EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY
Matt Mills is the oldest of four children born in Madison, Wisconsin. His father, a veterinarian, and his mother, a nurse, instilled in him the values of hard work and service from a young age. His father’s roles as a Sunday School teacher and chairman of the local school board provided a powerful example of civic duty and leadership. As a child, Matt actively participated in scouting, sports, and community activities.
Matt married his wife, April, in 2000. Together, they have four children: Helen (19), Ted (16), Alice (12), and Henry (10). Being a father is Matt’s biggest joy in life. In their free time, the Mills family enjoys camping, attending sporting events and concerts, and working on their retreat center project for children with special needs, inspired by Ted’s journey with spina bifida.
EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY
Matt attended Sheboygan North High School in Wisconsin. He graduated in 1993 and went on to earn a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1997. He later pursued his legal education at Seattle University School of Law, graduating cum laude in 2008. His educational experience, which emphasized advancing the community and giving back through legal expertise, shaped his approach to leadership and the law.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Varied legal experiences have enriched Matt’s career, including criminal defense and prosecution, family law, a broad range of civil law-business formation, wills and trusts, creditor/debtor law, landlord-tenant law, and even patents and trademarks. Early in his career, he balanced private and solo practice in Kitsap County to stay close to his family while raising four young children. He later worked at a Seattle practice before moving to Oregon, gaining extensive experience in solo practice and at a law firm. Currently serving in the Kittitas County Prosecutor’s Office, Matt has developed a deep understanding of how a judge can foster community trust and consistency.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Matt finds fulfillment in being an active member of his community. He has coached youth basketball and baseball and served as a Cubmaster for Pack 489 in Ellensburg. Notably, he and his wife, April, contributed to building Bremerton’s first accessible playground for children with special needs. They are currently developing a rural retreat center in Klickitat County for families with children with special needs.
While in private practice, Matt participated in the bar’s Moderate Means Program and Kitsap Legal Clinic, which helped lower-income people access legal help for civil and family law matters. Matt is also one of the founding members of the Behavioral Health Court for the district courts, helping to get the initiative up and running.
As a judge, Matt will remain dedicated to serving Kittitas County with integrity, impartiality, and a commitment to modernizing and improving judicial processes. With his extensive legal experience and deep-rooted values of community service, Matt is the right choice for judge.
