Photo in courtroom at swearing in — L to R: Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri, Judge Janetta Marbrey, First Addistant Prosecutor Jennifer Downing-Mathis and Retired Lt. Lloyd Mathis

Jennifer Downing-Mathis has been promoted to first assistant prosecutor in Mercer County. She was sworn in last week by Judge Janetta Marbrey at the Mercer County Criminal Courthouse.

In her new role, Downing-Mathis will assist the prosecutor’s office in formulating policy and overseeing investigations. She will oversee several units in the office, as well as the 210-member staff. She has served as deputy first assistant in the department since September 2016.

Downing-Mathis began her career with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office in 1998 after completing a clerkship for Judge Paulette Sapp-Peterson. During her time in the office, she has served as chief of the Megan’s Law unit and chief of the special victims unit, where she initiated the formation and accreditation process of the Robin H. Scheiner Child Advocacy Center. She has vast experience in executive government administration, child abuse and sexual assault investigations, grant acquisitions, internal affairs, trial preparation, and legal research and analysis.

A lifelong Mercer County resident, Downing-Mathis is a graduate of Lawrence High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor degree in Spanish from Rider University and her law degree from Widener University School of Law, where she was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. She is the proud daughter of Robert and Sarah Downing, both deceased. Downing was Mercer County’s first Black undersheriff. She lives in Ewing Township with her husband, retired Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Lieutenant Lloyd Mathis.

Downing-Mathis mentors youth and participates in community organizations such as the Eggerts Crossing Civic League. She is a member of the New Jersey State Bar, serving as a trustee for the Criminal Law Section, a past president of the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey, and interim secretary and a trustee for the Mercer County Bar Association. She is also a member of the National District Attorneys Association and the National Black Prosecutors Association. She is also active in the Mercer County Inns of Court, serves as chairperson of the Mercer County Commission on Abused, Neglected and Missing Children, is a Stigma-Free Mercer task force member, and is a member of the Mercer Vicinage Superior Court Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. She has been honored with awards from the Cherish the Child Foundation, the New Jersey Women’s Hall of Fame, and the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey.