DelcoReviewSpring2017 - 16

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I Absolutely Must
Make A Difference...
By Jen Holsten Maddaloni, Register of Wills

T

he Register of Wills office
has existed in Delaware
County since the time
the County was created in 1789.
The first will to be probated in
the County was that of a woman,
Susannah Chamberlain. This is
unusual because most women
did not own property then, and
the terms of the will identified
disbursements in pounds and
pence not dollars and cents.
It was not until 225 years later
the County elected a woman to run
the office. Jen Holsten Maddaloni
began her four year term in January, 2014. Although this is
considered a part-time position, Jen recognized the need for
major reforms and left her job at Holsten & Associates to devote
all of her working hours to the Register of Wills. This move
was "unprecedented for at least as long as my 28 years here,"
according to Chief Deputy Kristi Dick.
Jen came to work and immediately began observing how
the office operated. "One of the first things I noticed was that
all of the people waiting to be helped were shoulder to shoulder
with the people who were already with a deputy discussing the
death of their loved one and personal finances." The office was
quickly reconfigured to allow privacy for those discussing such
personal details.
"As a working mom, I know I do not have the time or ability
to take a half of a day off from work to obtain a document from
a government office." The focus is on streamlining many of
the procedures, such as obtaining a certified marriage license,
as 4,300 certified copies of marriage licenses are processed
each year. Previously, obtaining one involved two trips to the
Courthouse and a two week waiting period. Now, thanks to a
scanning and indexing project, you often have the ability to get
the copy that day. The "Skype" program, now in test phase,
will ultimately enable executors and witnesses to conduct what
needs to be done at probate from other locations, such as a
hospital, and not require their presence at the Courthouse. In the
next few months, the office will roll out online marriage license
applications as well as an all new, more reliable, online system
for the filing of probate petitions. The focus is on making the

16 | Spring 2017

processes easier for our residents and the attorneys who frequent
the office. "This office is all about Delaware County families,
where they come to get their marriage license, file paperwork for
adoptions, guardianships and ultimately, probate the will of their
loved one. Each day is spent thinking of ways to make it easier
for our families to go through these often emotional processes."
Aiding in that effort are the thirteen women in the office of
the Register of Wills. Jen feels "so fortunate to be working with
these incredible women who are dedicated to their job and my
vision of modernizing the office. Learning new systems and
practicing under new policies is an adjustment, but the ladies
have maintained a positive attitude.
"More than half of my class in law school were women,
but when it came to practicing law and entering the world of
politics, finding a female mentor was difficult, primarily because
it was rare to come into contact with women in my area of the
profession. That is one reason I am excited about the newly
formed Women in the Law Committee (WILC). This program
will make it so much easier for female attorneys to connect and
offer help to one another."
Jen also feels fortunate to have the guidance of two women
in her family; her mother Lois, a former paralegal, and Jen's
stepmother, Pat Holsten. "My mother knows the law and how
people think. My father was the underdog in a township council
race in the 1970s. Although women were generally overlooked
in political races, she knew that getting women motivated to
vote was critical for him to win. So we went door to door giving
out pot holders with my father's name on them, and it worked!"
She said "never underestimate the power of a woman...even just
one."
Jen's stepmother, Pat Holsten, was the first woman to be the
District Attorney in Delaware County. Jen says, "To this day I
am still approached by women, and men, who have stories about
how she mentored them or how she pulled them aside to give
advice that they have never forgotten. I think that is an attribute
many women in our bar association possess - not boasting of
knowledge or power, but quietly helping on the sidelines, often
without recognition because it is not being done for recognition.
We are helpers and nurturers, and while our voices may become
louder, in the end, it is helping others and making things better
for all which drives us. I do not necessarily need to be heard, but
I absolutely must make a difference."

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