, so accuracy is important. Last year, we collected $6.7 million for Carroll County. We handle land records and business licenses; we do marriage licenses. Some of my priorities have included providing educational opportunities for staff and bringing court security mechanisms up to standard.
What Do You Like About the Job?
I like building relationships, and being good at that has helped me get things done. We’ve also been ahead of the curve on various things. When COVID hit, I had already started exploring telework options, and we had some infrastructure and policies in place to make that a smoother transition. The telework policies we created became the policy of the Maryland judiciary. We are always thinking ahead and trying to innovate.
What Are Some Challenges of the Job?
We try to get people what they need to the best of our abilities, but we’re not attorneys, and that can make it tough because there are some things we can’t do. We have to follow the rules, but I believe we should go above and beyond to serve our customers. I believe if I give my team everything they need — good lighting, the right technology, comfortable working spaces, education and training — then they will treat our customers right. It’s important to me that information flows freely and responsibly out of this office. I set the example. I set the tone. I feel like we do a good job on that, and I want feedback from the community on how we’re doing because we want to do a good job.
Your Husband is Also an Elected Official as Carroll County’s Sheriff. Does That Role Present Complications?
My job is state; his job is county. My job is judicial; his job is the executive branch. We’re an example of checks and balances at its best. We don’t work in the same realm. People make assumptions that we share everything with each other. We’re professional and ethical, so we know our boundaries and respect them. I’m not going to compromise a case or someone’s life to tell my husband something. If something comes up that might be a conflict, I would step away; that is the standard in the judiciary, anyway. When we go home, we do not want to talk about work. We have three kids, two cats and a dog. We’re talking about life and what’s for dinner tonight.
You Take Your Job of Providing Marriage Licenses Very Seriously. Why is That So Important to You?
We are the largest wedding venue in Carroll County. In 2024, we did more than 900 marriages. When I became the clerk, the wedding room looked like a funeral parlor. It was awful. I am no artist; I am a gross motor skill girl, but I could see how bad the wedding room was, and I would never want to be married in that space. Updating that room was one of the first things we did.
I felt the wedding room was important because it represents the court, but it also represents the county; we don’t just have residents of Carroll County getting married here. And I feel that getting married is a big deal and growing up in a very poor county, I know what it’s like not to have money to spend on a wedding. I don’t think choosing to get married at the courthouse should make the day feel any less special.
When COVID hit, we pivoted to continue serving customers. I married people in the parking lots, in their cars. Sometimes, it’s just a necessity. People in the military need to get married before a deployment. I had someone who had stage-four cancer, so time was of the essence. I see a lot of 26-year-olds tying the knot for health insurance reasons.
What Are You Doing When You’re Not At Work?
My family has always kept me on my toes, whether it’s supporting my husband in his role as sheriff or my three kids as they have grown up being active in sports and now navigating life as young adults. I also really love coaching. I have coached high school girls basketball for 26 years, and I’ve been the coach at Manchester Valley High School since it opened [in 2009]. Basketball season is busy, but I’ve always coached, so I’m used to it. I don’t sleep a lot. Coaching is my reprieve from stress. I’ve also started commentating on some games for ESPN, like calling a game for Mount St. Mary’s, which is so cool because I played basketball there. My family has always been a part of my coaching, attending games and helping where they can. My daughter even coaches with me now.
About The Clerk of the Circuit Court
Maryland’s circuit courts were established in 1851 to succeed what were formerly known as county courts. When the circuit courts were created, a provision was made for a clerk to serve the court in each county.
The clerk is elected to serve a four-year term. The circuit court clerk performs specific court duties, such as filing, docketing and maintaining legal records; recording documents that involve title to real estate; and collecting the fees, commissions and taxes related to these functions. The clerk also issues various licenses, including marriage licenses. In this process, the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court for Carroll County collects and distributes funds on behalf of the state, Carroll County and its municipalities.
Operating expenses for the Clerk’s Office primarily come from state general funds and other costs from state judiciary funds. The Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court for Carroll County includes five departments: civil, courtroom clerk, criminal, juvenile and land records.
Source: MSA.Maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/36loc/carr/html/functions/carrjudicial.html
