Adam Hamby is a lifelong entrepreneur with a background in Real Estate and Mergers & Acquisitions. Adam earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Delaware. His background in real estate includes serving as managing partner of a real estate investment firm focusing on land acquisition and past owner of a real estate investment company which focused on East Coast resort assets. Adam was a partner at a small commercial real estate firm which focused on sales, leasing, valuation and consulting services.

Adam currently is a commercial property manager at NAI- Emory Hill. Overseeing over 1.3 million SF of office and industrial properties. He holds real estate licenses in Delaware and Pennsylvania and is a member of Commercial- Industrial Realty Council (CIRC).

Additionally, Adam is an associate of RLS Associates. RLS specializes in middle-market mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and recapitalization services for companies or business units with revenues of $1 MM to $100 MM.

Adam currently serves on the Board of Directors as Treasurer at Community Powered Federal Credit Union which has over 9,000 members and $125 million in assets. He, his wife, Jessyca and their daughter Leena reside in Northern Delaware.

Adrienne Wallace is a native of Wilmington, Delaware and graduated from University of Delaware in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences and Women’s Studies. She did her graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a Master’s degree in Public Health in Epidemiology and Occupational & Environmental Health.

Adrienne’s career interest started in her early years when working at Planned Parenthood of Delaware. Adrienne entered into the UPENN MPH program while working for PENN’s Tobacco Use Research Center as a senior research associate. She then accepted a position as a senior health planner with the Department of Human and Health Services in the state of Florida. In this role, she served as the lead epidemiologist, creating need assessments for 11 Florida counties and presenting data for Governor Scott in order to advocate for funding streams that would support the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and Maternal and Child Health Programs.

At St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Adrienne took on the role of a program developer, advising companies on the biochemistry and manufacturing of pediatric pharmaceuticals, starting research programs for the pediatric populations within the hospital. Adrienne accepted a position as a Government Relations and Compliance Research and Policy Analyst for Health Partners Plan, Inc. Adrienne worked for Nemours as a Research Associate in the Office of Health Equity and Inclusion. Her previous role was analyzing statistical data and translating it in order to find ways to address health disparities in under-served areas. She also served and continues to mentor to high school and undergraduate students who matriculated into and graduated from the Health Equity Summer Scholars Program.

Currently, Adrienne is the Vice-President of Wellness and Community Engagement at the Community Education Building (CEB). She is developing ways to address the social determinants of health for the pediatric community within the CEB’s partnering schools. One of the many projects in the works, is developing a comprehensive health and wellness center for students to access multiple streams of health services, that they normally have access to. There will be additional projects that will be put in place to offset the center in an effort to reduce health disparities experienced by the students who participate at the wellness center. Her purpose and passion continues to be saving the babies.

Agnes Mikus-Hughes was born in Chelm, Poland and moved to the United States in 1985 during the Polish revolution. Because of this, she is passionate about local politics.
Agnes graduated from Goldey Beacom College with a major in Business Administration, and has been in the Delaware financial services industry for 20 years. She is currently a Vice President with Bank of America. In her role, she is responsible for the employee deposit and investment businesses.
Agnes is passionate about developing others’ potential and demonstrating the impact a young professional can have in the community. She is a member of LEAD for Women where she mentors and also serves on the Professional Development Forum committee. Additionally, Agnes is the Entertainment Chair for the annual Family Volunteer Day which teaches the importance of volunteering to children, and demonstrates the impact companies, nonprofits and families can have together.
Agnes is a member of the Delaware Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Emerging Leaders Council for whom she serves as Chair of the annual MSquerade Ball, an event she helped found. The Council strives to develop young professionals and expose them to nonprofit board routines and opportunities. Agnes is married with two children and loves to travel.

Aiste Foreman, the owner of Trabeona Travels, plans and arranges vacations with stunning itineraries for individuals, who are ready to escape the daily routine and are willing to immerse into new cultures, history and landscapes. In addition, Aiste focuses on formulating and implementing innovative solutions to business challenges for all levels within Trabeona’s customer contacts as well as forming strategy, structure and vision for the Travel Agency. With years of extensive travel experience, leadership, team member development, as well as direct sales experience, Aiste continues to build her business from the ground up. In 2017 Aiste was recognized as Top Delaware Women in Business by Delaware Business Times and Delaware Today.

She is currently serving on three different committees in a nonprofit organization called Fund for Women, because she believes in women empowering women and girls in Delaware and all over the world.

Aiste holds a Masters of Business Administration degree as well as Bachelors of Arts degree from Salisbury University. Born and raised in Lithuania, she now resides in Millsboro, DE. She is a mother of two beautiful children and enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time outdoors.

Alana King, a lifelong Delawarean, graduated from the Delaware Tech Community College Terry Campus in 2002 with an associate's degree in nursing. In continuing her education, Alana obtained her Master's Degree in Nursing in 2009 from Wesley College. Alana currently works at Bayhealth Medical Center, where she has been for 23 years. Her focus is human resources and staff retention, through which she has been involved in and led projects that not only allow the organization to capture top healthcare talent but also produce successful outcomes to retain them. Alana works to ensure leaders have the resources and knowledge to lead their team to excellence. In addition to her professional endeavors, Alana has a passion for outreach to those with food insecurities through her community ties in the cities of Dover and Smyrna. Working with local churches and organizations such as the Smyrna Fire Company, Order of the Eastern Star, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, Theta Zeta Zeta Chapter, and in partnership with other community leaders, Alana thrives upon working to enhance the lives of Delawareans by creating, supporting, and partnering in opportunities to aide in community development and unification.

Aldo Tavarez is a Technical Consultant with DuPont Packaging. A Mechanical Engineer and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Aldo joined the Dupont Field Engineering Program in 2002 and gained extensive experience across several industries, focusing on equipment and process design to improve performance and sustainability as well as material development to provide comfort and protection to our soldiers. Aldo is also a dedicated safety advocate and has led several safety teams to promote awareness on and off the job as well as excellence in performance, helping these teams achieve several Dupont Board of Directors awards. A graduate of The City College of New York (CCNY), Aldo is passionate about the education and development of young professionals. He served as officer of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Tau Beta Pi, and CCNY Undergraduate Student Government while in college, and supports recruitment and mentoring of young engineers at Dupont. In addition, Aldo actively participates in drives and volunteer opportunities benefiting local organizations and the United Way of Delaware.

Alex Parkowski, a native Delawarean, is a Division Director at Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), a marketing and communications agency based in Wilmington. Alex co-founded the Behavior Change division at AB&C and leads the agency’s social marketing efforts. She helps create and manage communications campaigns in partnership with the State of Delaware and City of Philadelphia, focused on issues that impact the health and well-being of citizens in both regions, including public health and safety, education, workforce and economic development, and environmental protection and conservation. Alex utilizes her understanding of government, social science, and community engagement to develop and implement marketing strategies that make a measurable difference. Examples of noteworthy areas of focus include the development of campaigns to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, prevent chronic disease, and address the opioid epidemic.

Alex earned a BA in business management from Washington College and an MBA with a concentration in Marketing Management from Wilmington University. She is a resident of Middletown, Delaware.

Prior to working at the Wilmington Renaissance Corporation, Alfred Lance was a Budget Analyst in the City of Wilmington’s Office of Management & Budget. A long-time resident of Delaware, he graduated from Archmere Academy and received his BA from the University of Delaware. Before entering the professional world, Alfred completed a year of service with Public Allies Delaware, an AmeriCorps program that develops young leaders through a 10-month apprenticeship with a local non-profit. For his term of service, he was placed with the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League serving as the special projects coordinator during the inaugural year of “Achievement Matters!” (a program targeting middle-school students from Wilmington’s Eastside neighborhood to reduce the achievement gap and increase graduation rates of students living in the 19801 zip code). After completing over 1,700 hours of service, he graduated Public Allies in 2007 and now serves on the Board of Advisors. Alfred also previously worked in the City of Wilmington’s Office of Economic Development and was instrumental in the establishment of the downtown revitalization program, the “Upstairs Fund”, which has provided funding for the renovation of over 20 historic buildings in Wilmington’s downtown, including the Queen Theatre, now home to World Cafe Live at the Queen.

Alison Travers, Ed.D., is a Leadership Associate in the Delaware Academy for School Leadership (DASL), a professional development, policy, and research center in the University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development. Alison is the Program Manager for the University of Delaware Principal Preparation Program and leads DASL’s national partnerships with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the School Superintendents Association (AASA).

Alison completed her doctoral studies in K-12 Educational Leadership in 2020. Her doctoral research focused on leveraging emotional intelligence for effective leadership. Alison obtained a Masters’ of Public Administration degree with a focus on Organizational Leadership & Education Policy in 2010 and a Project Management Certificate in May 2012. She completed a year of public service with Public Allies Delaware, an AmeriCorps program, leading youth volunteer programming for Sussex County Habitat for Humanity, after completing her Bachelors’ degree in 2007.

Alison is an active member of the Sussex County community, and lives in Seaford with her husband and their four daughters.

Allison McCowan, a native Delawarean hailing from Sussex County. She is the Deputy State Solicitor for the State of Delaware. Allison is a graduate of Norwich University with a B.S. degree in Psychology and Education and received her law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. Allison started her legal career clerking for then President Judge James T. Vaughn, Jr. of the Delaware Superior Court and, following her clerkship, was an attorney at Saul Ewing working on general commercial matters. In her current role, Allison practices in federal courts, advocating for consumers and merchants in numerous industries, including pharmaceuticals, municipal securities, banking and transportation. Allison is also the chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Delaware State Bar Association which enables her work closely with leaders in the legal industry to advocate for young lawyer related issues. In addition to her work and involvement in the legal community, Allison is passionate about improving Wilmington through politics (she was involved in Mayor Purzycki’s campaign) and education.

Alli Gerhart is an Associate General Counsel at CSC®, a leading provider of business, legal, financial, and digital brand services to companies around the globe. In this role, she provides legal advice and guidance to CSC’s business units with a focus on managing the company’s international regulatory compliance efforts. Her goal is to find practical business solutions to legal issues. Following CSC’s 2015 acquisition of the Koehler Group, Alli relocated to Hong Kong where she helped to lead the company’s integration efforts. As CSC grows internationally, she continues to focus on international regulations and risk management.

Prior to joining CSC, Alli was an associate at Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. where her practice focused on providing advice and legal opinions on a variety of transactions involving Delaware alternative entities. Alli holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from American University and a Juris Doctor from the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, where she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Environmental Law Review. Alli lives in the city of Wilmington with her husband, Dan.

With a passion for driving change, Alok Patel, a Delaware native since he was 9 years old, has enjoyed a rewarding and diverse career path.

In 2000, at MBNA, Alok formed and managed an effective team to tackle a multi-stage online support project. In 2001, he stepped into an inside sales position at W. L. Gore & Associates, where he used value-based propositioning to educate the public about the use of ePTFE in fabrics and eventually moved into a marketing associate role where he supported the Burton/Gore-Tex partnership.

Alok transitioned into the life science sector in 2008 when he began working under the vice president of business development & marketing at iBio, Inc. Eventually, in 2009 he began working with the Delaware BioScience Association (Delaware Bio) and the Delaware Technology Park. Specializing in relationship/project management, Alok helped coordinate community service projects like the AstraZeneca materials donation valued at over $1 Million to the public-school systems throughout the state. Over the course of the next 7 years at Delaware Bio, Alok advanced to the director of operations position helping elevate the association’s profile on a national level, almost doubling its membership and tripling its revenue.

Alok’s journey comes full circle in 2015, at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI), part of his alma mater. In his current role Alok bridges the technology innovation gap by fostering life science partnerships between academia and industry across the state. He has been able to secure over $4 Million during his time at the institute helping build a program which delivers over a 15x ROI. His expanding responsibilities include working with the Delaware Prosperity Partnership to help build a more innovative Delaware, supporting entrepreneurial activities throughout Delaware by partnering with organizations like the Small Business Development Center, Chambers of Commerce, incubators, developers and trade associations.

Amanda Albert is a young professional female leader in the finance field. From a child with robust math skills to a high schooler with enthusiasm for financial literacy, she has quickly risen through the ranks to her current position as a Financial Controller at Corporation Service Company in the Global Financial Markets sector. Amanda also serves as Vice President and Treasurer on the Board of the Delaware Trust Company and is an Independent Director on 10+ other Boards.

Throughout her lifetime, Amanda has consistently pushed herself to be her best and achieve her goals, both professionally and personally. She earned her BBA in Finance and Business Law from the Fox School of Business at Temple University in 2015 and graduated first in her class. She was a leader on her competitive cheerleading team for five years with multiple national championship wins and just as many injuries.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Amanda has a passion for mental health awareness and animal welfare.

She is an active member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as well as the SPCA. She currently resides in a small town in New Jersey with her adorable French bulldog, Blair.

A native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, Amber Young obtained a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Master of Business Administration from the University of Delaware. She began her career at PSEG Nuclear, where she worked as a Valve Engineer, and then as a Breaker Engineer. After two years at PSEG Nuclear, she transitioned to a new position at Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), where she worked as an Engineer in the Transmission Planning Department, supporting Delmarva Power. After seven years, and much professional success in the Planning and System Operations Departments supporting PHI Affiliates, Delmarva Power, and Atlantic City Electric, Amber was promoted a leadership role within the organization. Amber is responsible for the development and monitoring of projects and budget associated with the Capacity Expansion capital plan to ensure transmission system reliability consistent with PJM, NERC and FERC criteria.

Amber is an active member of various power industry stakeholder groups responsible for driving planning strategies and policies for the bulk electric system. Throughout her career, Amber has remained active in community and volunteer organizations including the YMCA Black Achievers program, American Association of Blacks in Energy and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Amber also serves on the board of Delaware Foundation for Science and Mathematics Education and co-leads the Robotics Club at Las Americas ASPIRA Academy. Residing in Newark, Delaware, Amber is a proud mother to two vibrant children.

Amy Walls is the Principal, Community Reinvestment for Discover Bank. In the position Amy manages community development activities including managing the bank’s charitable giving in Delaware, providing technical assistance to non-profits, coordinating volunteer initiatives, and supporting CRA investments and community development loans, totaling over $100 million annually in the mid-Atlantic region.

Amy is active with a number of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). She serves on the Board of Directors of NCALL, where she chairs the loan fund committee, and as a member of Cinnaire’s New Markets Tax Credit Advisory Committee. Amy is also a board member of Philanthropy Delaware, Easter Seals of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Diamond State Community Land Trust and the Leon N. Weiner Education Foundation. Amy is also a member of the Consumer Banker Association’s CRA Committee.

Amy was honored in 2013 with Housing Opportunities of North Delaware’s (HOND) Leon N. Weiner Fair Housing Award and in 2011 with the James H. Sills Jr. Leadership Award by the Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council for her personal and organizational commitment to the state of Delaware and the council. Additionally, the bank was honored by the Consumer Bankers Association with their Joe Belew Award for Community Development in 2011, 2014 and 2018 for projects where Amy served in a leadership capacity.

Before coming to Discover Bank, Amy worked at a small retail bank and as the Economic Development Manager for the largest municipality within Sussex County, DE. Amy is a graduate of Salisbury University. She lives in Sussex County, Delaware.

Amye McDearmon is a Business Development Executive at Wonderware North, with responsibility for developing partnerships and relationships with the manufacturing community. Prior to joining Wonderware North, she held management positions in a variety of industries that focused on business development and customer service. She’s passionate about leadership, corporate citizenship and civic engagement and has pioneered company-wide initiatives to support locally-driven community programs. She also serves on the Easter Seals Volleyball Corporate Committee and resides in Newark, DE with her daughter.

Andrea is a product manager in marketing at Incyte Corporation, a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Wilmington. She recently joined the team which is committed to creating first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutics. In her role at Incyte, she will be developing strategies and managing campaigns for Incyte’s customers, including Health Care Professionals and Patients. Andrea’s integrated marketing proficiency, communication skills, and project management expertise will be critical in managing the product’s media plan (print/digital), social media campaigns, consumer events, awareness efforts and applications, and providing strategic direction in conventions and exhibition development. Andrea’s personal passion in Oncology will be a driving factor in her oversight of patient advocacy campaigns that will provide disease education, awareness, and empowerment to consumers.

A 2009 University of Delaware graduate, Andrea began her career at AstraZeneca, learning from passionate mentors and developing a deep knowledge of patient care and industry regulation. Prior to Incyte, Andrea spent 7 years at a professional services firm, Trellist, in Wilmington, where she supported Astra Zeneca in launching assets for over 20 game-changing prescription drugs and treatments to Health Care Professionals and patients. She is an advocate for Breast Cancer Awareness and other healthcare charities, and can often be found racing in events to support these causes. Andrea resides in Wilmington with her husband and golden doodle puppy.

Andres Rodriguez was born in Cali, Colombia. After high school, he moved to New jersey where he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from The Stevens Institute of Technology.

Andres started his professional career in 2009 working in the oil refining industry coordinating the execution of field maintenance projects. In 2011 he joined the DuPont Performance Solutions – Kalrez® business where he has worked as a Plant Area Supervisor overseeing the production of high performance elastomer parts and as a Manufacturing Engineer leading continuous improvement programs at the plant site. Andres is currently a Technical Service & Development Engineer that provides support and expertise to the Americas customers and manages the technical and customer facing aspects of new development programs in concert with sales and manufacturing technology to commercialize new business opportunities.

Andres is an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and is passionate about STEM programs in the community; he supported engineering and science learning through participation in Las Americas Aspira Academy Science Olympiad program, where he mentored students with their science projects for several years. He lives in Middletown with his wife Catalina and two kids, Evan and Sophie.

Andy Cherry is a native Delawarean from New Castle County having graduated from Wilmington Christian School in 2000, and later from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion. Upon graduating college Andy served as a Youth Pastor in Bedford County Pennsylvania. Andy returned to Delaware in 2005 to take a position at MBNA (now Bank of America). Andy has served as a collection representative, a project manager and as a strategic analyst in multiple businesses at Bank of America. Andy then spent two years working for TD Bank’s growing credit card business as a Business Analyst, before beginning a career as a project management consultant. He is currently managing proof of concept initiatives for Citibank’s North American Fraud Organization.
Andy recently relocated to Florida to pursue an exciting career opportunity. He is active in his church and is looking for ways to be involved in the St Augustine community. He enjoys skiing, fishing, golfing and travelling.

Andrew Vierzba is the Director of Operations for the 166th Logistics Readiness Squadron in the Delaware Air National Guard based in New Castle. His unit supports the sustainment of personnel and equipment readiness for the range of logistics activities necessary to dynamically support state and federal operations.

In 2001, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft maintenance technician and was assigned to Dover Air Force Base maintaining C5A/B aircraft. During this time he was instrumental in troubleshooting, inspection, and repairing aircraft while beginning collegiate studies at Wesley College. He returned back to his hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin managing a warehouse in his family owned fastener company and completed a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. Later in 2012, he accepted an opportunity with the Delaware Air National Guard directing aircraft production. His time includes deploying as the senior enlisted leader working directly with the Iraqi Air Force as an Air Advisor on aircraft maintenance practices and processes. After completing his MSM at Wilmington University in 2016, he received a commission with his current assignment.

He lives in Dover with his wife Lorraine and his daughter Clarice.

Andrew Staton is a residential real estate agent and leader of the Andy Staton Group in Rehoboth Beach. Staton was voted the 2010-2011 Sussex County Realtor of the Year, and serves as secretary (formerly chairman) of the Delaware Real Estate Commission. He also serves on the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council since 2009 and has been appointed to the Delaware Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.

I am originally from Coatesville, Pennsylvania where I graduated from Coatesville Area High School. I attended Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania my freshman year and played softball. I made the decision after my first year of being away from family that I wanted to be closer to home. I transferred and ultimately earned my degree from West Chester University.

In 2004, I was given the opportunity to fulfill my dream of being a police officer with the New Castle County Police Department here in Delaware. I am currently in my seventeenth year of service with the Agency. I spent approximately six years in the Crime Analysis Unit within the Criminal Investigations Division. I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2013 and was transferred to the Patrol Division where I served as a patrol supervisor. In 2018, I was transferred from the Patrol Division to the Professional Development Unit where I served as the Commander of the Lieutenant Joseph L. Szczerba Police Academy. In November 2019, I was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. I am currently the Commander of one of four, rotating patrol squads. During my career I have received several accommodations to include The Chief of Police Award, The Performance of Excellence Award from the Delaware State Police, two Accommodations of Merit and was chosen as the Kiwanis Officer of the Quarter on two separate occasions. I truly love interacting with the public and take great pride in my profession.

I currently reside in Middletown with my husband, Jaime, our son, Patrick, and our dog, Otis. I enjoy woodworking, interior and landscape design, and enjoy making farmhouse style decor. I recently started my own small business, Dogwood Lane Designs, LLC and look forward to further developing as an Entrepreneur. I am very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of Leadership Delaware’s Class of 2021!

Originally from Dover, Angela is a member of the Delaware Department of Education communications team. She oversees social media, regular communications to district superintendents and charter leaders, and assists in coordinating outreach to Delaware families and educators. Her previous position was with the Delaware Department of Finance as Community Relations Coordinator, where she served for more than 10 years. Prior to joining state government, Angela worked as a writer and editor for local and national publications in Delaware, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles, CA. Angela is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University with a master’s degree in communications. She received her B.A. from the University of Delaware, where she majored in English journalism and continental European studies. Angela is a passionate advocate for foster children and currently resides in Dover, Delaware with her husband and two daughters.

Ann Smith is the Manager of Architectural Business Development for Cambridge Architectural, identifying new markets and products and developing strategy and sales plans. She played a key role in the development of this division of Cambridge International, and now manages the outside network of representatives and travels throughout the US and Canada, forging key relationships with architects, consultants and contractors.

Previously, Ann had an extensive career in retail management for companies like Ann Taylor and Tommy Hilfiger, where she was responsible for sales, recruiting, development of management teams, and loss prevention. Being born and raised in Madrid, Spain gave Ann the ability to relate to different people and cultures while intensifying her love and appreciation for her American heritage. Her parents, who had grown up on a farm in Tennessee, taught her a strong work ethic, good values and funloving attitude. Ann earned her degree from William Jennings Bryan College where she met her husband, Tim Smith. As leaders in their church, both have a passion for helping people. Ann is a board member of the Delaware Family Policy Council.

Anthony Delcollo is a life-long resident of the First State. Currently, Anthony works as an associate attorney at Offit Kurman, P.A. Anthony graduated from Salesianum High School in 2004. Active in scouting, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout shortly prior to beginning matriculation at La Salle University. Anthony was a member of La Salle’s Honors Program, and graduated with a bachelor of arts in Western Philosophy and Medieval European History, maxima cum laude, in 2008. Anthony graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law in 2011 with a juris doctorate, magna cum laude. Upon graduation from Seton Hall, Anthony was recognized for authoring the best paper written by a graduating student, entitled “Is and Ought: Ethics and the Constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s Individual Mandate.” Anthony is licensed to practice law in Delaware, New Jersey, and the United States District Court of Delaware. Active in his community, Anthony is currently a director for the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, sits on the executive committee for the Delaware Rail Splitters, is a founding member of the Delaware Association of Second Amendment Lawyers, and is an active associate member of the Associated Builders and Contractors. Anthony also enjoys teaching; he is an adjunct instructor at Wilmington University where he teaches a course called Legal and Ethical Environment of Business.

Anthony Pullella was born and raised in Wilmington, DE. After graduating from Thomas McKean High School in 1992, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corp where he served on the USS Constellation as a member of the MARDET anti-terrorist unit whose team was directly responsible for the safety and welfare of the Admiral.

After his honorable discharge in 1996, Mr. Pullella attended Wilmington University where he obtained his B.S. in Behavioral Science and his Master’s degree in School Leadership. Mr. Pullella began his career in education at George V. Kirk middle School in 1997 as a Safety Liaison officer, where he was the direct link between the school and the State Police involving school crimes. In 1999, Mr. Pullella was recognized nationally for his work in helping Kirk being named as a top safe school.

In 2003, Mr. Pullella left Kirk middle school for the newly founded Delaware Military Academy as their Athletic Director and Dean of Cadets. After establishing a full complement of successful athletic programs and instituting a safe environment that was conducive to learning, Mr. Pullella was promoted in 2011 to Commandant of Delaware Military Academy, the position he currently holds. Mr. Pullella has been married for 12 years and has 4 children.

Archie T Payne III is a native Delawarean from New Castle and the proud alumni of William Penn High School. Archie holds a BS in Accounting (‘95), and two MBAs with concentrations in Finance and HR Management (’01) from Goldey-Beacom College. Archie currently serves as Sr Account Executive for Visa Inc., leading their Property and Casualty Insurance segment.

Archie is a Certified Treasury Professional('99) with over 30 years of commercial and consumer payments experience with focuses in banking, accounting/finance functions, as well as 15 years focused on working capital efficiency/benefits. He is an innovative and analytical individual with a prominence for solving complex problems, whether within a structured or unstructured environment. Coming from a long family history of volunteerism, he is a strong advocate for community engagement, leading the Visa Merchant Community efforts, as well as the Visa Wilmington Office I&D employee engagement efforts. Described as having “a great deal of passion for this intersection of commerce and purpose”, he uses his I&D platforms to advance financial literacy. Archie appreciates the opportunities Finance has provided to him, as well as the benefits financial decisions provides individuals, which fuels his passion for advancing financial literacy awareness.

When not delivering on career duties or volunteering, Archie can be found at home in Bear working on a DIY project, attending a Dance Dad event, enjoying a sporting event, or working on his golf game.

Atnre Alleyne is the founding Executive Director of the Delaware Campaign for Achievement Now (CAN). CAN is part of the national 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now network and uses research, grassroots organizing, and legislative engagement to ensure Delaware’s education system is excellent for every student. Prior to launching CAN, Atnre was the Director of Talent Management at the Delaware Department of Education where he led policy and research efforts pertaining to teacher and leader effectiveness. Atnre is the co-founder of TeenSHARP, an organization that prepares students of color in Delaware, Philadelphia, and New Jersey for top colleges. He has worked in the private sector at international polling and consulting firm, The Gallup Organization, and human resources consulting firm, Hay Group. He holds a BA in economics and a MPA degree from Rutgers University-Camden. He also holds and an MA in political science from the University of Delaware. He was named an American Graduate Champion by WHYY in 2016 and is a 2013 recipient of the Association of American Colleges and Universities annual K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders of Higher Education Award. Atnre lives in Wilmington with his wife, Tatiana, and daughter, Zoryana. He blogs at www.fiercelyurgent.com and plays the bass guitar in his church’s band during his spare time.

Wes Davis currently serves as Director of Development for West End Neighborhood House (West End), a community center located on the City of Wilmington’s West Side. Prior to joining West End, Wes held several positions at the Latin American Community Center, including grant writer, associate grants coordinator, and development coordinator. Since having begun his career in fundraising, Wes has helped raise over $6 million for charitable causes. He has volunteered with Brandywine Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals since 2010, and is currently serving the first of a two-year term as Treasurer.

Wes earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Delaware in 2000, as well as a Master’s Degree in document translation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 2006. In 2014, he became a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), and in 2015 completed a certificate course in Non-Profit Management through the University of Delaware.

Wes also leads the Hispanic Worship Team at Willowdale Chapel Church in Kennett Square, PA, and enjoys spending countless hours enjoying music, as well as traveling and studying history.

Autumn Tuxward is a Paramedic Lieutenant with New Castle County EMS. Originally from California, I have called Delaware my home for 19 years. Hired by New Castle County in 2005, I became the first black female paramedic and in 2020 Lieutenant for NCC*EMS, I strive to be an example for women and people of color of what is possible. In my time at the county I have functioned in many capacities some of which include, recruiter, Field Training Officer, Academy Instructor, and currently as a shift commander over a platoon. During the Pandemic, Executive Meyer task me with the unique role of coordinating the County's COVID-19 testing and vaccination response; which resulted in 483 test sites providing over 500,000 tests and vaccination clinics that provided over 2,000 vaccinations. I am guided by my belief in the power of strong communities and the transformational ability of servant leadership. In 2022 I was awarded the Jefferson Award for my leadership in community engagement. I currently reside in Middletown, DE, am a Dallas Cowboys fan, and a mother to three incredible human beings, who I am absolutely inspired by.

Avie is an accomplished sales and advertising professional with substantial experience in the non-profit realm, and the mother of two young children.

After earning her Bachelors Degree in Communications from the University of Pittsburgh, Avie worked with two non-profit organizations, the Carnegie Institute and Americorps, in Pittsburgh before relocating to Delaware. When she arrived in Delaware, she joined the team tasked with launching Spark, a weekly news magazine published by Gannett and The News Journal, where she eventually oversaw the publication’s advertising efforts. In 2007, Gannett awarded Avie the prestigious Publisher’s Ring for demonstrating excellence in sales leadership.

In 2010, Avie joined the Philadelphia team of the American Heart Association where she worked as a Business Development Director for the annual Heart Walk. Following a very successful 2010 Philadelphia Heart Walk with record-breaking fundraising, she was recruited to the Delaware office to help rebuild the Delaware Heart Walks in all three counties.

In 2014, Avie joined the Today Media team as the Advertising Director for the pre-launch of the Delaware Business Times, where she worked full-time until 2018, when she decided to spend more time with her family and focus on her non-profit interests. Avie currently serves on the boards of directors of JFS Delaware and Project New Start, and has previously served on various boards and committees, including the boards of both the Technology Forum of Delaware and NextGen North.

A born and raised Buffalonian, (GO BILLS!) Bailey graduated from Loyola University Maryland with a degree in Communications. After working in Baltimore City, she headed West to join the LIVESTRONG Foundation in Austin, TX where she built and established an HR department. Bailey decided to move back east to Sussex County to join a growing team of off-centered, beer-drinking, dynamic individuals whose approach to HR is the opposite of conventional. Her focus at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery is on the transformational side of the house: performance management, organizational development, training, cultural ambassadorship, and anything else that involves a cold beer and a good laugh.

When she’s off the clock, she can do some serious damage to a bowl of ice cream, will gladly clean any pool that needs it and is probably scoping out her next big trip. Bailey loves playing outside: on the beach or in the ocean; and taking her Golden Retriever for walks (mostly he walks her, but they’re working on that).

Born and raised outside of Pittsburgh, PA, Benjamin Collin’s started his career as a registered nurse at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and transitioned into hospital management. Ben obtained his RN degree from Butler County Community College, his BSN from Waynesburg University, and his MBA from Aspen University. He is a passionate healthcare leader striving to bring academic medicine to the community.

He is a husband and a father of two. He enjoys traveling with his family as well as the occasional round of golf.

Captain Benjamin (Ben) Feldmann is a lifelong New Castle County resident; a graduate of Wilmington Friends School and graduate of the University of Delaware school of Agricultural Sciences. Captain Feldmann began his career with the New Castle County Division of Police in 2002. Captain Feldmann has served in every division of the police department during his career and has served as the commander of both the Uniformed Services Division and the Grants, Technology and Special Projects Division, and now serves as Captain, Criminal Investigations Unit.

Captain Feldmann served in the Special Operations Division as the Gang intelligence Detective and a member FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Captain Feldmann has received extensive training on gangs, gang intelligence, gang investigations, international and domestic terrorism and hate groups from numerous state and federal agencies.

Captain Feldmann is a certified police instructor and has provided gang and terrorism training to law enforcement personnel, private industry, health care facilities, schools and other government entities. Captain Feldmann continues to serve as an instructor at the New Castle County Police Academy, and is an instructor for the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Command and Leadership Program.

Captain Feldmann has received supervisory and leadership training from Penn State University, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association, Leadership Delaware and the Police Executive Research Forum. Captain Feldmann received the Chief Harry Wilde award from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police in 2012, is a 2015 graduate of Leadership Delaware, received the FBI LEEDA Trilogy award in 2016, is a 2016 graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police and is a 2017 graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Bernardo Tiburcio is an Information Technology professional with over 18 years of experience developing and implementing technology solutions for international companies. He obtained a B.S. Degree in Electronic Systems Engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) and has received certifications as Six Sigma Green Belt, Six Sigma Black Belt, and Project Management Professional (PMP). Bernardo started his career in Mexico, where he led the IT department of the newspaper “Siglo 21”, launched the on-line newspaper in the country, and designed one of the first web-based editorial systems in operation. In 1999, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he worked as a consultant at GE Power Systems. Among other assignments, he was the technical leader for the On-Line Auction System, which saved GE over $200M the first year of operation. Bernardo was hired by DuPont and moved to Delaware in 2002. In his 12 years with DuPont, he has held numerous positions in sourcing and IT. He is currently the Global Digital Innovation Leader with DuPont. Bernardo has two daughters and enjoys spending some of his free time supporting nonprofit organizations focused on humanitarian causes, such as United Way of Delaware.

Bethany Melo practices medicine as a Critical Care Physician Assistant within the Intensive Care Unit of George Washington University Hospital. Located six blocks from the White House, three blocks from the State Department, and across the street from the World Bank, the Center for Trauma and Critical Care at GW Hospital is prepared to service a diverse group of patients, from area residents to visiting dignitaries and heads of state. Having joined the GW Medical Faculty Associates in 2017, Bethany has the privilege of working at a Level I Trauma Center; dedicating herself to the Washington metropolitan community by providing care to both the severely ill and their families.

Prior to her recent relocation, Bethany began her career as a Medical Critical Care Physician Assistant at both Christiana and Wilmington Hospital. She joined the Christiana Care Health System in 2014 and worked in close partnership with physicians of Christiana Care Pulmonary Associates; caring for some of the sickest patients in northern Delaware.

A long-term Delaware resident, Bethany attended the Delaware Military Academy for high school and served as their first female battalion commander. She then completed a B.S. in Microbiology at the University of Maryland in College Park where she served as a Senior Marshal due to having demonstrated the highest levels of scholarship and service to the campus community.

Bethany attended Arcadia University’s Christiana Delaware campus earning both a Master’s of Science in Physician Assistant Studies and a Master’s in Public Health. The majority of her clinical rotations occurred in local hospitals and private practices throughout Delaware. Her thesis work focused on planning, implementing, and evaluating an American Lung Association public health initiative to decrease adolescent smokeless tobacco usage in Delaware through parental influence. Upon graduation she was awarded the Gretchen M. Paruch Humanitarian Service Award for demonstrating academic excellence, leadership among her peers, professionalism in both the classroom and clinical setting, and service to her community and to her profession.

Bethany enjoys precepting medical students, mentoring residents, and serving as an adjunct instructor for both Arcadia University’s College of Life Sciences and GWU’s Physician Assistant Program. An active member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, she is hospital lead for several research projects focused on quality improvement surrounding patient and family centered care. Bethany was excited to publish her first abstract in the January 2018 issue of Critical Care Medicine, a premier peer-reviewed scientific publication in critical care, as well as present her research nationally at the 47th Critical Care Congress. Working in the nation’s capitol, Bethany has recently joined the board of the District of Colombia Academy of Physician Assistants where she is both advocating for her colleagues and working to strengthen the PA profession throughout the city.

Betsy currently serves as the Director of the Wave Learning System for the Community Education Building. Wave serves small groups of students with "near peer" mentors and supports students with social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care, and academic tutoring. Wave also seeks to recruit, hire, and train young employees, with the goal of increasing diversity in the field of education. Prior to Wave, Betsy was a teacher for seven years, both in Delaware and California. It was the joy of her life to teach the future leaders of Delaware about social justice, the power of nonviolence, and the importance of inclusivity and intersectionality. Before teaching, Betsy was an attorney in Pennsylvania, focusing on juvenile criminal justice and family law. It is a life goal of hers to break the school to prison pipeline, and to reform the juvenile criminal justice system to focus on rehabilitation and education, rather than punishment. She holds a JD from Temple University Beasley School of Law, an MA in Education from Stanford University, and a BA in Child Psychology from Skidmore College. Personally, Betsy is married and has two amazing daughters. She also teaches Zumba, coaches field hockey, and loves competitive board games.

Bianca Fraser-Johnson spent 20 years in the financial services industry. Upon graduating from Georgetown University, she joined MBNA America through their Accelerated Management Development Program, and worked in Business Development, Affinity Management, Customer Delight, eCommerce Acquisition, Customer Satisfaction, Collections, and Business Lending. She remained at Bank of America, after the MBNA acquisition, until 2019 when she retired as a Senior Vice President, and Head of Employee Financial Services.

Passionate about leadership development, Bianca founded the Delaware Chapter of LEAD (Leadership, Education and Advocacy) for Women at Bank of America in 2007, developed the LEAD Professional Development Forum, and chaired a national LEAD Strategic Growth committee to expand chapters across the country. She completed her fellowship with Leadership Delaware in 2010, launched the Leadership Delaware Alumni Council which she chaired until 2014, served six years on the Board until 2017, when she transitioned to the Advisory Board. Bianca most recently was a member of the Transition Taskforce and chaired the LDI 2020 Graduation & Strine Celebration. She is also currently a member of the Executive Board at The Independence School.

An avid volunteer, Bianca was recognized as the recipient of the Wilmington Jaycees 2014 “Outstanding Young Wilmingtonian” Award, the Delaware Business Times first “Achievers and Innovators Under 40” Award, and Bank of America’s 2011 Volunteer Service Award for Delaware. She launched the Bank of America Community Volunteers Delaware Chapter in 2006 and chaired their annual Family Volunteer Day event for over 12 years. Bianca served on the board of the Delaware Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and was recognized with the Volunteer of the Year Award, Dinner of Champions Individual Honoree Award and Hope Award. She was inducted into the National MS Fundraising Hall of Fame as the youngest ever inducted and founded the Delaware Chapter MS Emerging Leaders Council. Bianca is also active with Easter Seals of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and the Delaware Make-A-Wish Foundation. She received the Delaware 2004 NSFRE Philanthropy Award and the 2008 YWCA Women of Distinction Award. She formerly served on the Grants Committee for the Delaware Community Foundation and on the board of the Delaware Youth Leadership Network, which she helped co-found.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2002 from Georgetown University, with a double major in International Business and Marketing, and a French minor. She also studied abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for an Asian Business concentration.

Bill Rivers is the senior writer at BP America, delivering strategic communications messages for executive leaders on energy issues within the US and worldwide. Bill
served as speechwriter for U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis at the Pentagon from 2017-19, traveling extensively and developing strategic messages in support of U.S. national security priorities.

Prior to the Pentagon, Bill held communications roles in the U.S. Senate, including deputy press secretary for Senator Pat Toomey. Bill holds an MPA from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied as a Truman Scholar, and a BA in International Relations from the University of Delaware. He is an NBC News contributor. Bill and his wife and son live in Virginia.

Blake W. Carey prides himself as being not only a Delaware native, but a true lifelong resident of Delaware. Blake graduated from Milford Senior High School (’01) and matriculated to the University of Delaware, where he earned a B.S. in Economics (’05).

While at U.D. Blake developed a passion for the law and decided to further his education through law school. Knowing with certainty that he wanted to practice in Delaware, there was no clearer choice than Widener University School of Law’s Delaware campus.

Graduating in May of 2008, Blake sat for the Delaware Bar that summer and was sworn into the Bar of the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware that same year. Blake is an Associate at Tunnell & Raysor, P.A. in Georgetown, DE, Sussex County’s oldest and largest law firm. His practice focuses primarily on creditor’s rights, commercial disputes, as well as Plaintiff’s personal injury matters. Blake is a member of the American, Delaware, and Sussex County Bar Associations as well as the Delaware Trial Lawyers Association.

Living in Sussex County, Blake is second Vice President of the Dewey Beach Lions Club and serves on the Boards of other nonprofit and political organizations in the county. In addition, Blake helps coach Cape Henlopen High School’s mock trial team. Outside of the courtroom, Blake enjoys freshwater fishing, sailing, and anything having to do with the beach.

Bonita E. Penn was born and raised in Delaware. Refusing to be defeated by the challenges of life or being a single Mother, she pursued degrees from Delaware State University and obtained dual Science-based Bachelors’ degrees in Nursing and Psychology in 2011. While working for Christiana Care Health System as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department, Bonita went on to earn a Masters of Science in Nursing from Wilmington University in 2016 and is currently a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Ms. Penn serves as Board of Directors for the Fresh Start Scholarship Foundation (FSSF) and is dedicated to helping other women in her role as Scholar Liaison/Scholar Graduate Representative. In 2016, Bonita was honored with the Achievement Award from FSSF for academic excellence and for her professional career development.

In addition to utilizing her nursing skills here at home, Ms. Penn has expanded her positive impact globally by volunteering on a medical mission trip to Kenya, Africa in 2013. She mentors women, encouraging them to overcome life’s adversities and to complete their college education. Bonita is passionate about God, philanthropy for those less fortunate, and learning about financial stability. As a devoted Mother, Bonita loves spending time with her son and traveling the world with him.

Brandi Timmons, Logistics Supervisor at Perdue Foods, Inc., leads her team with a focus on superb customer service, while identifying ways to eliminate transportation and warehousing costs. Brandi is responsible for a $41MM warehousing budget between 20 public refrigerated warehouses, and manages six direct reports.

Brandi will celebrate her 18th year anniversary at Perdue in May 2019. During her tenure, Brandi has held numerous positions which include: customer service, driver payroll, managing company sample orders, routing shipments delivering to all regions across the country, handle Perdue’s Pet Treat program and support IT with SAP and TMS testing.

At Perdue, she actively supports/volunteers with United Way, March of Dimes and American Cancer Society. In her free time, you can find her at the beach with family and friends or cheering from the bleachers at most Delmar football, basketball and baseball games. She is well known within the community from her time serving as President of Delmar Pop Warner Football & Cheer. Brandi currently lives in Delmar, DE with her husband Chad, son, Chase, and daughter, Aubrey.

Brandon Brice has stayed true to his commitment to service and learning, by earning a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Howard University and a Master of Science from Rutgers University. As a Graduate student, he served as a fellow for the United Nations Foundation and the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Brandon began his career as a staffer working on Capitol Hill for the Office of former United States Speaker J. Dennis Hastert. Upon graduation, he would serve as an Associate with the National Urban League’s Economic Opportunity Institute, fighting for financial literacy. He would then serve as Director of Education and African American Affairs in the Office of the New Jersey Governor, Hon. Chris J. Christie. His work focused on early Head Start programs, youth, and education for stakeholders in the cities of Camden, Newark, Patterson, and Trenton. He later relocated to Atlanta, where he worked with the Veterans Empowerment Organization of Georgia, focusing on military families and homeless returning veterans, and served in an Executive role with the Boy Scouts of America’s Career Apprenticeship Programs.

Brandon has given lectures at Princeton University, the Baltimore Harbor League, the National Black Law Students Association, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Hamilton Society in Washington, D.C. He is a 2018 recipient of the Michigan Chronicle’s Distinguished Men of Excellence Award and the Spirit of Detroit Award 2018. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., 100 Black Men of Greater Detroit, and Prince Hall Masonic Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. Brandon serves as the President of the Board of Directors for Advantage Health and Insight Charter Network of Central Michigan University. He resides in Wilmington, Delaware.

Brandon Jones is a proud 2002 graduate of the University of Delaware, where he majored in Operations Management and earned academic honors. Additionally, Brandon was a student-athlete as a standout member of the Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Teams, where he was a two-time captain, MVP, and an all-time top 10 sprinter in several events. After graduating from the University of Delaware, Brandon began his career with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals as a Supply Chain Planner at their US Headquarters and has quickly moved on to hold a variety of positions both domestically and globally, including Production Oversight Lead for Bangalore, India Operations, Senior Process Facilitator – Newark, DE Site, Head of Supply Planning and Warehouse Operations – Westborough, MA Site, and now in his current position he serves as Director of Packaging Operations- PA Site where he sits on the site senior leadership team and is also responsible for leading an operations team (Engineering, Production, Maintenance, and Quality Investigations) of 100+ employees for the production and distribution of the global FluMist/Fluenz brand. Brandon also has earned his MBA from Drexel University (2008) and his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from Villanova University (2009).
Outside of work, Brandon is committed to making a difference in his community by serving as Vice Chair of the non-profit organization F.A.M.E (Forum to Advance Minorities & Girls in Engineering and other STEM fields). Last but certainly not least, he loves spending time and creating memories with his wife Tiffany & their 9 month old daughter London Elizabeth.

Brenda A. M. Wise is an attorney with experience in litigation, court administration and statewide policy implementation. Her legal career began as an employment defense attorney in Philadelphia, PA. Once leaving the practice of law, she spent time in Washington, D.C. as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University in the School of Continuing Studies. Upon returning to her home state, she was tasked with the development and implementation of Delaware’s first DUI Treatment Court by the Chief Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Her passion for criminal justice reform led her to the Administrative Office of the Courts. During this time, under the direction of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, she created Delaware’s first Community Court, Delaware’s Best Practice Standards for Problem-Solving Courts, the Problem-Solving Courts Benchbook and numerous statewide policies focused on alternatives to incarceration. She currently serves the State of Delaware as the Director of Policy and Communications for the Office of Management and Budget.

Brendan Cooke was appointed General Director of OperaDelaware, America’s 11th oldest opera company, in June 2012. He joined OperaDelaware from the Baltimore Concert Opera, a company he founded in 2008 with the help of a talented group of colleagues in response to the collapse of the Baltimore Opera Company.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Loyola University in New Orleans and holds a Master’s degree in Opera Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he was a student of the world renowned bass-baritone John Shirley-Quirk.
For several years, Brendan enjoyed the itinerant life of a professional opera singer before realizing that his true passion was to use his voice as an arts advocate and administrator. Brendan has overseen substantial growth at OperaDelaware, and the company’s new “fesitval” format has garnered international attention.
Brendan was honored to serve on the transition committee for Mayor Mike Purzycki focusing on the office of Cultural Affairs. A resident of North Wilmington, Brendan enjoys biking to work on the Northern Delaware Greenway then racing home (uphill) to spend time with his wife Julia, and their two boys, Gus and Rex.

A proud Delaware resident, Brian Castagna is a graduate of Glasgow High School in Newark and went on to attend Wilmington University and graduate with a B.S. and an M.B.A. in Finance. Brian graduated from Widener University of PA in 2019 with an M.S. in Taxation and Financial Planning. Brian has spent his entire working career serving Delaware’s thriving trust industry.

Brian has obtained the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation from the Cannon Financial institute and has been employed by Brown Advisory Trust Company of Delaware in Centreville, DE since 2015, serving as a Fiduciary Advisor and Head of Fiduciary Oversight for Delaware. Prior to Brown Advisory, Brian worked in a similar capacity at Wilmington Trust Company in downtown Wilmington for seven years. Brian also lends his time as a mentor to the University of Delaware’s trust minor program to help cultivate the next generation of Delaware trust professionals.

In addition to his education and career pursuits, Brian is an avid triathlete and obstacle course racer, competing in over 50 events since beginning his training in 2017. Brian currently resides in Newark, DE and spends his free time training, travelling, attending concerts and festivals, volunteering in the community and rooting for all of the Philadelphia sports teams.

Brian M. Malloy is a Delaware native and currently residies in Dover, DE. Brian is a graduate of University of Delaware and a happily married husband and father of two sons, Jackson and Declan. He has been a member of the Delaware Army National Guard since 1999. During his time in service, Brian has deployed to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He has supported numerous operations within the continental United States, including hurricane Katrina recovery operations in Mississippi and border patrol support in Arizona. Currently Brian is responsible for training operations for all 1,500 soldiers assigned to the Delaware Army National Guard.

Brian V. DeMott was born in Seaford, Delaware in 1989. He graduated from Seaford Senior High School in 2007 and went on to attend the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He graduated from Mary Washington in 2011 with a bachelors of arts in Political Science.

After college, Mr. DeMott returned to Delaware and attended the Delaware Law School of Widener University. While in law school, Mr. DeMott externed for the Honorable Mary Pat Thynge of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. He also volunteered as a law clerk for the Delaware Office of the Public Defender. After graduating with honors from the Delaware Law School in 2014, Mr. DeMott served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable T. Henley Graves of the Superior Court of the State of Delaware. During that time, he researched complex civil and criminal law issues and assisted Judge Graves in drafting several judicial opinions. The judicial opinions addressed issues ranging from employment discrimination to post-conviction relief.

Mr. DeMott was admitted to the Bar of the State of Delaware in December 2014. He is an associate at the law firm Casarino Christman Shalk Ransom & Doss, P.A. where he specializes in civil litigation defense. Mr. DeMott is also an active member in the Rodney Inn of Court and the Defense Counsel of Delaware. He is a founding member of Revitalize Delaware and is a board member of Rodney Street Tennis & Tutoring Association. In 2018, Mr. DeMott is running for the Leukemia & Lymphomia Society’s Man of the Year fundraising competition.

Brian is the SIG’s North American Supply Chain manager with ten years of progressive Supply Chain Management experience in the areas of Inventory Control Managing, Warehousing, Demand/Supply Planning, Co-packers Demand, etc. Adding to his experience, are management roles at Pepsi Beverages Company and TIC Gums, overseeing strategy, metrics, productivity, performance and development. He holds a double major from Temple University in Finance & Real Estate, and an MBA from Wilmington University. Brian resides in Delaware with his wife, Dalissy Washington, and his two daughters, Ari and Ava. Brian enjoys cycling and a good round of golf. Today, Brian is busy balancing parenting, work, and mentoring various young adults.

Brianne Jordan is an IT Manager in Utility of the Future – Smart Meter Support at Exelon. She is responsible for the management of the back office applications which support Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and emerging smart grid technologies at both Pepco Holdings and Baltimore Gas & Electric. Brianne entered the electric and gas utility sector in 2009 as a Senior Geographic Information Systems Analyst supporting mapping applications used in the design of electric and gas distribution systems.

Since becoming a Manager in 2014, Brianne has put a strong focus on developing her team and preparing them to advance in their careers. In 2018, she participated in the Millennial Summit in the Coaches Corner, providing career development guidance to conference attendees.

In her life outside of work, she finds joy in empowering women through fitness as a Run4All Women Ambassador, giving special focus to messaging around body positivity. In October of 2017 and 2018, Brianne trained for, and ran, the Marine Corps Marathon as a member of Team National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS). She and her fellow teammates raised over $25,000 for NDSS.

Brianne resides in Wilmington, Delaware with her husband and two daughters. She holds a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine and an MA in Geography from West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Brintha Vasagar is a board-certified family medicine physician and the founding program director of the Bayhealth Family Medicine Residency Program, the first residency in central or southern Delaware. This is her second time leading a new residency program, having successfully launched a program with the Medical University of South Carolina. A survivor of the 2004 tsunami that devastated South Asia, she has spoken before members of Congress and the United Nations about international health issues and disaster preparedness. Dr. Vasagar continues to stand out in her field with numerous published reports, scientific presentations and on-camera appearances regarding public health and medicine. When she is not busy seeing patients at Bayhealth, teaching, or performing medical research, she volunteers extensively in the community.

Britney L Mumford is a born and bred Delawarean, Britney attended Caesar Rodney High in Camden before earning her Bachelor’s in Political Science at East Carolina University. After college, Britney kicked off her career with various political campaigns from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. She learned quickly that her passion was building relationships and giving people the tools to change their communities and that grassroots organizing was the key to changing the world for the better.

More recently, Britney has used her organizing skills at issue-based nonprofits including fundraising for public broadcasting and educational campaigns on the federal judicial nominations process. She currently serves as the Executive Director at DelawareCAN, an organization committed to ensuring that every Delaware kid has access to a high-quality public education. Having worked in various communities across the country, she is committed to improving the world around her.

Dr. Brittany Hazzard is a Delaware native who has a passion to lead. Most recently, in May 2016, Brittany earned her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University. She graduated from Sussex Technical High School in 2004, and on a full athletic scholarship earned her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in 2008 where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She then began her Master’s degree and graduated from Delaware State University with her Master of Social Work in 2010. Brittany has continued her leadership roles within different public schools and nonprofit organizations including mental and behavioral health organizations and faith-based organizations such as Delaware Guidance Services, Children and Families First Delaware, Restoration Worship Center, and IMPACT Leadership. She has been a mental health therapist with DGS Intensive Outpatient Program for over 6 years providing individual, group and family therapy in the community and has also held the position of Community Interventionist coordinator. Brittany is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. As someone who is passionate about the empowerment of youth and their families, Brittany along with her husband coordinate and facilitate Virtue & Valor, a community youth program. She is also co-chair of the Sussex County Health Coalition’s Behavior Health Task Group. Brittany lives in Millsboro with her husband, Reggie, and twin daughters, Rylie and Re’gan.

Bryan Mack is the Business Development Manager for the Delaware Prosperity Partnership. Bryan’s main responsibilities include attracting companies to locate in Delaware and help existing companies grow and expand, while also serving as a direct liaison to the state to guide prospective and existing businesses through the grants and incentives process.

His professional experience includes work in both the government and higher education sectors. He served as the Director of Scheduling for Senator Tom Carper’s Washington D.C. office and as the Community Relations Coordinator at Delaware Technical Community College. Bryan earned his BA from the University of Delaware. A native Delawarean, Bryan lives in his hometown in Rehoboth Beach where he enjoys surfing and running in his spare time.

Bryan Tracy is the CEO and co-founder of Superbrewed Food, Inc. Prior to this, he co-founded and led White Dog Labs and Elcriton Inc., which he founded directly out of graduate school.

Bryan is a technical expert in chemical engineering, microbial engineering, molecular biology, bioprocess development and scale-up. He has published 16 peer reviewed scientific articles and is an inventor on over 45 granted and pending patents. Over the past two years, he has focused on building
Superbrewed Food, which is an emerging company in human and nutrition. The company has operations in Delaware, Minnesota and Israel, and is starting up commercial production of several lead products at their production facility, NuMake, in Little Falls, MN.

Additionally, he serves as a technology to market consultant for the Department of Energy ARPA-E, is a founding member of the American Chemical Society Biochemical Technology Leadership Roundtable and is the board chair of the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance. Bryan is passionate about public service. He is on the board of the Forum for the Advancement of Minorities in Engineering (FAME), a Leadership Delaware Fellow and an inaugural mentor to Delaware Youth Leadership Network. Lastly, he is a proud fellow of Leadership Delaware!

Bryan received a BS in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from North Carolina State University and a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Northwestern University, where he was a NIH Biotechnology Fellow.

Charles “C.R.” McLeod was born and raised in Wilmington, where he graduated from John Dickinson High School and worked at the local Acme supermarket.
While studying political science at the University of Delaware, he worked for then-Governor Tom Carper’s campaign for United States Senate. Upon graduation, he joined Senator Carper’s staff as a special assistant traveling the state with the senator, supporting communications and special projects. After five years of service, C.R. received the opportunity to join the executive team of then-New Castle County Executive Chris Coons, and served first as an assistant to the communications director and then assumed that role himself, working to communicate the county executive’s agenda.
C.R. has also worked as a Community Services Administrator for New Castle County, where he worked with the administrative team to manage and direct the budget and services delivered by the Department of Community Services. His other professional experience includes working for the Rodel Foundation of Delaware as Communications Director, serving as Chief Community Relations Officer for the Delaware Department of State, and as marketing director at Manion Gaynor & Manning LLP.
C.R. and his wife, Brooke, live in north Wilmington with their four children.

Candice Fifer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over eight years post graduate experience in the mental health field. Candice counsels individuals of all ages incorporating various techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma-Focused CBT and Strengths-Based practice. She is a weekly support group Facilitator for the Kent County Cancer Support Community and recently accepted the role of Executive Director at the Hope Medical Clinic, Inc. in Dover.

Candice is in her third year as Co-Chair for the Sip and Savor committee benefiting Meals on Wheels of Delaware and was previously involved with efforts to save the Schwartz Center of the Arts as Vice President of the Board. In her free time, Candice enjoys giving back to her community in unconventional ways, being with her family and friends, “supporting local”, and traveling. She has been married for 10 years to a fellow Delawarean and local farmer. Candice and her husband reside in Kent County with their two kids.

Carlos Mackall is a Human Services professional with over a decade of successful experience in providing services to individuals experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges. Carlos graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice, and has a Master’s of Science degree from Wilmington University in Administration of Human Services. Carlos was inducted into Tau Upsilon Alpha- Nu Chapter, the National Human Services Honor Society whose purpose is to honor academic excellence; to foster lifelong learning, leadership, and development; and to promote excellence in service to humanity.

Carlos is a Licensed Master’s Social Worker (LMSW), Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug counselor, a Human Services Practitioner, and a certified Mental Health Screener. Carlos has worked in Delaware for the past 12 years. During that time, he has worked for Connections CSP, and MeadowWood Behavioral Health Hospital in a variety of roles. Carlos is currently employed at RI International, an international behavioral health company, as Vice President Northeast Region.

Casey H. Kenton is a life-long resident of Sussex County, a graduate of Milford Senior High School and Washington College in Chestertown, MD.

Kenton spent a decade working in the commercial real estate brokerage industry on the Delmarva Peninsula specializing in land development and investment sales and retail leasing where he established many lasting relationships representing partnerships, family businesses and corporate clients.
His commercial real estate experience eventually led to a management position with Investors Realty, Inc., a privately held real estate development company based in Dover, DE specializing in the management of a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate throughout Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Active in his community, Kenton is the Chairman of the Sussex County Land Trust, a non-profit conservation organization, dedicated to protecting natural, cultural, agricultural, and recreational resources in Sussex County. Since its inception in 2002, the Sussex County Land Trust has raised in excess of $4M in private donations and has preserved more than 6,000 acres in Sussex County. Kenton is passionate about land preservation and protecting valuable natural resources and believes there should be a healthy balance between preservation and economic development.
Kenton is an accomplished marathoner and long distance swimmer, completing the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim and the Marine Corps Marathon in 2015.
A music lover and avid outdoorsman, Kenton spends his spare time playing the banjo in a local bluegrass band and hunting around the Delmarva Peninsula.
Casey is married to his wife Heather and they currently reside in Rehoboth Beach with their son, Carson.

Casey Melson is a second generation Irish descendent and native Wilmingtonian. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from University of Delaware in 2004 and Masters of Science in Human Resource Development from Villanova University in 2007.

Casey started her career as the Resident Manager at the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware for the duration of an expansion project doubling the size of the House. In 2005, she transitioned to CSC where she has held several positions in Human Resources and Leadership. Casey currently works as a Global Human Resources Manager leading a global team working with 1000 employees in 18 countries. Additionally, she leads corporate philanthropy for CSC. Outside CSC shehas been on the board of Teach for America Delaware since 2015.

In her personal life, Casey enjoys her time with her husband, John, a small business owner in Delaware, and their children, Luke and Logan.

Catrina Jefferson is a Market Manager for CSC’s Corporate Legal Solutions division where she defines opportunities and implements solutions that maximize market share and revenue. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware since 1899, CSC is the world’s leading provider of business, legal, financial, and digital brand services to companies around the globe.

Driven to make a difference in the First State, Catrina aligns herself with organizations that have a meaningful and lasting impact on Delaware’s communities. Catrina was a Leadership Delaware fellow, Leadership Central Delaware participant and the Communications Director for former State Treasurer Ken Simpler. She is a co-founder of Gals That Give Charity and serves on the Better Business Bureau of Delaware board.

As a co-founder of Gals That Give Charity, Catrina has worked with over forty local non-profits to include the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware, DAPI, Exceptional Care for Children, A Better Chance for our Children, Kay’s Kamp, Healing with Horses, Best Buddies, Children and Families First, Mom’s House, ARC of Delaware, Boys & Girls Clubs, Delaware Hospice and USO Delaware.

Further community service contributions include collaborating on projects with Easterseals, the Delaware Youth Leadership Network, Habitat for Humanity, Autism Delaware and the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition.

In 2017, Catrina was recognized by the Delaware Business Times 40 under 40 list as one of Delaware’s achievers, innovators and difference makers. She resides in Middletown with her husband, Bill and their rescue dogs Wolfgang and Chevy.

Born in Delaware to Colombian immigrant parents, Cesar grew up in Newark and Middletown. He attended Middletown High School before studying physics at Princeton and at the University of Delaware, where he earned an M.S. As a Ph.D. candidate Cesar served in various university-wide committees, the Faculty Senate, the Delaware Will Shine strategic planning initiative, and Board of Trustees meetings. Serving while studying gave Cesar particular perspective on opportunities to expand the impact of higher education through community partnerships and service.

Cesar works at the University of Delaware Office for International Students and Scholars, which serves over 5,000 students from 90 countries. By integrating international students in initiatives on and off campus, Cesar is currently seeking to improve diversity competency and intercultural communication. As co-chair of the Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest and largest environmental organization, he has led and initiated strategic planning efforts to improve operational capacity while expanding and diversifying its membership, leadership, and impact in the state. He is actively involved in the Down to Earth Food Co-op, a unique 501(c)(3) that procures organic produce from local farms via labor exchange, providing affordable weekly meals and educating the public about sustainable food systems.

These endeavors embody Cesar’s belief in promoting education, opportunities, and resources for individuals to responsibly advance themselves and society.

Dr. Chanda Jackson, a native of Dover, Delaware, earned her Doctor of Social Work degree from Capella University in August 2013. Chanda graduated from Dover High School and completed both her Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Social Work degree from Delaware State University. She serves as Vice President of the Capital School Board, and as a board member for the nonprofit organizations, HELP Initiative, Inc., Dover Police Athletic League, and Hope Medical Clinic.

Chanda has continued her leadership role in the community as she knows first-hand about rebuilding economically distressed, but culturally rich communities. Working for the National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor Research Fund, Inc., Chanda works under the line of business, “Restoring Central Dover.” Leading community engagement in and beyond the Downtown Development District, supporting grassroots organizations, and volunteering in the community, Chanda is passionate about change in her community and state. She works faithfully along-side residents and various stakeholders to transform a blighted and underserved community in Dover. By building innovative cross-sector partnerships, Chanda was the lead coordinator for Lights on Dover Strong, and Open Streets Dover. Chanda lives in Dover with her husband, Orlando, and son, Or’Chaud.

Charles Hammond, Ed.D is the Vice President for Operations and Planning at Goldey-Beacom College. With more than 20 years of progressive higher education experience, Dr. Hammond has held positions that span across divisions including academics, athletics, and student affairs. He currently serves on the Board of the Boys & Girls Club of Delaware and has been appointed to the Senior Advisory Group for Engagement (SAGE) for Transform Mid-Atlantic. Dr. Hammond was elected as chair of the Direct Reports Council for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and serves as a peer reviewer for Middles States Commission for Higher Education. In addition, Dr. Hammond serves on the planning committee for the State of Delaware’s Provost Symposium and as an instructor for the College of Business at Goldey-Beacom College.

Dr. Hammond is a mission-driven, results-oriented, unwavering champion of student success guided by his advocacy for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Charles John Stanton III, Ph.D. is a Group Manager at Adesis, a position held since 2020. Charles joined Adesis in 2016, and his research experience spans both academic and industrial laboratories. As an innovative People Leader, Charles has over twenty years of experience in the Scientific Industry, and he strives to build strong Teams capable of solving complex problems. His current research group is focused on the design and synthesis of organometallic materials that are used in the production of organic light emitting devices (OLED) for our parent company, Universal Display. A recent transplant to Delaware (2016), he is committed to mentoring and developing future scientific problem solvers and leaders in the First State.

Charles has a Ph.D. in organic/organometallic chemistry (University of Georgia, 2016) where his research was focused on the development and synthesis of novel CO2 conversion catalysts. At the time, Charles' research led to several CO2 reduction catalysts which are among the most promising and cheapest to date. Charles has authored several manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and is a co-inventor on over 15 patents. Before his career at Adesis, Charles was a successful medicinal chemist at Wyeth Research (Princeton, NJ).

Charles lives in North Wilmington with his wife and three kids. He enjoys attending his kids' various sporting events, playing pickleball, and adding to his extensive vinyl collection in his spare time.

A Delaware native, Chelsea is driven by her desire to better the community in which she has grown. Chelsea graduated from Caesar Rodney School District and continued her education in the first state with a B.A. in Psychology from University of Delaware.

She has spent the last 12 years working for L&W Insurance Agency in Dover, DE. L&W Insurance is a full service agency and respected organization operating throughout the state of Delaware for the past 87 years. In addition to her role as Personal Lines Agent, servicing the insurance needs of incoming personal clients, Chelsea currently holds the position of Community Relations & Development Director, where she oversees the agency’s community outreach, marketing and local partnerships.

Chelsea feels honored to volunteer her time as the Charity Liaison for the Gals That Give Organization where she coordinates and executes monthly fundraising events that highlight & support a different local charity at each event. In her 3 years with Gals that Give she has worked closely with more than 25 non-profit organizations that are committed to their presence in Kent County, Delaware, including Down Syndrome Association, Big Brother & Big Sisters, Kent-Sussex Industries, Make-A-Wish Delaware, Hope Medical Clinic, and many more. Chelsea also volunteers her time with Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition as a board member for their annual Lights of Life Gala.

She and her husband Allen reside in Camden, DE with their wildly different twin daughters.

Chonnie Blair is a motivated, enthusiastic professional who has over 20 years of professional experience in operations management, sales management, financial management and education. She is a highly qualified secondary math educator with over 10 years of teaching and tutoring experience in the high school classroom, small group teaching and individual tutoring environments. With an understanding of societal demands, in her current role, Ms. Blair diligently seeks to educationally equip students to easily assimilate into and successfully complete degrees in their post secondary environments. Ms. Blair has earned a B.S. in Accounting and a M.S. in Educational Technology and Media Design.
As an associate director in academic services at Drexel University, Ms. Blair is a member of the management team for DragonsTeach and also, the program manager for the M.S, Mathematics Learning & Teaching Program. She is responsible for advising students, focusing on academic requirements for School of Education and the DragonsTeach programs, related STEM departmental curriculum, and graduation/certification requirements. Additionally, she manages projects and programming – including alignment with state certification requirements and accreditation – by scheduling courses, assigning instructors, locating and assessing faculty and instructional resources and serving as the main contact person for faculty, staff and students.

Chris Neary serves as Senior Vice President for Policy, Research and Advocacy at Cinnaire, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) working to bring investment to impactful affordable housing and community development projects. Based in Cinnaire’s Wilmington office, Chris is responsible for developing and advancing Cinnaire’s public policy agenda, including programs that support affordable housing and community development in underserved communities.

After more than a decade in Washington, D.C., Chris moved to Wilmington to join Cinnaire’s team in 2019. Previously, Chris served as Economic Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Policy Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship. As a senior staff member, he crafted and helped enact legislation to drive economic development in the United States. Chris is privileged to leverage his experience and expertise to support Cinnaire’s work, which harnesses both public and private sector resources to meet the needs of Delaware’s communities.

A Delaware County native and graduate of Salesianum School, Chris lives with his wife and son in Wilmington, where they enjoy the city’s neighborhood walks, restaurants, and easy access to public parks. Chris received a B.A. in Policy Studies and Political Science from Dickinson College.

Christopher Zarebicki is a Senior Manager of Product Development at Corporation Service Company. Corporation Service Company is a leading provider of business, legal, financial, and digital brand services to companies around the globe, including 90% of the Fortune 500®. Christopher leads large cross-functional teams on multi-year initiatives using the latest technologies to take concepts to delivery, most recently for next generation of customer order fulfillment. In this strategic role, he partners with senior leadership & key stakeholders to set the long-term vision for major business transformation and is responsible for managing the end to end product life cycle.

Born & raised in Delaware, Christopher is married to his wife Julie and has two daughters, Anja & Izabella. Christopher earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Wilmington University.

Over 19 years ago Christina started her career with M. Davis & Sons, Inc. While working full-time at M. Davis, she completed both her B.S. and MBA from Goldey Beacom College in Wilmington, DE. She has taken on many roles while working at M. Davis, with the most current being a dual-role as Manager of Business Development and Manager of Supplier Diversity. Christina took the lead in implementing M. Davis’ first formal supplier diversity program in 2014; growing the company’s spend with Small and Diverse businesses in the Mid-Atlantic region to over $6million. While helping advocate for small and diverse businesses within her organization, she also leads the strategic efforts of sales and marketing as the Manager of Business Development.

Christina is actively involved with the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society where she has co-chaired their annual gala, MSQuerade, helping to raise over $200,000 for the organization. She was recently appointed to the, newly formed, Immaculate Conception School Board for a three year term. Christina also volunteers for the Women’s Business Enterprise Council – DE, PA, and southern NJ Chapter. She resides in Newark, DE with her husband, Brian, and their two sons.

Christine Eisenhauer is the founding Dean of Relay Graduate School of Education in Delaware. Relay’s mission is to teach educators how to develop and strengthen their students’ academic skills and character, preparing them for success in college and life. In her role, she oversees all aspects of teacher preparation in her home state, from Selbyville to Wilmington, DE. Relay serves educators both new to the field and as they continue their development through a Master’s program. Relay’s graduate program is open to all teachers, but is specifically geared toward teachers who serve students in historically disenfranchised communities. In explicitly naming this focus, Relay’s goal is to develop teachers who can consistently create more opportunity and choice for Delaware students and families.

Prior to founding Relay, Eisenhauer was the Managing Director of Academics at KIPP Philadelphia Schools, where she led the regional academics team, working with principals and school-based teams to establish network-wide curricular alignment. She has worked with schools in Wilmington, Delaware, and with Teach For America in Newark, New Jersey. She lives in Wilmington with her husband, Wallace, and son, Hayden.

Christine Lowthert, Ed.D. is the founder of CEL Strategies and currently serves as the Area Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware. She came to Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware from Assumption University in Massachusetts, where she served as the Director of Athletics and was recognized for her excellence in service.

Her credentials include a Doctorate of Education with a focus in Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University. She received a Master of Business Administration from Duquesne University, a Bachelor of Science in International Business, and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Christine is an active part of the community, serving on the Board of Directors for two nonprofit organizations, The Fund for Women & Girls and Great Careers Group. With over ten years of success in building and leading collegiate athletic programs, she inspires a culture of integrity, positive communication, and operational excellence by bringing intentionality to prioritizing people and performance.

Christine Sauers is the President of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Delaware. In this position, Christine builds awareness of the BBB in the community, works directly with the volunteer board of directors, develops and carries out strategic plans, and works with other BBBs throughout the country. She also runs the BBB of Delaware Education Foundation that focuses its energies on educating underserved Delawareans. The Education Foundation’s primary function is offering an annual scholarship awarded to students that exemplify a strong commitment to integrity and ethics.

Christine is a member, and former Treasurer, of the Board of Directors of Easterseals, Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore; a Trustee of Christiana Care Health System (CCHS) and a Member of the CCHS Nominating Committee. She also serves on the Corporate Committee for the Combined Campaign for Justice. Christine is a 2018 Honorary Commander in the Delaware National Guard. She previously held professional positions with several community-based organizations such as Executive Director of the World Trade Center Institute of Delaware and Director of Public Relations for the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. Christine graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.A. in Political Science. Christine and her family live in Wilmington.

A lifelong student, Chris worked his way through college to graduate from Villanova University in 1992 with a degree in Business Administration and a minor in English. He thus became the first person in his family to graduate from college, and later went on to earn his MBA. His true passion is helping others, which led to his first career as a firefighter/EMT. Besides his career in this field, Chris was a volunteer for 20 years, holding leadership positions at several emergency organizations including EMS lieutenant, captain, and serving on the Board of Directors of the Media Fire Company. During college, he was a founding member and Training Officer of the Villanova University EMS. Chris joined the Gift of Life Donor Program in 1995, coordinating organ and tissue donations and transplants throughout Delaware, South Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania. He specializes in creating excellent relationships with the region’s medical examiner community and lectures before regional, national, and international organizations on the subject. Chris and his wife Julia have been the proud parents of nearly a dozen foster children, and also love hiking with their dogs. They live in Brandywine Hundred, where Chris has been the Republican Chair of his legislative district.

Christopher S. Gunter (Chris), hails with pride from Bear, DE.

In his capacity as a corporate responsibility professional, Chris has made waves by bridging the gap between corporate resources and community needs. He currently serves as the Community Impact & Investment Philanthropic Lead at Capital One, stationed in the Wilmington office. In this role, Chris plays a pivotal role in steering the foundation's philanthropic investments, amounting to a substantial 200 million across a spectrum of regions, including Delaware Valley and Midwest Station. His responsibilities align perfectly with CapitalOne’s overarching mission, focusing on enhancing socio-economic mobility through innovative programs, advocating for inclusive products, and fostering impactful philanthropy.

Chris's academic journey includes the attainment of a BS in Criminology and Public Administration from the University of Delaware, complemented by an MS in Administration of Justice, with a concentration in criminal behavior, from Wilmington University. He's also a certified diversity professional (CDP), leveraging his interdisciplinary research to delve into the intricacies of domestic and international correctional systems. His work shines a light on critical themes such as racially-based police targeting, the re-entry process of African-American males post-corrections, and the complexities surrounding pardons and expungements.

Beyond his professional accolades, Chris finds immense joy in spending quality time with his family, embarking on culinary adventures at new restaurants, and immersing himself in enriching global travel experiences. Chris remains unwavering in his dedication to community empowerment and embraces life's adventures with boundless curiosity.

Chris Perdue is a fourth generation family member at Perdue Farms Inc. Chris attended Wake Forest University and spent the first 8 years of his professional career working in Advertising with the Got Milk? Campaign and with startups in Silicon Valley. In 2013, Chris returned to Delmarva to pursue a career with the family business. He now works in Perdue’s Agribusiness division handling the planning and forecasting of their grain trading business. Chris was a member of the transition committee for Governor John Carney and now represents Perdue on the Board of Governors for the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of the Greater Salisbury Committee.

Chuck Posnecker is a Director at Cypress Capital Management, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WSFS Bank. Cypress is a Registered Investment Adviser with approximately $1.1 billion in assets under management. At Cypress, he is responsible for portfolio management and trading. As part of a team, he works directly with individual clients, foundations, and trusts in managing their investments to help them realize their goals. He is also a member of the Investment Policy Committee responsible for setting future investment strategies and works with the trading group in the buying and selling of securities to implement said strategies.

Previously he was with Christiana Trust, a division of WSFS Bank, where he was a Vice President working in trust administration and investments. At Christiana, he oversaw a group administering roughly 250 trust accounts, varying from small family relationships to larger, more complex structures, while collaborating with internal and external legal counsel.

Chuck is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, and received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is also a CFA charterholder, CFP® professional, and CTFA. He moved to the east coast in 2012 with his wife Lisa and dog Baines. Chuck is passionate about teaching and inspiring younger generations about the importance of savings and investment. His personal interests include reading, cooking, traveling, and music.

CJ Bell, born in PG County, MD raised in DC. Graduated from University of Delaware in 2017. After graduation, CJ played multiple roles at both the federal and state level under U.S. Senator Tom Carper and Governor Carney. Through these experiences, CJ developed a keen insight for the state of Delaware as well as learning the essentiality of networking and maintaining a work/life balance.

Currently, CJ works for New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer as a Policy Advisor assisting with economic development efforts. While his career is mainly geared towards the political field, CJ has a special passion for increasing the millennial presence in the state of Delaware. This passion is fulfilled by policy research, legislative advocacy and event planning.

CJ is the Senior Planner for The Connect, a grassroots organization geared towards supporting millennial retention in the state of Delaware. They specialize in connecting millennials and entrepreneurs with political and community leaders throughout the state. The main objective is to build the next millennial hub in Delaware’s most populous county. For more information, please visit TheConnectDE.com.

Clayton Hill serves as the Director of Property Management for Emory Hill Real Estate Services, Inc. In this role Clayton oversees a team of Commercial Property Managers as well as asset management for a portfolio exceeding four million square feet of commercial real estate and approximately a thousand residential units. In addition, Clayton’s responsibilities include court appointed receivership work, as well as investment and lease analysis for the internal portfolio and third party clients. Prior to heading the Property Management Division Clayton was a commercial real estate agent for Emory Hill for five years and remains a licensed real estate agent in Delaware and Maryland.
Prior to joining Emory Hill in early 2004 Clayton worked in Washington, D.C. as Analyst for Walker & Dunlop in commercial mortgage brokerage and as Analyst for CIM Group in opportunistic real estate pension fund investment. Clayton graduated with honors in economics from Colgate University in 2000 and completed his Masters in Real Estate Investment from Johns Hopkins University in 2005. In 2010 Clayton gained his CCIM (“Certified Commercial Investment Member”) designation along with his CPM (Commercial Property Manager”) designation in 2011.
Clayton is an nine-time marathoner with the goal of running marathons in all fifty states and seven continents. Through these races Clayton has undergone an ongoing campaign to raise awareness and funds for several charities to which he has personal and passionate connections including the Leukemia Lymphoma Society of Delaware and the American Diabetes Association. Clayton is an executive board member of the Delaware Chapter of the American Diabetes Association and is on the planning committee for the annual Tour de Cure bike race held each spring.

Conor Nally is a native of Ocean View, Delaware and graduated from the University of Delaware with bachelor’s degrees in English and Environmental Studies. Conor’s career in Real Estate Development started when he worked with an Annapolis-based environmental development firm, where he worked on wetland rehabilitation and stream restoration projects. Conor then moved back home to Delaware to join the development team with Nally Ventures.

As Vice President of Development, Conor has managed commercial development projects throughout Delaware and the East Coast. His areas of expertise include project financing, site feasibility, construction management, site acquisition, and the entitlement process. Through Conor’s hard work and passion, he was able to start the community revitalization division within Nally Ventures. This division focuses on getting nonprofit projects financed, approved, and built so that they can be a catalyst for change in the community. Since launching this division, Conor has managed nonprofit projects including affordable housing, veterans housing, environmental protection, and healthcare. Conor currently serves on the boards of the Sussex County Habitat for Humanity, and the SNAC Garden Foundation.

Conor resides in Ocean View, Delaware where he enjoys spending his time with his partner, Taylor, and their dog, Zoe.

Cristina Frank is a Principal Environmental Scientist for Pepco Holdings, Inc, a power delivery company serving NJ, MD, DE and Washington D.C. Cristina manages PHI’s Avian Protection Program, overseeing integration of avian protection strategies into PHI’s distribution and transmission construction activities and ensuring compliance with avian protection regulations. She coordinates with local and regional stakeholders to identify habitat restoration opportunities and to conduct community outreach to increase awareness and appreciation of the natural environment.

Cristina is a key contributor on many planning initiatives across the Delmarva peninsula and maintains a broad knowledge and deep appreciation of Delaware’s natural resources. She has extensive experience working throughout the Delaware Estuary as a wildlife biologist specializing in the development and implementation of multi-partner, community-based habitat restoration projects, species management and protection, natural resource planning and policy initiatives, and community outreach. Throughout her career, Cristina has strived to improve the natural world for future generations by promoting meaningful environmental protection and by reconnecting communities with nature through volunteerism and outreach.

She earned a B.S. in Natural Resource Management and a M.S. in Ecology from Rutgers University. Cristina serves as a council member for the Delmarva Ornithological Society. She resides in Wilmington, DE.

Crystin Liboma received a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Rutgers University in 2012. She worked as a nurse in Delaware and Philadelphia for five years before co-founding the Quality Improvement team within the nation’s largest pediatric primary care center at Karabots, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). After beginning an MBA, she transitioned into Quality Improvement full time at CHOP, leading doctors, nurses, and staff to improve clinical care and operations within the hospital. As a Delaware resident, Crystin has invested her time in the Wilmington and broader Delaware community. She joined the Wilmington Urban League Young Professionals as a board member in 2017, completed her MBA at the University of Delaware in May 2019, and transitioned to the role of Continuous Improvement Specialist with Nemours in August 2019. Crystin is passionate about health policy, health equity and reducing racial disparities in healthcare, and in her spare time, she enjoys training her dog, Athena, reading, and traveling.

Dr. Dan Young is a Director at the Wharton School and is the curator of TEDxWilmington, which is in the top 1% of all TEDx franchises in the country with over 600 speakers and 47 million views on YouTube.
As an “edupreneur”, he is also responsible for creating the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Program at Goldey-Beacom College. the first online DBA class for Wilmington University, the first study abroad program for the Horn Program of Entrepreneurship and the first international internship program for study abroad at the University of Delaware.
Dan received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Marketing from the University of Delaware’s Honors Program and his Ph.D. in Marketing from Temple University. He has done entrepreneurship and executive leadership programs with the University of Delaware, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Oxford.
He has been an instructor at Goldey-Beacom College, Temple University, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, the University of Delaware, Neumann University and Wilmington University. He is currently the President of Maverick Class LLC, a holding company for a diversified portfolio of entertainment, education, and hospitatlity companies.
Dan has served on the Boards of many local organizations and currently serves as the President of Theatre N at Nemours, President of the Board of Safe Haven Healing, Membership Chairman of the Board of Governors for the University and Whist Club, Board Member of the for-profit corporation Spekciton and an advisory Board Member for the Fresh Start program and Derby Diversity Week at the Kentucky Derby.

Dana Santoro has worked at Wilmington University for the last 15 years, all within the Office of Institutional Research. She has advanced through the department, starting as a Data Specialist, progressing to her current position as the Senior Director. Dana’s department is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting quantitative and qualitative data about all areas of the University. In her Data Governance role, she will lead and manage all organizational-wide data and will work to ensure all system decisions and planning meet the data standards guidelines as well as reporting needs of the community. She is involved with many committees throughout the University and is a member of her department’s regional and national associations. Dana is also an adjunct faculty member of the College of Business, currently teaching micro and macroeconomics courses. Dana received a BS in Economics and a Statistical Analyst Certificate from the University of Delaware, a MS in Information Systems Technologies from Wilmington University, and an EdD in Educational Leadership & Management from Drexel University. In addition to her career, Dana has a passion for helping children and is currently a mentor and the Vice Chair the Greater Wilmington Boys & Girls Clubs Unit Board. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Clubs at the statewide level and serves on the scholarship committee. Dana resides in Hockessin, Delaware with her two sons.

Dan MacLeish graduated from Caesar Rodney High School and went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in History from Widener University, and his Masters in Homeland Security from Wilmington University. He was commissioned as a Military Police Officer in 2008 and has been a full-time member of the Delaware Army National Guard since 2010. Dan has held multiple positions, including Platoon Leader, Company Commander, and most recently Aide-de-camp to the Adjutant General of the Delaware National Guard. In his current assignment, he serves as a Brigade Personnel Officer, overseeing the human resources support for over 800 Soldiers. Dan completed a nine month combat deployment to Afghanistan in 2013 and has directly served the citizens of Delaware during times of emergency in support of Domestic Response Missions on many occasions.

Dan is passionate about working with youth and helping them achieve their full potential. He serves as a coach in multiple youth sports leagues. In addition to his regular duties, Dan volunteers his time serving as an instructor in the Delaware National Guard Leadership Academy and as a Board Member for the National Guard Association of Delaware. Dan lives in Middletown with his wonderful wife and their three children.

Dan Stein grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina and went on to attend North Carolina State University, where he graduated in 1999 with a B.S. in Poultry Science. That same year he joined Perdue Farms, Inc. as a plant management trainee in Lewiston, NC. Dan held many positions during his tenure at that facility ranging from HACCP coordinator to Senior Business Unit Lead. In 2013 Dan relocated to Millsboro, DE with his wife Vanessa and two boys, DJ and Nicholas where he was the Director of Operations at Perdue’s Georgetown, DE facility. In this role, Dan had responsibility for the management and daily operations of the facility. Subsequently in 2016 he relocated to Richmond, VA as the Director of Operations of Perdue’s Prince George, VA distribution center. Currently Dan serves as a board member for the United Way of Hopewell-Prince George as well as being a participant in the 2018 Prince George County Business Roundtable series. Dan is an avid racing and football fan and enjoys playing golf in his spare time.

Dan was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA and graduated from Temple University, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. In 2013, Dan completed an Executive Master’s Degree in Public Health: Emergency and Disaster Management from Tel Aviv University in Israel. In 2016, Dan was hired as a Public Health Analyst for the Philadelphia-Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) to improve situational awareness and collaboration between law enforcement and public health agencies in the region as part of the National Heroin Response Strategy.

Dan was also contracted in 2016 by the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health to be their point person for the HERO HELP Program (a law enforcement diversion program); to author the grant for the Delaware Drug Monitoring Initiative; and, to be a member of the Delaware delegation at the National Governor’s Association Learning Lab in Washington D.C. In 2018, Dan was hired as the full-time HERO HELP Program Coordinator for the New Castle County Police Department. In this role, Dan implements innovative approaches to coordinate the provision of addiction/mental health assistance and legal advocacy to Delawareans in an effort to mitigate the damage of the addiction epidemic.

Dan is proud to have participated as a panelist at Addressing Delaware’s Opioid Crisis with U.S. Senator Chris Coons and Director James Carroll, Head of U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy; and, as a presenter and panelist for US Attorney’s Office Opioids 2019: Facilitating Cooperation and Communication to address the crisis. In 2019, atTAcK addiction recognized Dan with the Courage Award for demonstrating outstanding courage in leading others in the war against substance use disorder.

Dan is happily married to the love of his life.

Daniel Walker is the State Outreach Manager for the Delaware Campaign for Achievement Now (CAN). DelawareCAN launched in January 2017 and is part of the national 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now and works to collaborate, empower, and mobilize everyday Delawareans to advocate for a high-quality education system for all students. Daniel got his start in politics as an intern during Senator Coons’ 2014 reelection campaign. Prior to joining CAN, Daniel was the Special Assistant for Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester’s congressional campaign leading the teams community engagement and voter contact efforts. Daniel worked for the Delaware General Assembly Majority Caucus as a legislative aide assigned to the Vice-Chair of the Education Committee and Chair of the Labor Committee. He served as the founding Chair of the Delaware Young Democrats before being elected as Vice-President in 2017. He has served as an advisory board member for various nonprofits including the Newark Jaycees (JCI). He holds a BA in political science from the University of Delaware and also holds an MSM with a concentration in public administration from Wilmington University. He was licensed as a minister when he was 16 years old. Daniel is a native Delawarean born in Kent County and moved to Wilmington after graduating from college.

Daniel F. Walsh is a banking leader with over 20 years of experience, he is currently the Vice President of Data Strategy at Barclays, US. Prior to joining Barclays, Dan was VP of Customer Strategy at TD Bank and previously a VP in Analytics with Bank of America in the areas of Marketing & Risk Strategy.

Dan is the former president of Supporting Kidds, the center for grieving children and their families, where he also has served as vice president and treasurer over the last 8 years. He founded the organization’s most successful annual fundraiser, Mustaches for Kidds, in 2009, which has driven more than $500K to date. Most recently, Dan has become involved with Heroes on the Water, where he guides kayak fishing trips for military veterans, first responders and their families.

Upon moving to Wilmington, Delaware, Dan quickly became involved in civic and city affairs to stabilize communities and promote accountability from local government. Dan served as president of the Midtown Brandywine Neighbors’ Association for several years, winning the coveted “Neighborhood of the Year Award” in 2010. Dan currently sits on the Residency Review Board as a mayoral appointee and is a familiar face at all Public Safety and City Council meetings. Dan has been a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Delaware on the topics of leadership and resident empowerment in urban communities.

Dan, a native Long Islander, attended college at The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in Bloomington, where he studied Finance. He enjoys kayak fishing, live music, and Hoosier basketball.

Danielle E. Vozzo is the Operating Manager for the Americas Field Service Centers at Agilent Technologies. She is responsible for overseeing in-house repair/calibration operations and driving strategic growth across several Field Service Centers in the US, with the largest employee base in DE. Agilent is a leader in the scientific community, focusing on designing instrumentation for chemical analysis and life sciences and supporting the end-to-end laboratory experience. Danielle has quickly established herself as a young, capable leader within Agilent since beginning as an intern in 2015.

Although originally from NY, Danielle moved to Delaware to pursue a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware, and quickly began to call Delaware home.

Danielle is also passionate about mentoring and mental health awareness and advocacy. This led Danielle to partner with DMAX Foundation. DMAX is a non-profit organization creating meaningful conversations to support the emotional well-being and mental health of college students. Outside of work, Danielle enjoys refining her yoga and meditation practice. She lives in Wilmington with her pet rabbit and is a recent first-time home buyer; quickly discovering the joys and challenges of home ownership!

Danielle Socrates MBA, CPXP, is the Director of Performance Operations for the Beebe Medical Group. Danielle joined the Beebe Medical Group in 2019. She came to Beebe Medical Center from Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania, a Joint Commission-accredited, Magnet certified, Integrated Healthcare organization where she was recognized for her successful leadership in quality & safety, strategic planning, interpersonal skills, and her ability to build strong, effective teams.

Her credentials include a Master of Business Administration with a focus in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Health Administration from Wilkes University, Pennsylvania. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and is a Certified Patient Experience Professional in Patient Advocacy (CPXP). Danielle recently attained her Lean Six Sigma Green belt certification.

Danielle is a tremendous advocate for employees and patients and is drawn to the tie between culture and quality/safety. She has extensive strategic and operational oversight of the medical group’s overall strategy for performance, access, and patient experience. Danielle accepted an award on behalf of the Beebe medical group in 2021 for What’s Right in Healthcare in achieving exceptional patient experience by Huron Group.

Danika Perry, PsyD, a Delaware native, fulfills her calling according to her gifts of advocacy and servant-leadership. As a pediatric psychologist, she provides behavioral health services in rural, primary care practices of Nemours. She is a member of the Diversity Anti-Racism Inclusion Value and Equity (D.R.I.V.E.) taskforce and the African Heritage Associate Resource Group, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor for the Division of
Psychology and 2020 Physician Excellence Award recipient in Community Service at Nemours.

Dr. Perry holds an appointment of Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and has taught as an adjunct professor at local universities. She earned her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Genesys Regional Medical Center in Flint, MI.

She is a member of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League Young Professionals and the Delaware Psychological Association’s Continuing Education and Diversity committees. She serves mankind with the Epsilon Iota Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and her devotion to health equity and empowerment of Black and Brown communities is embodied in her work at the local and national levels. She enjoys quality time with her family, godchildren, friends, and dog Zeus. She is an aspiring baker and is often renewed by kayaking.

She enjoys quality time with her family and friends, kayaking in Delaware’s state parks and is an aspiring baker.

Darren Stephenson is the Program Director for the Bronze Valley VentureLab Delaware powered by Gener8tor. He was born in Chester, PA, and spent his childhood between Wilmington, DE, and Chester, PA. Darren previously worked as a consultant for nearly six years as a Tax Technologist and Tax Management Consultant for the public accounting firms Ducharme McMillan & Associates and Deloitte. He is also a Senior Fellow at HBCUvc and was the 2022 Summer Venture Capital Associate intern at Redpoint Ventures. Darren graduated from Morehouse College in 2016 with a BA in Economics.

Dave Sweeney is a lifelong resident of Delaware, currently residing in Camden-Wyoming with his wife and three children. Dave is the Chief Executive Officer of Advantech Incorporated, headquartered in Dover, DE. As the CEO, Dave’s role is to ensure that Advantech is prepared to handle current and future technology advancements and to ensure the business is prosperous in years to come. Evaluating new technology and preparing for the future is a daily challenge in the rapidly changing security technology market. Dave is a member of the Security-Net Executive Committee and part of the Honeywell Dealer Advisory Council, both are nationally renowned organizations that focus on Integrated Security and the future. Leadership in both of these organizations allows Dave to add insight and direction to the Integrated Security Business. Dave joined Advantech in 2007 and is extremely excited about the future of the organization and its ability to make a difference.

Dave is a current member of the Children’s & Families First Board and Finance Committee, The Greater Kent Committee, and the Treasure for the WB Simpson PTO. In 2018 Dave was selected by Security System News as one of the Integrated Security Industries 20 under 40.

David Arthur, LDI Class of 2013, currently serves as a commodity buyer in the life sciences division at Agilent Technologies, Inc. Prior to joining Agilent, Arthur worked at the University of Delaware Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, where he helped launch the Sports and Entertainment Sales initiative to recruit more nationally touring events to the Bob Carpenter Center and Delaware Stadium.
Arthur previously worked for the Raymond Entertainment Group before joining Wilmington Blue Rocks professional baseball club, where held multiple positions, including the Director of Marketing. He then served as the Executive Director of the Delaware Sports Commission, helping to generate economic impact in the State of Delaware through regional and national sporting events. While in that role, Dave was instrumental in returning the Slam Dunk to the Beach – one of the premier high school basketball events in the country – to Delaware.
Arthur received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Delaware, and his MBA from UD’s Lerner School of Business and Economics. Go Hens!
David is very passionate about the non-profits that he is involved with and currently serves on the board of Kind to Kids and the Jason Anderson Foundation, two organizations helping children in need. He also mentors students from the Delaware Youth Leadership Network and continues to be involved with the Delaware Sports Commission. David resides in Wilmington, with his wife Lauren.

David Chen grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and certificate in Engineering Biology. He completed a dual program Doctor of Medicine and Masters in Public Health concentrating in Health Systems and Policy at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He moved to Delaware for his combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency at Jefferson Medical College-Christiana Care Health System and Nemours/Alfred I. Dupont Hospital for Children. He lived on the North Side of Wilmington for two years during his training.

David still lives within the city of Wilmington and is a dual board certified Pediatric and Internal Medicine Hospitalist at Christiana Care Health System. He is a board member of the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence and an advisor to the CDC Community Advisory Council on Gun Violence. David and his wife have two young boys and are members of Epiphany Church of Wilmington.

Originally from East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, David moved to Delaware during law school and quickly fell in love with the state. He currently works at the Delaware Department of Justice as a Deputy Attorney General in the Office of Civil Rights and Public Trust. He prosecutes cases involving alleged police brutality, misuse of public resources, bribery and corruption of public officials, as well as pattern and practice discrimination cases.

Prior to that he was an Assistant Public Defender in Delaware for more than 7 years, tenaciously defending his client’s Constitutional rights in court. He had more than 50 jury trials, and numerous appeals to the Delaware Supreme Court. His representation aided in the repeal of the Death Penalty in Delaware in the case of Rauf v. State and he successfully argued against a law criminalizing homelessness in Delaware, helping to foster improved relations between police and the homeless community.

David is also a member of the Rodney Inn of Court, and the Delaware State Bar Association. David and his wife, Michelle, also a practicing attorney, currently reside in Wilmington with their two dogs.

Dr. Davison Mwale (PhD) works as a Projects Management Engineer in the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), State of Delaware and is an adjunct at the Environmental Training Centre of the Delaware Technical Community College, Georgetown Campus.
Davison received his Bachelor of Engineering Degree from the University of Zambia, MSc in Civil Engineering, from Hohai University, China, and his PhD from University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

Denée is the corporate communications manager for Highmark Delaware, responsible for internal, external and executive communications and press relations. She oversees the organization’s corporate giving, community affairs, and its BluePrints for the Community health grant fund; and assists with employee engagement initiatives and strategic partnerships.

Prior to joining Highmark, Denée served as communications manager at the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, overseeing production of Delaware Business magazine, and managing their social media, web presence and press relations. She managed their internship program and assisted with events and special projects. Denée has also held communications roles at the Delaware BioScience Association and Harford County Public Schools.

Denée earned her bachelor's degree in mass communications from the University of Delaware, where she was active with Gamma Sigma Sigma, a community service organization.

Current affiliations:

• Leadership Delaware: Class of 2019, Alumni Engagement committee, Modernization Committee
• Exceptional Care for Children: volunteer and mentor
• Junior Achievement of Delaware: volunteer, Young Professionals Board founder, Board member and marketing and communications chair
• Public Relations Society of America - Delaware: Board member
• MillSummit: founding committee member, advisory council member
• Gateway Lab School: Community Outreach committee
• Public Allies: Advisory Board member
• The WRK Group: Community Health, Wellness, & Safety committee
• Delaware State Chamber of Commerce: Annual Dinner 2022 Planning committee
• Delaware Community Foundation: Community Needs review committee
• Wilmington Alliance: Board of Investors, Strategic Planning committee
• KIDS COUNT in Delaware, Board member

Dennis Harris entered the nursing profession as his second career. His background in education brings a unique perspective to his role as a health care leader. Today, he serves as the Nurse Manager for the ACE Unit at Christiana Hospital. Prior to entering nursing, he was the Director of Admissions and Marketing at Salesianum School. He holds a degree in Communication from La Salle University and a Masters in Community Health Education from Arcadia University. In 2008, he graduated from Delaware Technical Community College with a degree in Nursing and later completed his nursing education with both BSN and MSN degrees from Wilmington University. He holds nursing certifications in both medical/surgical nursing and gerontology.

In March 2014, he was promoted to Nurse Manager for the Christiana ACE Unit, a 39 bed medical unit specializing in the needs of adults age 70 and older. He has presented nationally on the topic of medication education and the older adult, and has published on the topic of using a team based approach to facilitate a safe early discharge in the acute care setting. He has previous teaching experience teaching both Oral Communication and Technical Writing at Delaware Technical Community College and currently serves as an adjunct nursing faculty for Neumann University. Dennis currently resides in North Wilmington with his wife and three children.

Living in Delaware all his life, Dennis Spence Jr graduated from the University of Delaware in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. He currently works at Century Engineering, LLC, where he has been for 16 years. His focus is Traffic Signal Systems and Traffic Safety Engineering, where he has been involved with projects in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Maine. He works to ensure the safe mobility of people to and from their destinations, as well as creating the most safe and efficient environment for people that must work on highways to maintain vehicular infrastructure. In addition to this professional endeavors, Dennis has a passion for mentoring with young men in his community in the city of Dover. Working with local churches, the Delaware Capitol Police, and other community leaders, Dennis enjoys working to develop better mindsets and viewpoints to help the community unify and grow.

Derek is the Founder and CEO of Barnstable South, an equestrian training and evening facility in Ocala, FL. Prior to this, Derek had been involved in multiple aspects of Real Estate for over 25 years. He is a principle in Investors Realty, a family Property Development and Management Company focused on Manufactured Home Parks, Self Storage, Small Commercial Office Parks, and Land Development. He began his career selling Real Estate with Patterson Schwartz and Associates in Wilmington, Delaware and earned several designations including CRS and GRI, and then moved into New Home Sales, before joining the family business in 1986.

In projects within our portfolio, he is focused primarily on Infrastructure, Energy efficiency, Water and Waste-water, and Land Use. With New Acquisitions, he focuses on identifying new deals, and taking raw ground through Zoning and Project Approval to build-out. The Company employs approximately 40 Delawareans, and manages over 1600 units state-wide. The company now is an Energy Star Builder, and has completed both residential and commercial units.

Derek has a farm in Chester County where he has deployed multiple sustainable and renewable energy platforms from a Bio-fuel boiler to geothermal, solar, Micro-hydro electric and wind. The farm has also benefited from advanced onstruction techniques like ICF’s (Insulated Concrete Forms), SIP’s(structural Insulated Panels), and passive solar design. The farm, and Delaware businesses also use alternate fuel vehicle including CNG and Bio-diesel, both on and off road, and build to higher energy efficiency standards.

Diane Ruth is the Manager of Regulatory Accounting and Reporting at PSE&G. She is responsible for all regulatory accounting and reporting and related support for PSE&G’s regulated utility operations, transactions and other regulatory related matters, under GAAP and FERC accounting rules and practices.
PSE&G (Public Service Electric & Gas) is New Jersey’s largest provider of electric and gas service – serving 2.2 million electric customers and 1.8 million gas customers, or nearly three out of every four people in the state.
Previously, Diane was employed with Pepco Holdings, Inc. (a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation) where she represented the company at various state and local levels, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and PJM Interconnection, Inc. Diane was also part of a team that established PHI’s rates for Network Integration Transmission Services.
Prior to joining PHI, Diane held positions with MBNA America Bank, N.A. and Bank One Corporation, where she was a key lead for various systems implementations, process re-engineering and regulatory reporting initiatives. Diane holds a BS degree in Accounting from The University of Delaware and is a Certified Public Accountant. Within her community, Diane has held the position of Corporate Director of The Charter School of Wilmington board, Board member of the Latin American Community Center and has served on Parish Council and various committees within her church, St. Catherine of Siena Parish. Throughout her professional career, Diane has been involved in supporting such programs as Junior Achievement, American Heart Association and the United Way. Diane is a native Delawarean and currently resides in Wilmington, Delaware.

Diane Wikso serves as the Senior Associate Director for Annual Giving Programs in the University of Delaware’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations. In this role, she manages the strategy and implementation of the University’s eight annual giving programs. Prior to her current position, she served as the Associate Director for Young Alumni Programs for two years. Before joining the University of Delaware in 2016, Diane served as Campaign Director at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Delaware Chapter where she managed the fundraising and development for three campaigns and works with a diverse group of volunteers: business and community leaders, high school students, and endurance athletes. Diane is a graduate of the University of Delaware, where she earned both an Honors B.A. with Distinction in Political Science/Spanish and a Master of Public Administration with a focus in Community Development and Nonprofit Management. At UD, Diane served as an Honors Program Fellow and later Co-Curricular Coordinator for the Honors Program. Although she is a native of Philadelphia, she and her husband, Eric, decided to remain in and pursue careers in Delaware. In 2013, they moved to Wilmington having made the commitment to live, work, and serve in the same community. Diane is an active member of Sycamore Hill Church, and, in 2012, she joined a handful of families in planting a campus in downtown Wilmington. In 2015, Diane was named to the Delaware Business Times’ “40 Under 40” list for her innovation in program development at LLS and her community engagement efforts.

Dionna Sargent earned a B.B.A with a concentration in Real Estate and Finance from Temple University and holds a M.P.A. from the University of Delaware. She has over ten years of educational and professional experience in business and public administration within the real estate and finance industry. She has focused her career development goals and objectives on issues surrounding affordable housing, community development, and homelessness. Dionna currently serves as the Community Development Market Leader for Cinnaire Corporation, a nonprofit organization in Wilmington, Delaware. In this position, she works with community-based organizations and local officials to advance sustainable, comprehensive community development initiatives in Wilmington neighborhoods. Dionna is a lifelong community servant, always searching for opportunities to serve and expose herself to different cultures and experiences to understand diverse needs and perspectives. She is passionate about improving communities and serves on the board of the Central Baptist Community Development Corporation, Conscious Connections Inc., and Theatrical Delights. She is also a proud member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women – Delaware Chapter, Junior League of Wilmington, Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League Young Professionals, and Fund for Women founder. Dionna’s service work is driven by her “Why” – her belief that all communities should have access to the resources they need, and that people should live in an environment where there is hope, opportunities and advantages.

Dominic DiFebo has been a proud resident of Delaware for almost 25 years. He graduated from Delaware’s St. Mark’s High School, and received his Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland. His career began in project Management for commercial real estate in Southern Delaware, followed by a finance role with JP Morgan upstate. His knowledge of the financial field promoted him to a position in New York City, where he worked on the Global Emerging Markets Fixed Income sales desk. After meeting his wife, the couple moved back to his hometown of Wilmington where he continues his financial career locally. He also serves as a Business/Marketing Consultant for his family’s successful restaurant of 40 years, Feby’s Fishery, and races boats for their powerboat racing team. Dominic is motivated and passionate both professionally and socially through his charity efforts with organizations such as The Next Generation Chapter of Delaware and Ducks Unlimited. Dominic plans to lead future efforts in various sectors, and give back to the community in the years to come.

For 20 years Don, as he is affectionately known, has enthusiastically invested his time and energy to serve the non-profit sector as a volunteer and a diligent leader in and around Delaware. Before becoming the Executive Director of Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering, Inc., Don built a reputation for tackling the root causes of social issues including hunger, poverty, social/racial justice, and education. The arts also became an important passion. He served as a change agent for several organizations including Wilmington 2000, The Food Bank of Delaware, and The Christina Cultural Arts Center.
From 2012-2014 he served as the President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Brandywine Chapter, and was the Chairman’s selection to join the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Board of Directors after his term, where he serves on both the AFP’s International Finance Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. In December 2015, he was sworn in for a second term as a New Castle County Commissioner on the Diversity Commission and was recognized as the Leadership Delaware Alumnus of the Year in November.
He is a member of the Delaware Community Foundation Development Committee, most recently, Don joined the Board of Directors of the Delaware Foundation for
Science and Math Education, and founded, co-developed and served as the lead publisher of the groundbreaking STEMulate® Change Project-based Curriculum on behalf of FAME Inc.
Staying true to his Delaware roots, he continues to serve as a valuable thought partner for organizations like the Delaware STEM Council, the United Way of Delaware, the Rodel Foundation, Delaware Alliance for Non-Profit Advancement, Delaware Grant Makers Association and several other organizations.
Don Baker received his formal training at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia as a Political Science Pre-law major. After receiving a Bachelors Degree he returned to Delaware and began working to complete a Master’s of Science in Management with a concentration in Public Administration from Wilmington University. In 2002 Baker completed his studies and received his M.S., MPA. Don is a Standards for Excellence ® Licensed Consultant and an AFP Certified Master Trainer who enjoys working to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, cultural competency, and the longevity of organizations.

Donald W. Nicholson, Jr. has been a financial advisor since 1994, serving the financial needs of individuals and small businesses. Don received a degree in Finance from West Virginia University. He is also a Certified Financial Planner and Accredited Asset Management Specialist.
He previously served on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Tri-State Chapter of the Financial Planning Association as the Government Relations Director. Don is the past-president of the Next Generation of the Delaware Community Foundation. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Delaware Community Foundation serving on the Marketing, Development & Nominating Committees, and recently joined the Development Committee for Nativity Preparatory School and the Planned Giving Committee for Nemours A.I.duPont Hospital for Children.
Don previously volunteered for the Pledging Tree Foundation providing financial advice to low income families.
He has been quoted in the New York Times, Consumers Digest, The News Journal, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Kiplinger, Fortune, News Journal, U.S. News & World Report and various other publications.
Don previously reported the daily 6:54 am Business Report on 1150am WDEL in Delaware and has been a repeat guest on Wharton Business Radio’s “Your Money” on Sirius XM.
He has been married to his wife Liz for thirteen years and they have three beautiful children, Catherine, Ella and Andrew.

Drew Moore is a Senior Systems Engineer at WSFS Bank. WSFS is the largest and longest-standing locally managed bank and trust company headquartered in Delaware. His primary focus at the bank is developing and maintaining the bank’s server infrastructure, cloud integration and process automation leveraging technologies such as Azure Active Directory, Office 365, and VMware. As part of a team, he works to implement innovative solutions that ensure the organization’s data and online resources remain highly available and secured.

He also serves as a traditional guardsman with the Delaware Air National Guard. Drew enlisted in 2012 as a Radio Frequency Transmission Specialist with the 142 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. The primary mission of the 142nd is to provide time sensitive, mission critical en route care to patients to and between medical treatment facilities. Drew’s role within the 142 nd is to provide tactical communications by deploying and maintaining standard radio frequency devices in fixed and deployed environments.

Drew is a native Delawarean who earned his Associate Degree in Electronic Systems from the Community College of the Air Force, and his Bachelor of Science in Business Management Information Systems specializing in Information Assurance from Liberty University. He attends CityLight Vineyard Church and has had the opportunity to volunteer with local outreaches such as Good Neighbors Home Repair, Foster Well, and Urban Promise. Drew lives in Newark with his wife Rebekah and their two sons,
Logan and Cole.

Earle Dempsey is a Kent County native with a B.S. from Salisbury University and an MBA from Delaware State University. He is a full-time single dad to four teenagers and is actively involved in the State and local communities as well as a Delaware small business owner.

In May 2021, Earle was re-elected to his second full term on the Lake Forest School District Board of Education for which he has served as President for the past four years. He is a volunteer firefighter/ EMT with the Felton Community and Magnolia Volunteer Fire Companies and is a member of the eight-person Kent County Levy Court Fire Advisory Board. Earle is currently serving his seventh year as a Delaware Supreme Court-appointed member of their Board on Professional Responsibility, as well as his fourth year as the Governor-appointed member of the Department of Education's Professional Standards Board representing the local School Boards. Past roles and activities include President of the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company (2011-2015), President of the Kent County Volunteer Firefighter's Association (2016), Program Manager - Statewide Recruitment and Retention for the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter's Association, Levy Court appointee to the Dover/ Kent County MPO Public Advisory Committee, and member of the Board of Directors for the nonprofits The Shepherd Place and The Arc of Delaware.

Earle is an Adjunct Professor for Delaware State University and Wilmington University for twelve and seven years, respectively, teaching business, management, and leadership courses for both schools' graduate and undergraduate programs. His past career highlights started with 16 years out of college for RGIS, LLC in Auburn Hills, MI where he served as Operations Manager for major metropolitan markets along the East Coast as well as Director of Operations for the RGIS Europe startup operation. He also served as Operations Director for ComputerTraining.com in Hunt Valley, MD managing training campuses throughout the eastern half of the U.S., as well as Customer Engagement Manager for the State of Delaware's Department of Technology and Information.

In January 2021, Earle completed the acquisition of First State Inspection Agency, Inc. Based in Milford, DE, First State is the leading provider of construction-related inspection services for municipalities throughout Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore with its staff of 25 employees. As one of two principals, Earle serves as President of the corporation maintaining a targeted plan of aggressive growth and modernization.

Ed was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA; now residing in Delaware for the past 16 years.  He moved to Delaware through an incredible opportunity at Nemours Children’s Health, where he held many positions within the Information Systems Department.  Through the years at Nemours, Ed obtained his Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Master of Science in Management with a concentration in Management Information Systems.  In his last role, he managed large IT projects, including the Nemours Children’s Health and ChristianaCare Advance Delivery Program, Riverfront Fieldhouse Clinic, Milford Clinic, and most recently, Nemours Children’s Health’s re-brand.

In November, Ed accepted another amazing opportunity at Incyte, a global biopharmaceutical company.  Ed is serving as the Project Manager for the Technology Operations Team.  He is excited about this new opportunity and learning about a new industry.

Ed finds enjoyment in inspiring other associates to pursue their career goals.  He believes in hard work, leading by example, compassion, and building relationships.  Ed is married to his high school sweetheart, Hedoo. He has three beautiful children, Olivia (13), Victoria (9), and Edward (3).  Ed enjoys spending time with family and friends, video gaming, traveling, and occasionally riding his motorcycle.

Elena Zerfus was born in Bucharest in a communist Romania. Although she was a teenager when the regime ended, she has a clear memory of the terrible social, economic and political changes brought on by the communism. Elena earned a B.S. in Informatics (Computer Science and Economics) from Academia de Studii Economice, Bucharest. She is fluent in Italian, Spanish, and French in addition to English and her native Romanian. She worked in Paris with Telecom France as a Systems Developer. In 2000 she was recruited by Philadelphia Control Systems (PCS) and moved to US. For the past ten years she lives in Delaware and works at PCS where she established herself as a key employee.
She is the lead architect for a large scale real-time fleet vehicle tracking systems used in the US and South America. She has designed inventory management systems, offshore oil tanker loading/unloading systems, large scale robotics controls and cross-platform financial transaction applications. Elena’s responsibilities range from system conception to onsite deployment. Elena’s project responsibilities take her to different parts of the world, being exposed to different cultures. She accepts the challenge of working with demanding clients in high pressure situations. Due to her fluency in multiple languages and respected technical expertise she has been requested to be the “unofficial” liaison/mediator between contentious participants in multi-national project installations.
In 2009 she volunteered as web designer and webmaster for a statewide political campaign. In 2012 she volunteered as a mentor in the recently created DYLN (Delaware Youth Leadership Network) program. In February of 2013 she received her US Citizenship. Elena enjoys teaching karate to all ages. In September of 2017 she has achieved Master ranking (fourth degree black belt) in Tang Soo Do. Likely she is the only women in Delaware to reach this level.
Passionate about history and hand making traditions. She volunteers for the New Castle Historical Society as a guide to the society’s museums and town tours. Her goal is to preserve New Castle’s unique history and make it accessible and fun for everyone.
Elena received a US patent for her practical and fashionable phone case, “the PhoneSmitten.” This idea sprung out of her interest in hand making traditions. In November of 2017 she received the official notice of her patent award.

Elizabeth Diaz spent most of her life traveling and living with her parents in South America and the Caribbean. One of Elizabeth’s proudest achievements was in 2000, when she co-founded a non-profit organization in the Dominican Republic. Her non-profit worked to raise funds, organize and deliver aid, and lead community events. While she was in the classroom for four years, she also worked closely with the Dominican legislature to ensure that children without birth certificates had access to public education and government assistance. Elizabeth joined Teach for America in 2011. As an elementary teacher at Pulaski Elementary in Wilmington, Elizabeth built relationships with leadership at the state, district, and school level, key non-profit foundations, and most importantly with her students and their families. Elizabeth collaborated closely with the schools that would be supporting her students towards successful citizenship, and secured scholarship funds for several of her students who were admitted into private school. As Managing Director, Teacher Leadership & Development, for Teach For America Delaware, Elizabeth leads her team to collaborate with school and district leadership in support of the professional development of 60 teachers in 24 schools across the state of Delaware. Elizabeth works closely with her team to build partnerships with principals and school leaders, teachers, parents, and students. All programming is devoted to three priorities Excellent Teaching, Relationships & Authenticity, and School Culture & Community. Elizabeth loves Sunday afternoon walks with her husband and two dogs, in their new Wilmington neighborhood.

Elizabeth “Liz” Keller strives every day to promote Delaware as a preferred tourist destination. As Delaware Tourism Director she oversees the state’s tourism sales, marketing and public relations teams.

Liz joined the tourism office in 2010. She has been the behind-the-scenes force for many of DTO’s biggest initiatives – the Endless Discoveries brand, numerous award-winning travel guides, a relaunched VisitDelaware.com and regional as well as national TV/print ad campaigns and much more.

In addition, Liz is a regional and national speaker regarding online media best practices.

In previous roles Liz served as an Americorps VISTA to develop the Dover Library Job Center program, which was implemented statewide. And she is proud to serve on the board and volunteer her time with Gals That Give, a Kent County based non-profit organization.

Liz lives in Smyrna with her husband and their four fur-babies. She is an enthusiast of all things Disney (and even worked at Walt Disney World).

Emeka Igwe is a 2002 graduate of the University of Delaware, where he majored in English with a concentration in Business and Technical Writing. In addition to academics, Emeka was a member of the Delaware Student African Association as well as a member of the University of Delaware Track Team.

After graduating from the University of Delaware, Emeka attended law school at Widener University School of Law where he earned a Juris Doctorate degree in 2005. In 2007, Emeka received his LLM (Masters of Law) in Trial Advocacy at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.

Emeka began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in 2005. As an Assistant District Attorney, he prosecuted major felony cases including rape, attempted murder, robbery and burglary, possession with the intent to deliver, and gun possession crimes. After leaving the District Attorney’s office, Emeka worked at Allstate Insurance Company. While there, he quickly established his reputation as a premier trial attorney by never losing a jury trial case. Several of Emeka’s winning verdicts were published in Verdict Search Magazine.

Emeka is a member of the Wilmington Rotary. He is also the President of the United Way of Delaware Young Impact Professionals Board. Currently, Emeka has his own law practice, The Igwe Firm. In addition to maintaining his law practice, Emeka is a Judge Advocate General (Military Lawyer) with the Delaware National Guard. Emeka and his wife MaryJane live in Middletown, Delaware.

Copyright 2018

Emily Leach, a native Delawarean, has worked in the payments industry for the last 15 years, both in Wilmington at Bank of America and in San Francisco with Visa. Having recently served as Chief of Staff for Visa’s CEO, Emily transitioned into a new role at Visa as Vice President of Community Accounts, Mid-Atlantic Region in 2021.

Her career experience includes Learning & Leadership Development at Bank of America and Operations, Sales & Business Development, Marketing, and Chief of Staff strategic counsel, all at Visa. With a strong moral and business compass, Emily is known by her colleagues and clients to improve organizational performance that ultimately grows the business and wins in the marketplace.

Emily is an advocate for employee engagement and inclusion & diversity programs, currently serving as Chair of Visa’s North America Employee Engagement Taskforce and Diverse Hiring Committee. Passionate about leadership development and mentorship, Emily’s career is sprinkled with personal achievements to support her passion in sharing her knowledge and leadership skills with the next generation. Emily completed LEAD Professional Development Forum at Bank of America in 2014, developed Visa’s Credit Union Young Professionals partnership with Filene Research Institute in 2017, was selected as one of 35 women in Money 20/20’s inaugural Rise Up leadership program in 2018, received Visa’s North America Leadership Award in 2018, and today mentors two current University of Delaware students.

Beyond her career duties, Emily enjoys staying involved with her alma maters, having served as Young Alumni Chair on the University of Delaware Bay Area Alumni Board, Archmere Academy’s Alumni Board, and Archmere Class of 2001 Class Champion.

Emily attended Ursuline Academy for grade school and graduated from Archmere Academy in 2001. Emily graduated from the University of Delaware in 2005 with a B.A in Communication and minors in Business Marketing and Spanish Studies.

Emily recently returned to Wilmington after 7 years in San Francisco and is excited to re-engage with the Delaware community.

Eric, a native Delawarean, has had a passion for leadership since being elected president of William Penn High School’s 2001 graduating class. Featured twice in Delaware Today magazine, first in December 1999 and again in April 2002, as one of the top Delawareans to watch in the future, Eric has pursued several endeavors. In 2005, Eric graduated with his BA from the University of Delaware and has been fulfilling his passion in education. He was a math teacher at the prestigious Charter School of Wilmington, and is now the Vice President. In May 2010, Eric was elected the youngest member ever to the Christina School District School Board, beating out his opponent, a 30-year incumbent. In July 2011, after serving his first term on the board, Eric was elected Board President. Eric stepped down from the Christina School Board in June 2012, to serve on the Charter School of Wilmington Board, where he was elected as a faculty representative. Eric resides in Wilmington, Delaware, and has recently completed his Master’s in Education from Columbia University.

Erin Hutt, a Delaware native, has devoted her career to youth programming and community service. With a Master's degree in Public Administration from Strayer University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Marketing from Delaware State University, she has spent the past decade in various roles, including the founding of two successful nonprofit organizations. Through these initiatives, she has collaborated closely with grassroots and local partners to provide vital social services, educational programs, workforce development, and mental health support to youth and families.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Erin actively contributes to the community by serving on the Board of Directors for the Urban Bike Project. Her dedication to volunteerism extends to her hands-on involvement in responding to crises in places like Flint, Michigan, and Houston, Texas, where she has provided hope and assistance to those affected by environmental disasters.

When not immersed in her career and volunteer work, Erin enjoys her downtime on the beautiful beaches of Jamaica or cherishing moments with her most cherished person in the world, her son Tron.

Evan Richard Park, a native Delawarean, is a proud graduate of the Delaware public school system, and the University of Delaware. Currently, Evan is the Assistant Director of Government Affairs for the University of Delaware. The assistant director is part of a team, including other assistant directors, who are focused on providing leadership and relationship building with elected and appointed officials in state government.

Previously, Evan was the Legislative Liaison for the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT). As the liaison for DelDOT, he worked with the Delaware General Assembly, the Governor, the congressional delegation and elected officials in local municipalities to resolve constituent issues, gain their support for DelDOT projects, and keep them up to date on the ever changing road conditions in our state.

Evan began his career in government while working as a Coordinator in the New Castle County Summer Youth Employment Program. He quickly realized that his passion is making a positive impact in Delaware. Soon after, Evan accepted a position in U.S. Senator Tom Carper’s Delaware office, initially as the Staff Assistant, before being promoted to Driver. While traveling with Senator Carper, Evan was able to learn what it meant to work hard for Delaware, both at home, and in Washington D.C. In 2013, Evan joined the Delaware House of Representatives as the legislative aide to Reps. Melanie George Smith and J.J. Johnson.

In addition to his professional commitments, Evan also participates as a board member on several boards in his free time. He is the Vice President of the Providence Creek Academy Foundation, a member of the William P. Frank Scholarship Fund (Gridiron), the Occupational Therapy Practice Professional Regulatory Board, and the Delaware Nature Society Advocacy Committee. Through these experiences, Evan has developed the skills and the network to make a valuable contribution to Delaware.

Ewa Zane was born and raised in Poland and relocated to Delaware in 2006. After graduating from the Warsaw School of Economics with a Master’s degree in International Relations, she combined her interests in politics with a passion for languages by obtaining a second Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Warsaw. Ewa joined CSC in 2007 as a Customer Service Partner managing domain name portfolios for Fortune 500 companies in the European market. Throughout her career at CSC Ewa worked as an Account Manager, Team Leader of Change of Registrar team, Team Leader of the Registry and Vendor Relations Team, Global Service Team, and is now leading Strategic Account Management efforts in the Americas region, focusing on client retention and providing strategic advice for online brand management and security.

Originally from Columbia, MD, Faith Meisinger-Petit has lived and worked in Delaware for over 15 years. After graduating from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, she moved to the First State to pursue a career in financial services at MBNA America and ING DIRECT (now Capital One). Faith is a creative problem solver whose passion for customer service and developing people to reach their full potential is evident in every role she holds. Currently, Faith is a member of the Enterprise Leadership Team at CSC, a worldwide leader for business, legal and finical services providing solutions for 90% of the Fortune 500. Faith is the Director of Customer Service responsible for leading a national operations team of over 150 employees across 15 offices, from Albany to Austin. Under Faith’s leadership, the national service team ensures thoughtful and accurate solutions for every phase of a business life cycle, simplifying corporate compliance in Delaware and around the country.

Faith is a member of the Junior League of Wilmington where she has served in various leadership roles such as Co-Chair of Whale of a Sale and on the Board of Directors as Secretary, Parliamentarian and Vice President of Communications, where she led a cross functional project to transform the League’s website into a robust donor and member resource. Faith was honored by the YWCA as a Woman of Distinction for her professional and nonprofit work. Faith lives in the city of Wilmington with her husband, Fritz, and son, Spencer.

Felicia Harrington is a Senior Service Manager at CSC. She leads a team supporting compliance needs for businesses across the country. Formerly, Felicia was the founding Co-Head of School at Freire Charter School Wilmington, a public high school focused on providing a college preparatory learning experience with a focus on individual freedom, critical thinking, and problem solving in a safe, community focused environment. She oversaw school culture and operations for five years from initial formation to full capacity. Originally growing up on a farm in rural Iowa, Felicia graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Management before moving to Delaware as a Teach For America corps member teaching 8th grade math and science. She now lives in Wilmington with her husband Ryan.

Francis A. Gott III is serving as the Director of Respiratory Care Services at Christiana Care Health System. Mr. Gott is responsible for leading a large staff of respiratory therapists, oversight of logistical operations and finances for the Respiratory Care Department and Pulmonary Functions Labs. Current and past responsibilities include continuous quality improvement efforts across the health system in collaboration with physician and nursing leadership, leveraging data to drive performance and creating high-­‐quality solutions to improve patient safety. He was born and raised in Delaware. Mr. Gott attended Delaware Technical and Community College majoring in Applied Science with a focus on respiratory care. Upon graduation, he started working for Christiana Care Health System as a respiratory therapist quickly advancing into leadership and management. He returned to college in 2004 seeking a Bachelor of Science with a focus in Allied Health Management followed by his MBA with a focus of Health Care Administration from Wilmington University. He has served on the board of the Delaware Society for Respiratory Care and the American Lung Association. Fran and his wife Melissa are raising two sons and currently reside in Kent County.

Gabrielle (Gigi) Gaul is a Multimedia Technologist for Wilmington University’s Online Learning and Educational Technology Department. In this role, she leads training and development opportunities for Wilmington University faculty members that focus on leveraging media and technology tools in the classroom. She also teaches as an Undergraduate Adjunct Instructor in the College of Arts and Sciences as well as the College of Business.

A native to Delaware, Gigi is a graduate of St. Mark’s High School. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Management and a MBA with a concentration in Organizational Leadership, both from Wilmington University. She is a 2020 Recipient of the Delaware Fund for Women (FFW) Driving Force Award, an organization that invests and advocates to empower women and girls in Delaware to achieve their potential. She currently serves on the Fund for Women Board of Trustees as the Media Relations Chair where her skills in communication, innovation and leadership are greatly valued.

Garrett Grier was born and raised in Milford, Delaware. Garrett graduated from Elon University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He moved back to Delaware in 2004 to begin his career as an entrepreneur. In 2004, Garrett and a business partner expanded Progressive Lawn Care and later sold the company in 2009. In 2006, he opened Duck In Car Wash in Milford, Delaware; a full service car wash operation. He later expanded the car wash business by opening a second location in 2014 in Seaford, Delaware. On October 12, 2018, Garrett sold both Duck In Car Wash locations to Wet Dog Car Wash based out of Easton, Maryland. Garrett is currently in the process of researching his next business venture.

Garrett is also a former six-year member of the Milford City Council and still enjoys community involvement. He currently sits on the foundation board for Bayhealth and Avenue Preschool in Milford. Garrett currently lives in Milford and loves spending time with his wife, Becca, and children, Teagan and Layton.

Garrett Wozniak graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in May 2013 and will be joining Kollman & Saucier, P.A. as an associate attorney in November. Until his bar results are in, Garrett will continue clerking for the firm. His practice will focus on representing management in labor and employment matters. Prior to attending law school, Garrett graduated from the University of Delaware with a Masters in Public Administration in May 2006. In the intervening years, Garrett worked for the Delaware Republican Party and the Delaware House of Representatives, managed a statewide campaign for lieutenant governor, and revitalized a Delaware-based not for profit policy organization. Immediately prior to law school, Garrett contracted with the Norfolk Southern Corporation to be a government affairs consultant. Garrett lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife, Amanda, and son, Nolan.

Gary Camp is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Dover Motorsports, Inc. where he oversees the planning and implementation of the facility’s marketing and communications efforts and serves as the primary agent for communicating the organization’s activities and business position to the media. Through these efforts, Gary and his team are focused on generating positive publicity for Dover International Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway's NASCAR race weekends, Firefly Music Festival and other special events.

He currently serves on the Kent County Tourism Corporation and Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware & Susquehanna Valley board of directors.

A native of Piscataway, N.J., Camp graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s degree in English, and a concentration in business and technical writing. He currently resides in Wilmington, Del. with his wife Kristin, and their daughters Lily and Olive. In his spare time, he enjoys coordinating and hosting a variety of philanthropic and networking events, including a monthly men’s corn hole league, the MMCDL. Camp leads the league in most points and four-baggers scored.

Gene Reid is 32 years old and currently a Sergeant with the New Castle County Police Department in Delaware. Gene has served the citizens of Delaware for over 10 years as a police officer and was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Unit as a Detective for 6 years before being promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Gene has taken an active role in establishing a formal mentoring program within the police department and being an advocate for health and wellness through both physical fitness and peer-support initiatives.

Gene completed his Bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Administration, as well as his Master’s degree in Education, from Neumann University. Additionally, Gene attended Liberty University where he completed the course work for his PhD, and is currently working on his dissertation which is focused on addressing resilience and burnout in police officers. In 2021, Gene began recording a podcast called “The Handbook”, a show dedicated to life, leadership, and health, to spread information to the law enforcement community and beyond.

Gene is proud to be a part of Leadership Delaware and plans to utilize the lessons learned throughout the program to provide a more well-rounded service to the citizens of Delaware.

A native Delawarean, Geoff Heath is a proud graduate of the University of Delaware, where he received a B.A. in Political Science and his Master of Public Administration, with a focus in health policy. Geoff joined the ChristianaCare as a Government Affairs Specialist in April 2018. In his role, Geoff monitors and advises the ChristianCare on legislative and regulatory developments at the state and federal levels, assists in coordinating engagement initiatives, and serves as a liaison with public officials on behalf of the health system.

Prior to joining Christiana Care, Geoff served as the Associate Director of Government and Community Affairs at the University of Pennsylvania, where he fostered depth across government and community relations programs and developed and implemented initiatives that built upon the University’s advocacy agendas. He began his career in public service following graduate school while working as the Special Projects Manager for the Delaware House of Representatives Democratic Caucus, where he managed a multitude of projects and helped lead outreach and communication efforts on behalf of 25 legislators and their staff. Geoff resides in North Wilmington with his wife, Sara, and their four-legged friend, Luna, and also enjoys running outdoors, cheering on the nearby Philadelphia Union soccer team, and spending time with family and friends.

A native of Riverhead, New York, Gerald Rocha relocated to Dover, Delaware in 1998, by way of the United States Air Force. After 20 years of honorable service, Gerald is committed to serving his community by being an advocate for all people throughout the state. He is co-founder of the Delaware Youth Leadership Academy, an organization that provides a concentration of leadership development, public speaking and citizenship for youth ages 10-18. Currently, Gerald serves as Senior Associate, Resource Development for United Way of Delaware. He is an Adjunct Professor at Harcum College, teaching in the Leadership Development Program. Gerald received a Bachelor’s degree in Information Resource Management and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University. He is treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Delaware Parents Association, member of the Board of Directors for Duffy’s Hope, advisory board member for the Inner City Cultural League and immediate past president of the Zeta Rho Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Gerald also serves as a mentor for Big Brothers/Big Sisters Delaware and First State School at Wilmington Hospital of the Christiana Health Care Systems. Gerald enjoys spending time with his son, Gerald, Jr., and daughter, Jasmine, in Dover, Delaware.

A Pennsylvania native, Jerry currently serves as the Controller for the Longwood Foundation Inc. located in Wilmington, Delaware. In this role, he is primarily responsible for the oversight of the accounting, financial and investment activities of the Foundation. In addition to these duties, Jerry also supports the grantmaking team at the Foundation through review of the financial documents provided in grant applications. Prior to transitioning to his role at the Foundation in February of 2021, Jerry worked for nearly seven years in the Asset & Wealth Management assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP out of their Philadelphia office. As an Assurance Manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Jerry led teams in the audits of various investment vehicles including private equity funds, venture capital funds, hedge funds and mutual funds.

Jerry earned his Bachelor's Degree in Finance and Accounting from West Chester University where he was a member of the University's football team. Jerry is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Pennsylvania and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

In his leisure time, Jerry enjoys spending time with his wife Robbie, daughter Scarlett and dog Archie. He currently resides with his family in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Glen Outten is a native of Wilmington,Delaware, a dedicated husband and proud father of two wonderful boys. Since 2001, Glen has been employed at WSFS Bank and serves as a Relationship Manager (Loan Officer) within the Commercial Department. He is a graduate of University of Delaware where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Glen has been a Board Member of several non-profit organizations. He has previously been a co-chair of WSFS Bank’s annual United Way Campaign and led annual commitments for the bank’s sponsorship and volunteer efforts for the Special Olympics of Delaware. He organized a start-up effort to implement a mentoring program within WSFS Bank and is currently a mentor of an associate within the Small Business Department. Glen is the Relationship Manager for many WSFS Bank customers including charter schools, non-profit organizations and high-profile businesses throughout Delaware and surrounding counties. Glen is also a Board Member of several non-profit organizations including the current Treasurer for the Delaware Center for Justice.

Héctor Maldonado-Reis (he/they) is co-Director at the Data Innovation Lab, Tech Impact. There, they both innovate and implement data science towards improving social good. Prior to joining Tech Impact, Héctor spent a number of years in the research space where his work and interests explored environmentally associated diseases across historically underserved groups. Now, through integrating and analyzing data originating from diverse sources and stakeholders, he strives to incrementally elucidate the differential burden experienced across susceptible populations both locally and nationally.

Maldonado-Reis holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering and MPH in Environmental & Occupational Health both from Rutgers University and an AM in Population Health Sciences from Harvard University. Prior to relocating to Delaware, they were a STEM instructor at Boston Public Schools, where they delivered standard-aligning and culturally relevant instruction to 3rd – 6th graders in coding, robotics, and 3-D printing among schools serving historically underserved students. Héctor was born and raised in Puerto Rico, USA. Their favorite time outside of work is spent on spontaneous road trips, cooking/knitting, and helping their husband practice his Spanish.

Helana Rodriguez is a Delaware native who is passionate about people and partnerships. As the Director of the Partnership, the Delaware State Chamber’s workforce development affiliate, she manages four flagship programs with the goal to develop and foster programs that encourage private sector involvement in workforce development and education: Intern Delaware, Superstars in Education, Principal for a Day, and the Delaware Young Professionals Network. Prior to this role, Helana was the events and marketing manager for the DSCC, where she advanced the organization’s conferences and networking events; some of which are the largest events in the state.

In addition to her responsibilities at the State Chamber, Helana has a heart for serving others and is an active member of the community. She serves on the Code Red team at her church, the Journey, which focuses on community outreach and volunteerism, and she has a passion for international missions. Since 2017, she has led a give-back initiative dedicated to providing nursing home residents gifts and visitors during the holiday season.

Helana’s greatest accomplishment is her family; she is a proud wife and mom to her son, Jace.

Hersh Patel is a double board certified anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician who began his journey into medicine through Drexel University’s 7-year accelerated B.S./M.D. program. He earned his executive M.B.A. with a focus on entrepreneurship at Drexel University’s Lebow College of Business. He continued with an internship in internal medicine at Hahnemman University Hospital in Philadelphia followed by residency and fellowship training at New York University in Manhattan. He served as a chief resident for the Department of Anesthesiology at NYU prior to joining a private practice in Detroit, MI, where he served as the medical director for an interventional pain practice. He is currently the medical director for ChristianaCare’s interdisciplinary chronic pain management program. His vision is to establish a Pain Center of Excellence lead by a truly interdisciplinary group of providers leveraging virtual technologies to provide affordable, quality care. By integrating and collaborating with specialties throughout the Christiana Care system and within the Delaware Community, he hopes to create systems of continuity to prevent and manage chronic pain with a focus on the biopsychosocial model of living healthy. He joined Leadership Delaware to learn how to develop and implement strategies that would serve a larger population throughout our state.

Himani Divatia, DO, FACP, FAAP is an Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Physician at ChristianaCare in Newark, DE. She completed her Bachelor of Science at Penn State University and her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She began her journey in Delaware over a decade ago when she came for her residency training in combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics. Currently she serves as the associate program director of the Med-Peds residency program, the program director of the Transitional Year residency program, and works clinically as a Med-Peds Hospitalist. Himani's interests in addition to graduate medical education include physician health and wellness, health equity and social determinants of health as well as patient safety and medical education. Himani serves as council member of the DE Chapter of American College of Physicians and has developed a community tour of Wilmington for Internal Medicine and Pediatrics resident physicians to provide an overview of the demographics, health, and local community in order to help residents grow, develop and care for their neighbors in Delaware. Himani loves spending time with her husband Mrugesh and her two sons Aarav and Aayush as they explore this wonderful state together!

Hiran J. Ratnayake serves as the senior manager of media relations at ChristianaCare. In this capacity, Hiran works closely with external media outlets to educate and raise awareness about ChristianaCare’s innovative programs designed to enhance the health of the local community. Hiran has volunteered with Financial Peace University, the Brandywine Village Network and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware. Hiran wrestled in college, graduated from Penn State University, and obtained a Master of Arts in health journalism from the University of Minnesota. He enjoys disc golf, mountain hikes, reading, and watching football. He and his wife, Maggie, live in Hockessin, Delaware.

Ja’Nikka Caraballo is a Sr. Physician Recruiter, Inclusion and Diversity Lead at ChristianaCare. A graduate of Drexel University and Strayer University, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management.

Ja’Nikka is methodical about her work in providing effective leadership and change management strategies. For over ten years, she has effectively transformed the healthcare space through thoughtful recruitment, utilization of external industries, and skilled market intelligence to bolster and advance the professional sphere. Ultimately, she has set the tone for an inclusive, diverse, and community-centered work environment.

As a dedicated member of her community, Ja’Nikka provides valuable resources for vulnerable youth as a Board member and alumnus of Delaware Futures & Network Connect, where she actively strives to empower her community’s youth to navigate life successfully. She’s proud of her deep roots with her husband and daughter in beautiful Delaware, a state she continues to enrich and improve with intentional care.

Jackie Ivy is an independent design consultant with her own firm J. Ivy & Co LLC. J. Ivy & Co. is a commercial design studio with a passion for creating authentic brand experiences in a built environment. Her work focuses on communicating and executing a clear brand identity within a physical space. She offers services in creative direction, design and real estate development, specializing in integrating a client’s brand into their surroundings. With an interdisciplinary approach, she strives to achieve the best possible outcomes after an intense exploration process with the client. Unifying a company’s brand with their built environment is a critical-and often overlooked- step in communicating an authentic and consistent business message. Whether it be a retail space, a commercial office setting, or a master plan, an integrated design improves the satisfaction-and confidence-level of clients, customers, and employees alike; in turn, this allows for a more trusted company reputation and a greater bottom line.
J. Ivy & Co. works with internal senior management teams to facilitate real estate selection, master planning, architect selection & negotiations, design development through construction and completion of the project. Ms. Ivy has an extensive background and education in design, architecture and brand development.
Previous to having her company, Ms. Ivy was the Vice President of the Market Street Initiative for The Buccini/Pollin Group. Ms. Ivy’s primary role here was to create and implement a global approach to making Market Street a vital retail and residential corridor, including the restoration of the Queen Theater. From 2002 to 2006, Ms. Ivy served as Director of Store Design for Anthropologie, a division of Urban Outfitters based in Philadelphia, where she designed over 50 new and existing retail spaces for the $500 million lifestyle company.
Other roles have included her time as Director of Design for the Soho House, with locations in New York, Miami, and London, and Director of Development and Public Programs for Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Bethany, Connecticut. She also spent two years at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy. A selection of her design work can be viewed at www.jackeivy.com.
Ms. Ivy received her Master of Environmental Design from the School of Architecture at Yale University, where she graduated with academic honors. She received her Bachelor of Science in Architecture from University of Virginia, and double majored in American Studies through the English Department. She lives in Wilmington with her partner and two daughters.

Originally from New Jersey, Jaclyn obtained a Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering degree from Virginia Tech and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Delaware. Jaclyn is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Delaware. Beginning her career in the utility industry in 2002, Jaclyn quickly progressed through various engineering and operational positions within the company, leading to the role of supervisor and ultimately manager. Jaclyn’s current professional responsibilities include leading a team of engineers responsible for ensuring the reliability of the backbone of an electric system that spans three states and the nation’s capital. Jaclyn is an active member of various industry stakeholder teams responsible for driving new processes and procedures in an ever changing utility industry environment. Jaclyn takes pride in developing relationships and has gleaned the rewards of being both a formal and informal mentor. She is a marathon runner and an avid Hokie Fan.

Jacqueline DiSabatino Flowers is a 5th generation family member of regional construction leader EDiS Company. A native Delawarean, Jacqueline is a graduate of St. Mark's High School and The University of Delaware, where she received a BA in Communication and minors in Marketing and Leadership.

As a member of her family business, Jacqueline had a front-row seat during the planning and implementation of the earliest stages of Whitehall, the company's monumental development in Middletown, Delaware. Jacqueline worked as Town Manager of the Town of Whitehall for two years, working on marketing strategy, architectural approval, residential assistance, and site management. She later joined EDiS and began training in project management and cost estimating. Her current position is Project Estimator.

Jacqueline’s husband currently serves in the US Navy. Her husband and brother's dedication to their country inspired her to Co-Found Vet Fest, an organization that focuses on mental health outreach and support, peer networking, and celebration that brings military and civilian community members together. Jacqueline is a very active community member and belongs to organizations including JMAC, the Joint Military Affairs Committee, NAWIC, and DCA YEC.

Outside of work, Jacqueline enjoys pickleball, traveling, and playing with her adorable doodles, Charlie and Diego.

Jaime McNatt, LDI Class of 2021, currently serves as a Project Coordinator in the New Construction Division, for Chesapeake Companies. Since joining the Chesapeake team, Jaime’s role has expanded to include leading the Corporate Charitable Giving Initiative for the company, as well as serving as a member of their Marketing Team.

Prior to joining Chesapeake Companies, Jaime served as an Assistant Manager for Sussex County Habitat for Humanity ReStore. There she worked to develop the ReStore brand and helped to guide growth in alignment with the strategic plan, which resulted in the opening of a new store location in Lewes, Delaware.

Prior to that, she served the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware, at the local and corporate level, as a member of their Development Team, to reach a $1.35 million fundraising goal.

Jaime was born and raised in Milton, Delaware, graduating from Cape Henlopen High School in 2005. Jaime received her B.S. in Global Policy from James Madison University in Virginia in 2009. Jaime currently resides in Milton, in a 1901 farmhouse that she renovated by hand with her family.

James Spadola is the Executive Director of Read Aloud Delaware, a Wilmington City Council at-large member, an Iraq war veteran, and a former police officer who created the viral #HugACop video. James received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Delaware and an MBA from Wilmington University.

James is also an avid guitarist, and enjoys playing the guitar throughout Delaware with one of his acoustic duos.

A native of Newark, New Jersey, James relocated to Delaware in 1993 to attend Delaware
State University. After obtaining a degree in Business Administration in 1997, he immediately began his career in finance landing his first position as a loan officer for Avco Financial. In 1999, he began working in management for MBNA specializing in credit analysis and strategic loyalty programs. James later joined Bank of America serving in several leadership roles in the Collections division including prospect and pricing strategies. In 2012, James earned is Master’s degree in Organizational Behavior.

James currently serves as an Assistant Vice President for Barclaycard USA. During the past several years, James has developed strategies for POS systems, managed training and
development programs for partnerships across the United States and various countries across the world, and is the segment lead for risk management and process improvement for his division.

James is a Fellow of Leadership Delaware as of 2011. Additionally, he actively serves on the boards of Friends of Wilmington and the United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware. He remains active with the youth of his community through mentoring with YMCA Black Achievers Program and serving as a 2018 committee member for the annual Ebony Black Tie Affair. In his spare time, James is a motivational speaker and business consultant that serves business leaders and marketing companies along the East Coast.

James Thomas Serves as the Director of Nursing at Main Line Health.  In his role, he oversees the operations of the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and Progressive Care Unit and ensures the delivery of exceptional patient care and the achievement of departmental goals. Prior to this role, James served as the Nurse Manager of Emergency Services at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. In this role, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the only Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 1 Pediatric Emergency Department in the State of Delaware. As a leader, James is interested in initiatives to improve employee recognition and retention as well as reducing inefficiency in the broader healthcare system.

James is a graduate of Wilmington University where he obtained his Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with a focus in Health Care Administration and Leadership.  In addition to his DNP, James has obtained an MSN from Drexel University and BSN from Widener University. James currently resides in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania with his wife and children.

Sgt. James Leonard is a lifelong resident of Delaware, and was raised in North Wilmington. After attending Salesianum School, he attended York College of Pennsylvania and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. In November, 2002 he was hired by the New Castle County Police Department and upon graduation from the police academy, he was assigned to the patrol section. After serving in the patrol section for five years, he transferred to the Criminal Investigations Unit where he investigated child abuse and homicide cases. In 2014, Sgt. Leonard was promoted to the rank of Sergeant within the patrol section. In April 2017, Sgt. Leonard was transferred back to the Criminal Investigations Unit where he currently oversees the Tech Crimes Squad.

Sgt. Leonard is a certified police instructor and teaches various topics both at the police academy and at in-service trainings. Sgt. Leonard is the Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police, NCC Lodge 5, which represents the men and women of the New Castle County Police Department in labor matters and collective bargaining. He is also a board member of the Delaware State FOP Lodge where he serves on the Legislative Committee.

Born and raised in Milford, James Sharp left Delaware after high school to attend college at Randolph-Macon College and law school at the University of Richmond School of Law. Upon graduation, he returned home and has practiced law in Sussex County since 2006 as an associate in the law firm of Moore and Rutt, P.A., in Georgetown, Delaware.

Jamie is the attorney for the Sussex County Board of Adjustment and he serves as the Solicitor for the Town of Houston and the Assistant City Solicitor for Milford. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Milford and is a former member of the Frederica Senior Center Board of Directors as well as Past President of the Sussex County Bar Association. He also serves as a Code Revisor for the State of Delaware and volunteers as an attorney for the Office of the Child Advocate. His article “Pinned Down, A Detailed Look at Labor Issues in Professional Wrestling” was published in the Entertainment and Sports Lawyer. In his spare time, Jamie likes to read, travel, go to the beach, watch sports and spend time with family and friends.

Jason W. Adkins was born and raised in Milford, Delaware, graduating from Milford High School in 2002.
Jason received his B.A. from the University of Richmond and his J.D. from Widener, magna cum laude in 2013. Jason has been practicing law in Georgetown, Delaware with Moore & Rutt, P.A. since 2013, with a general practice in civil matters.
Jason also serves as one of the House attorneys’ for the Republican Caucus of the Delaware House of Representatives. He is one of the founding members and immediate past president of The Next Gen South, and serves as an appointed member of the Community Involvement Advisory Committee. When Jason was 24, he was elected and served a term as the youngest elected Milford City Councilman in the City’s history and was nominated for the Delaware Business Times “40 under 40” in 2014.

Dr. James is an Associate Professor & Doctor of Education Program Director in the School of Education & Human Services at Neumann University.  Previously, Dr. James was an Associate Professor in the College of Business at Wilmington University where he taught in the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Master of Science in Management (MSM), and Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs. Dr. James instructed and developed courses across those programs. These advanced level courses included Advanced Organizational Behavior, Global Management Models, Personal Mastery and Communities of Practice, Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education, Organizational Behavior and Ethical Leadership, Research Methods, and Academic Research Writing.

In 2020, Dr. James became the first NCAA Athletics Diversity & Inclusion Designee (ADID) at Wilmington University. This is a newly created role that was mandated by the NCAA in 2019.

At Wilmington University, he served as an Ed.D. Field Experience and Consulting Project Advisor, D.B.A. and Ed.D. Dissertation Advisor, and Master’s Theses Project Advisor. Dr. James previously served as a Vice President, Learning & Performance Senior Consultant in Human Resources at BNY Mellon. He has served as a Project Manager and Financial Services Group Leader for various organizations in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania region. Previously, he held various roles in Customer Satisfaction, Technology, and Financial Operations at MBNA.

Dr. James is a member of the Academy of Management and the International Personnel Assessment Council. He is a Leadership Delaware Institute Fellow (Cohort 11 / Class of 2019) and is a former Young Professional Member of the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation. Dr. James has been involved with supporting and advocating for various nonprofit organizations in Delaware, and in 2020, he joined the Associate Leadership Council for the Carson Scholars Fund. Dr. James enjoys traveling and learning about other cultures, watching baseball, and watching and playing tennis.  He remains committed to the tenets of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – particularly racial equity in education and in the larger societal context.

Jason is the Training and Operations Division Sergeant Major for the Delaware Army National Guard. He coordinates the training and operations for over 1600 Soldiers across the State of Delaware. Jason ensures all military training meets National and State standards and serves as a primary advisor to the Delaware National Guard Command Staff on military exercises, mobilizations and future operations. Over a career that spans both Regular Army and National Guard service, he has served overseas in the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the Middle East. As a member of the Guard he has been called to serve in response to multiple State of Emergency operations that include Hurricanes Irene, Sandy and Maria as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. In 2017 he served as the First Sergeant of a security element for the 58th Presidential Inauguration. In 2004 he earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Delaware and is a graduate of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. Jason has volunteered with Delaware Victory Village, serves on Salesianum High School’s Veterans Alumni Committee, and is a member of the American Legion. He currently lives in Newark with his wife Aja and daughter Abigail.

After graduating from the University of Delaware with a BA in Biology, where he was a four-year member of the cheerleading squad and captain of the 2001 UCA Division I National Championship team, Jeffrey began his career at American Express Financial Advisors. With a strong passion for cheerleading and coaching, Jeffrey left his financial planning practice to begin Tri-State CheerNastics and become the head cheerleading coach of the Wilmington University Wildcat cheerleading team leading them to five consecutive UCA Division II National Championships. While running Tri-State CheerNastics, Jeffrey founded Cheer for Charity, a non-profit organization that hosted ten annual cheerleading competitions, raising $350,000 for A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children.

In 2011, Jeffrey sold his company and began working full-time at Wilmington University as Admissions Manager, focusing on streamlining business processes and helping students select their academic program. After earning his MBA from Wilmington University, he was promoted to Director of the University Partnership Center. In his current role, he is responsible for developing and managing relationships with corporations to help employees maximize tuition assistant benefits and provide the opportunity for career advancement through education.

He lives in Middletown, Delaware with his wife Abbie and two sons, Luke and Evan. He enjoys watching the Philadelphia Eagles and volunteering as a coach of his sons’ soccer teams.

Jeff grew up in Linesvile, PA, a very small town in Northwestern PA. Jeff graduated from Penn State in December 2007 and began working for The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company in January of 2008, after interning for them while at Penn State and Cleveland, OH. Jeff moved to Delaware in June of 2008 to work on the team constructing the expansion of Kent General Hospital. He is proud to have continued construction in Delaware working on projects ranging from the renovation of Legislative Hall House and Senate Chambers to the construction of the new headquarters for Incyte Pharmaceuticals to converting a former UPS warehouse into the new home of the Food Bank of Delaware. Currently he is constructing multiple projects for Christiana Care. In 2014 Jeff married his wonderful wife Colleen and they have 2 amazing girls Maddie (4) and Gemma (2). While he’s not working or spending time with his family Jeff enjoys playing golf, woodworking, and renovating his home.

Jeffrey Benson is the President of One Direction Insurance a subsidiary of Benson Development Group, LLC. Mr. Benson has over 10 years’ experience in sales, with a skill set ranging from organizational leadership, financial marketing and business to business sales. Mr. Benson began his career in the United States Air Force. After obtaining his Life and Health insurance license, Jeff went on to work for Combined Insurance, rising to the ranks of sales manager for the state of Delaware and Eastern shore of Maryland. Mr. Benson spearheaded a business acquisition resulting in the sale of his former company, totaling 10.7 million dollars in assets. Through his tenacity he was promoted to the title of President for SGC Associates Inc. where he oversaw the daily operations of the organization ranging from human resource management to new business development.
Jeff is a TEDxSeaford Organizer, an American Graduate Champion, a winner of the Audrey K. Doberstein Leadership award, the Delaware Fatherhood and Family Coalition Leadership/Pioneer Award, the Inspire Community Award, a Delaware Business Times and Chains, Inc. Forty under 40 Award winning honoree, a Mountaire/WMDT Better Delmarva Award winner, a NAACP Unsung Hero Honoree, as well as a National Urban League Young Professional: Heroes in the Movement recipient and honored as one of Black Enterprises 100 Modern Man of Distinction.
Jeffrey Benson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Wilmington University and currently serves on the Seaford School District Board of Education, Co-Founder of Sussex County Action Prevention Coalition, Chair of the 39^th Delaware Democratic District, is a member of the Delaware Vision Coalition Leadership Team, Governor Appointed Delaware Board of Cosmetology & Barbering Member, Leadership Delaware Fellow Class of 2013 and is an active body within his local community.

Jenifer Mutter graduated from Smyrna High. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Animal Science and Agriculture Education from the University of Delaware, and her Master’s in Business Administration from Strayer University.

Jenifer enlisted in the Delaware Air National Guard in 2006 as an Aircrew Flight Equipment Technician and has deployed to locations around the world, including Afghanistan, in 2007. She transitioned full-time with the Delaware Air National Guard in 2014, working in Operations Support. In 2017 Jenifer commissioned within the Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron as a Health Services Administrative Officer and was assigned to support the Wing Plans and Inspector General’s office, coordinating readiness training and assisting with strategic planning. In her current assignment, she serves as the Executive Officer to the Wing and Vice Wing Commanders, providing subject matter expertise, leadership, consultation, collaboration, and advisory services essential to the direction and efficient operation of the Airlift Wing.

Jenifer is passionate about fundraising and volunteering within the community and with local non-profits. She is an active member within the Sigma Alpha-Alpha Kappa Chapter Alumni, serves on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Executive Leadership Board for the Delaware Chapter, and ran for Woman of the Year in 2019. She was the President of the Junior Enlisted Council, which was awarded the Chief’s Choice Award in 2016 and now serves as the Vice President of the Company Grade Officer Council. Jenifer lives in Magnolia with her two children, Alexander and Adalyn.

Jennifer Passarella, MBA, is a Director of Primary Care Operations and the Department Director of Family and Community Medicine at ChristianaCare. She oversees the Wilmington Primary Care operations of the Family Medicine, Adult Medicine, and Pediatric clinical teaching practices, in addition to the core faculty and residents of the Family Medicine residency program.

Over the past 11 years at ChristianaCare, she has provided operational leadership for the community medicine practices including the school-based wellness centers located in Delaware middle and high schools, juvenile detention and correction facilities, the Swank Center for memory care and geriatrics, the William J. Holloway program for HIV and hep C, home visiting program, center for special health care needs, and the virtual practice. In addition, Ms. Passarella managed the community engagement and outreach and evaluation cores of the Delaware Clinical and Translational Research (DE-CTR)/ ACCEL program working to enhance community engagement within research. In addition, she managed special projects for the Delaware Health Sciences Alliance focusing on enhancing medical education, research, and global health across the State of Delaware.

Ms. Passarella holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Rutgers University and a Master’s in Business Administration in both Finance and Healthcare Management from the University of Delaware. She is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Dr. Jenna DiEleuterio is a proud educator in the Brandywine School District! She works alongside amazing colleagues to design excellent learning experiences for all students, considering high standards, empirically based pedagogical practices, and individual student needs. As a middle school reading specialist, Dr. DiEleuterio has the privilege of supporting students in their reading and overall “human” development. Dr. DiEleuterio is passionate about meeting students and families where they are, fostering authentic connections, and seeking growth for all.

As a teacher leader, Dr. DiEleuterio is a part of her school’s Instructional Leadership Team, serves on the district’s English Language Arts Curriculum Implementation Support Team, Co-Leads the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Site Team, and guides the building’s Academic Multi-tiered Systems of Support for secondary/tertiary interventions and supports. During the fall months, she gets to coach Girls on the Run’s middle school curriculum, Heart and Sole!

Dr. DiEleuterio received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary/Special Education from Elizabethtown College in 2011. Shortly after, while working as the reading interventionist at the Kent Intensive Learning Center in the Caesar Rodney School District, she obtained a Master of Education in Reading from Wilmington University. In the Spring of 2020, she completed her Doctor of Education in Leadership from Wilmington University.
Dr. DiEleuterio deeply values relationships, learning, and continuous growth. She’s slightly obsessed with the work of Dr. Brene Brown and strives to live according to her definition of whole-heartedness.

Jennalee Fede is a Delawarean. Raised in Newark, Jennalee is a proud alumna of Christiana High School. Continuing her education in Delaware, she graduated from the University of Delaware in 2011 with a BS in Environmental Engineering. Jennalee joined Verdantas (formerly Duffield Associates) in 2010, where she focused her work on assessment and cleanup of environmentally compromised sites throughout Delaware. More specifically, as a licensed Professional Engineer, Jennalee’s impact on Delaware is demonstrated by the numerous environmental investigations and remediations she has designed and implemented to ensure her community is both safe and economically strong. In addition to her leadership at Duffield, she is active in her profession as the Secretary for the Delaware Chapter of the American Water Resource Association, organizing and participating in community-focused environmental programs. She has also organized and been a frequent participant of the Christina River Clean-Up and Adopt-A-Highway programs. She has a passion for helping others and volunteers her time to Faithful Friends, Food Bank of Delaware, and other local groups. Jennalee and her husband, Mike, are proud parents of Scarlett and Sebastian. She enjoys riding her bike on the Michael Castle Trail, running 5ks, and playing in local sports leagues.

Jenn is Head of Community Relations / Citizenship at Barclays US Consumer Bank based out of Wilmington, Delaware, the headquarters for Barclays’ consumer business in the US. She is responsible for overseeing the philanthropic strategy for this business as well as leading colleague engagement in the community. Jenn is also chair of the diversity and inclusion council for the US Consumer Bank division, helping to support the firm in accomplishing its diversity goals and creating an inclusive culture at the bank.

Prior to this role, Jenn has spent more than decade in the community impact and philanthropic arena in a variety of global and regional roles both at UBS and Barclays, including Global Head of Impact & Reporting, where she led the development and integration of global corporate social responsibility metrics as well as Head of Strategy & Operations for Global Community Investment, responsible for a leading a global strategic refresh for Barclays’ community programs.

She is a board member of the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) and an advisory council member for the Careers in Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), a national not-for-profit organization focused on preparing underserved youth for careers in culinary arts and hospitality. While originally from New York, Jenn spent some time in New Hampshire, where she graduated from Dartmouth College, and also lived abroad in South Korea. In her free time, she enjoys traveling as well as running, having completed the 2019 New York City marathon.

Jennifer is currently serving as the General Manager for the Burris Logistics facility in Federalsburg, MD. Growing up on a potato farm, and with heavy family ties to food distribution, it only seems natural that Jennifer would follow in the path of her family. After graduating from Elon University in 2003 with a degree in Business Administration, concentrating in Management, Jennifer came home to Delaware and began her career with Burris Logistics. Since working at Burris Logistics, Jennifer has worked in Finance rising to the level of Division Controller, before stepping into the operations side. Her role as Financial/Business Analyst/Manager gave her an opportunity to utilize her financial background to place clear, verifiable facts around solving operational challenges. Today, as a General Manager, Jennifer is applying her years of service at Burris Logistics to run a facility servicing retail and military customers from Maine to Florida.

In her free time, Jennifer is dedicated to leading and empowering women through Zeta Tau Alpha. She currently serves as President of the Eastern Shore Alumnae Chapter and formally served as General Advisor at Washington College. Through the Zeta Tau Alpha dedication to breast cancer awareness and education, Jennifer serves as the Survivor Tent Chair for the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Ocean City, MD, and has served as the Co-Chair in Wilmington, DE.

Jennifer Goldstein, MD is the Director of Evidence Based Practice for Clinical Solutions at Elsevier Publishing Company and an Internal Medicine physician. Prior to her current role she served as Assistant Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency and an independent researcher on national and local health policy issues at ChristianaCare. Dr. Goldstein grew up on Long Island and earned a BA in Biological Sciences from Cornell University. She obtained her medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Jefferson Medical College) and then moved to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City to complete residency training, where she met her future husband, Gregg.

The couple completed their fellowships at University of Pennsylvania, and became part of the Delaware community in 2014. Dr. Goldstein is very thankful to have found such wonderful and supportive colleagues, mentors, friends, and families in Delaware and is committed to helping the community grow.

Jeremy Kalmbacher is a native Delawarean. He graduated from Salesianum High School in Wilmington and from the University of Delaware. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and is a registered professional engineer in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Florida. In his 17-year career at Tidewater Utilities, Inc., his work focused on long term capital planning and sustainability of public water supply and wastewater infrastructure. In October of 2018, he founded Three Chord CEM, LLC, an engineering company servicing the civil, environmental, and marine sectors.

In 2015, Jeremy founded the Diamond State Sustainability Corporation where he now serves on the Board of Directors and as President. DSSC is a nonprofit utility corporation dedicated to environmental stewardship and infrastructure sustainability in low-income and under-resourced communities located in unincorporated areas of the State of Delaware.

In August 2017, he was elected by the members of the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers (DAPE) to serve a 4-year term on the DAPE Council. The purpose of the Council is to oversee the licensing of professional engineers and to regulate the engineering profession in accordance with the Delaware Professional Engineers’ Act.

Jeremy currently resides in Magnolia with his wife, Jessica, and two daughters, Abbygail and Annabelle, where they enjoy living out their Christian faith, attending festivals at Fifer Orchards, and enjoying Delaware’s beautiful beaches.

Jerome J. Rogers is the Commander of the 166th [Aircraft] Maintenance Squadron in the Delaware Air National Guard based in New Castle. His unit supports the state’s Air Mobility mission by providing reliable C-130H aircraft to meet the cargo and personnel delivery demand for the Air Force, Joint and Coalition partners.

In 2004 he graduated from Dowling College-Long Island with a degree in Aeronautics upon which the native New Yorker received a commission in the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to Dover Air Force Base. After completing his MBA from Wilmington University in 2007 and (later) his tour in Dover, Jerome decided to stay in Delaware and transferred to the Air Force Reserve while taking on a supervisor role at the Invista Nylon plant in Seaford. Just a few years later Jerome was requested back to federal service to serve a year as the New-Technology Fielding Manager for the US Joint Forces command in Baghdad Iraq. Upon his return he served in several posts at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst New Jersey, the Pentagon, and Kandahar Afghanistan in such duties as logistics management, innovation operations, and Continuous Process Improvement among others. In 2013 he settled down to restart his civilian career with KraftHeinz in Dover as the Maintenance Area Production Manager. Jerome spent nearly five years with KraftHeinz and during that time was activated to deploy again this time to an undisclosed location in SW Asia where he managed over 140 personnel and fifteen KC-10 aircraft. Shortly thereafter he was requested by name for his current assignment with the Delaware Air National Guard.

He lives in Felton with his wife Michelle and twin daughters Ava and Zoe.

Jessica Bunting, the Business Analytics Program Manager for Goodwill Industries International (GII) is currently leading a data analytics initiative for all North American Goodwills. As the initiatives lead Jessica is tasked with transforming GII and local Goodwill culture and skills so they may be businesses that utilize data analytics to enable more informed business decision making. Prior to joining Goodwill’s national team Jessica worked at Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County. She joined their team as the Performance Excellence Manager in 2013, and was promoted to Director of Performance Excellence in 2015. While a member of the Goodwill Delaware team, Jessica played an integral role in developing the company’s strategic plan, facilitating regular reviews of strategic performance, managed compliance processes, and conducted various surveys addressing quality of life, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement.

It was during her time at Delaware’s Goodwill that Jessica became involved in the greater Goodwill Network by joining GII’s National Impact Taskforce and presenting her work in performance management at both regional and national Goodwill conferences. Prior to joining Goodwill, Jessica received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Christopher Newport University and Master of Public Administration with a focus in Nonprofit Management from the University of Delaware. In 2012, Jessica Received the James H. Sills, Jr. Scholarship recognizing her service to the Delaware nonprofit community through her assistantship with the Center for Community Research and Service, where she graduated from the Center’s Nonprofit Management Certificate Course. Jessica also volunteers a great deal of her time to working with Community Bridges that connects middle school and high school girls with mentors. In her spare time, Jessica is an avid camper.

Jessica serves as the Director of Lean Innovation for The Carlin Collaborative, challenging systems and ‘knowns’ to create value on the part of the consumer, client, and company. Through her passion for purpose, she also volunteers discretionary effort, facilitating initiatives and improvements with various nonprofit organizations. Committed to providing support today for the leaders of tomorrow, Jessica serves on the Board of the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay as well as serving on the Board of Directors for C.E.R.T.S., helping to lend a hand in enriching the lives of adults with multiple, severe disabilities and their families as they transfer from pediatrics into adult care.

Jessica earned a Bachelor of Arts from DeSales University and her Masters in Science Management through Wilmington University.

In her free time, she can be found at home with her husband, two amazing kids, and several dogs leading the pack.

Born in New York City and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Jissell Martinez is an inspirational leader and administrator specializing in human and financial resource management and community engagement. Jissell is the Business Administrator at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware where she manages all human resources and financial matters. In 2015, Jissell was appointed Chief Diversity Advocate for the College of Arts and Sciences, a role that allows her to coordinate efforts for faculty, students and staff related to recruitment, retention, campus climate and community engagement. Jissell previously worked for the State of Delaware’s Office of Management and Budget as Senior Fiscal and Policy Analyst, where she served as a subject matter expert and provided budgetary expertise regarding the Judiciary Branch, Department of Corrections, and other criminal justice agencies to former Cabinet Secretary Ann Visalli. As the co-founder and leader of the Delaware chapter of the nonprofit fitness and running group, Latinas In Motion Inc., Jissell encourages, inspires and empowers women to make fitness an everyday part of a healthy lifestyle. In recognition for her leadership and service, the Delaware’s Commission for Women selected Jissell as the recipient of the inaugural 2015 “She’s On Her Way” Award. Jissell Martinez earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Administration from the University of Delaware and is a Certified Personal Trainer.

Joel M. Brown II, CEO of Arrived Leadership, is a highly sought-after executive coach, speaker, and advisor to organizations and leaders. He has extensive experience as an executive at several large healthcare organizations and as chair of the board for several multimillion-dollar non-profits. Joel is passionate about developing high-performing CEOs, entrepreneurs, leaders, teams, and organizations. He has received international recognition for his TEDx Wilmington talk "What's Next For You," as well as his keynote addresses, leadership and clinical lectures, publications, and podcasts. Joel is also a board member and Fellow of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), Chair of the Board for Leadership Delaware, Inc.(LDI), an International Coaching Federation (ICF) member, and a Certified Executive Coach from the Center for Executive Coach.

Previously, Joel served in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Medic, Chair of the Delaware Department of Professional Regulation’s Respiratory Care Practice Council, and advisory board member for several state and community colleges’ respiratory care programs. He holds a BS in Biology/Respiratory Care from Millersville University, an MS in Health Care Management from Wilmington University, and a Lean Six Sigma Certification from the University of DE.

Joel's dedication to philanthropy is as impressive as his professional accomplishments. He and his wife founded The Brojora Foundation, a scholarship/mentoring foundation, demonstrating his commitment to giving back. Additionally, he hosts the Knowledge Discussions Podcast (aka the KnoD), a platform that further showcases his dedication to sharing knowledge and empowering others.

John Bloxom is a Director of Product Management at CSC®, a leading provider of business, legal, financial, and digital brand services to companies around the globe, including 90% of the Fortune 500®. In this role John collaborates with customers, prospects, and business stakeholders to shape CSC’s product development vision and strategy for several of its core lines of business. He currently leads a cross-functional team comprised of product managers, business analysts, and technical support staff.

Prior to his current role, John served as a Product Manager for several CSC software solutions including its Uniform Commercial Code Search and Filing platform, its Matter Management offering, and its internal implementation of Salesforce CRM. Under his leadership, CSC’s Matter Management software was named #1 by the New York Law Journal for three consecutive years. Earlier in his career John served as a business analyst and a project lead for customer implementations of numerous CSC products. In this capacity he worked with more than 70 corporate law departments ranging from mid-sized organizations to the Fortune 500®. John holds an Executive MBA from the Fox School of Business at Temple University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware.

A native Delawarean, John Pierson currently serves as the Advancement Director at St. Elizabeth School. John provides leadership for school marketing and communications and is responsible for all aspects of fund development and alumni relations. Prior to joining the team at St. Elizabeth School, John served for two years as the Executive Director of the American Heart Association’s Delaware Division. Prior to that, John served as the Director of Annual Giving for the YMCA of Delaware.
He began his professional career serving as the Director of Competitive Aquatics at the Brandywine YMCA, building a nationally recognized competitive swimming program. In his spare time he now coaches his daughter’s 7 and 8 year old practice group at the YMCA. An avid surf fisherman and a graduate of Virginia Tech, John resides in Bellefonte, Delaware with his wife Laura, and their two daughters, Kira and Maya.

John Oliver is a Pennsylvania native, now residing in Wilmington, Delaware. He received his undergraduate degree in Finance from Philadelphia University, and his MBA in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University. John started his professional career as an underwriting operations manager in the financial sector with Marlin Leasing Corporation and then Wells Fargo. In 2010, John moved to Delaware and in that same year transitioned into the next phase of his career by joining CSC.

Since joining CSC, John has worked directly and indirectly with global organizations ranging in size and complexity from the entrepreneur to the Fortune 500. His depth of knowledge and experience has allowed him to serve in a broad spectrum of roles including operations, sales, product development, and strategy. Currently, he is serving in a senior sales role, responsible for selling CSC’s corporate legal, compliance, and governance products. John consults with the key legal and financial decision-makers at the largest global organizations in the world.

John is also passionate about philanthropic causes focused on improving education and helping children. He is a member of CSC’s Corporate Citizenship Taskforce and serves as a charitable ambassador for the company. John also serves as the Board Chairman for Junior Achievement of Delaware. In John’s personal life he loves spending time with his wife, Kara, and their three children, Johnny, Juliana and Aleena.

John Rollins is a serial entrepreneur. His last endeavor was CEO of Delaware Diagnostic Group, LLC (DDG), in which he owned and operated four advanced medical imaging centers in New Castle County, Delaware and Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Prior to founding DDG, John was a Senior Vice President at MBNA America Bank, N.A. in Wilmington, Delaware. His responsibilities ranged from call center management to marketing and affinity card sales to the financial services sector, where John’s team was responsible for several high-profile signings, including Charles Schwab & Co., Merrill Lynch, AG Edwards, William Blair & Co., and Morningstar.
John spent his early career as an executive at Rollins Leasing Corp., where he held numerous sales and management positions in the company’s Chicago, IL, and Wilmington, DE offices.
A native Delawarean and graduate of Archmere Academy, John received a B.A. in Political Science from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, and attended Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Chicago, IL.
John has served on numerous philanthropic boards of directors, including OperaDelaware (President), The Ministry of Caring, United Way Young de Tocqueville Society (Co-Chair), Light Up the Queen Foundation, WXPN, and the Bear/Glasgow Family YMCA. John lives in California with his wife, Carin, daughter, Tinsley, and son, John IV.

Johnny is a Senior Construction Manager with Schell Brothers. He is responsible for multiple homes and communities under construction while training assistants in leadership, organization, accounting, budgeting, multi-tasking, scheduling, and perfection. He is the recipient of the 2013 Delaware Home Builders Association Project Manager of the Year and is part of a team that is constantly pushing the envelope in the industry as the #1 builder in the state.

He is a Philly native who graduated from Widener University with a Bachelors in Hospitality Management in 2002. While there, Johnny was part of the MAC championships track team as a decathlete and was also the fullback for their award winning Rugby team. As a lifelong athlete, Johnny became a CrossFit Coach at CrossFit Dover, training many people to reach heights they never thought possible in a community environment. At CrossFit Dover, Johnny is part of an amazing team of coaches who help members improve their health, well-being, and mindset about goals and how to achieve them.

Johnny resides in Frederica, DE with his wife Lindsay and three children, Mia, Colton, and Knox. Additionally they own and operate a national digital marketing agency, Freedom United Inc., which specializes in focused lead production helping local organizations grow their businesses.

Jonathan Horner, Esq. serves as the General Counsel for the Schell Brothers and Ocean Atlantic family of companies. In addition to his role as General Counsel, Jon is Of Counsel with the law firm of Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber P.A where his practice focuses on complex transactions involving the finance, acquisition, sale, lease and development of commercial real estate properties of all asset types. Jon has particular experience in structuring and closing sophisticated commercial real estate financing including CMBS financing, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD, mezzanine and preferred equity transactions. Prior to joining Schell Brothers and Ocean Atlantic, Jon was the Associate General Counsel for GMF Capital, a large real estate private equity fund as well as an associate in the real estate group of Richards, Layton & Finger in Wilmington.

Jon graduated from Tulane University with a B.S. degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology and from Elon University School of Law with a J.D. degree. During law school, Jon served as a clerk to the Honorable Robert N. Hunter, Jr. of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Jon is an avid fisherman and waterfowl hunter and enjoys spending time with his wife and young daughter.

A proud native of Houston, Texas, Jordan Bonner left home at the age of 14 to attend St. Andrews, a boarding school in Middletown, Delaware. This life-altering decision provided Jordan with an invaluable experience to meet students from all over the world and position himself to attain greater educational opportunities.

Jordan went on to attend Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He was a student-athlete, serving as a member and captain of the Men’s basketball team for 4 years. Upon graduating from Wesleyan in 2019 with a B.A. in Psychology, Jordan decided to further his education by attending the University of Cambridge in England. While this experience provided unforeseen challenges, he obtained his Master’s in Psychology and Education this past July.

Jordan decided to return to the states and take a position as Summer Program Director and Community Liaison for the Delaware College Scholar Program. He looks forward to building his skill set in his first role outside of academia and making a difference in the lives of underrepresented minority students interested in pursuing college.

When he’s not helping others, you can find Jordan playing basketball with his friends, working out and watching Netflix and sports.

Jordan Perry is a proud native of Wilmington and a graduate of the University of Delaware and Howard University School of Law. She currently serves as an Assistant County Attorney for New Castle County, where she prosecutes violations of the New Castle County Code and represents the Department of Public Safety in civil matters. She also spearheaded the development of Project SEED, a New Castle County Public Safety Initiative focused on neighborhood sustainability.

Jordan previously served as a partner with Jacobs & Crumplar, P.A., a civil litigation firm. She began her career as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Jordan is a member of the Delaware Barristers Association, a National Bar Association local affiliate, and served as President from 2014-2017. She created the Black Women Lawyers of Delaware in 2015, an informal group developed to create a safe space to share and network with black female attorneys living or working in Delaware. She is a member of the Multicultural Judges and Lawyers Section of the Delaware Bar Association and has also served on the Nominations Committee as well as the Superior Court Civil Rules Committee.

Jordan lives in Wilmington with her husband and two sons.

Julia Durodoye is the Senior Executive Director of Resource Development at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware, a statewide youth development organization that serves over 30,000 youth every year. In her role, she spearheads donor engagement efforts across the state. Prior to joining the Boys & Girls Clubs, she served as the COO at TeenSHARP, managing different facets of its operations. Before moving to Delaware. Julia was the Director of Development at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, where she helped expand the organization’s regional imprint.

Julia’s first non-profit leadership experience came leading Global North Texas in Dallas, Texas, a citizen diplomacy organization working jointly with the US State Department. As the Operations Director, she hosted prominent international leaders and helped them forge professional connections with their American counterparts.

Julia holds a B.A. in International Studies and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of North Texas. She is an active board member at the Latin American Community Center and volunteers as a mentor and Spanish tutor for youth in the City of Wilmington. She lives in the Cool Spring area with her husband Dr. Raifu Durodoye, and two sons Romero and Camilo.

Justin began his career in public service with the State of Delaware in 1999. He quickly progressed, holding positions in Human Resources, Project Management, and IT Operations Management where he leads the Data Center & Operations Division at the Delaware Department of Technology & Information. In this role, he leads a team of 100 technologists with responsibilities for data center infrastructure, systems programming, computer operations, technical support, desktop and network services.
Prior to his current role, Justin led the Statewide IT Support Center and Data Center Team, which is responsible for delivering IT services to all state agencies and public school districts. While leading the Data Center Team, he proposed and implemented strategies that consolidated the number of state data centers. These initiatives improved efficiency, lowered costs and reduced the environmental footprint by generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
As a leader in IT Service Management, Justin greatly expanded services, implementing the State’s first 24×7 support center and improving customer satisfaction by recruiting and developing superior talent, building relationships, and leveraging technology. During his tenure with the State, he has been an ardent student of leadership, actively striving to maximize the effectiveness of government. A native Delawarean, Justin was raised in Dover where he served with the Dover Fire Department. He currently resides in Newark with his wife, Steph.

Justin is a high energy sales leader for CSC, the leading provider of business, legal, financial, and digital brand services to companies around the globe. He began his career at CSC as an inside sales consultant, where he found early success. Since joining the company in 2015, he has held many positions within the sales organization and quickly propelled into leadership, from small business to the corporate level.

Justin has an unwavering passion to serve those in need. At his church, The Journey, he serves as a team leader on Code Red, their community outreach team. His focus areas are international missions and domestic project management. Justin also serves on the advisory board for Good Neighbors Home Repair, an organization dedicated to restoring hope to homeowners who lack the physical or financial means to make necessary home repairs.

In 2019, Justin was recognized as one of Delaware Business Times 40 under 40. Whether on the mission field or in the office, he is passionate about helping others blow the cap off of their potential. He attributes his success to the many dedicated and selfless leaders that have been placed in his life, and he is determined to have the same impact on others. He resides in Wilmington, with his beautiful wife Helana and two cats, Toby and Bear.

Kaneisha N. Trott is a native Delawarean with over 10 years of experience in the human and social service field. Kaneisha is passionate about developing other’s potential and assisting those living in poverty. She currently works as Communications Manager for First State Community Action Agency, a statewide, antipoverty non-profit organization with a 53 year history of helping people of low-income become self-sufficient. In her role she is responsible for internal and external communications, oversees the agency’s marketing and development efforts, and actively engages community leaders, residents, media, donors, legislators, and partners in efforts to generate awareness and support for poverty-relief initiatives. In 2015, she was named the agency’s employee of the year.

Kaneisha is a graduate from the University of Delaware where she carries a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology & Sociology and Masters of Arts Degree in Urban Affairs & Public Policy with a concentration in Community Development and Nonprofit Leadership. During her collegiate term, she has received distinguished honors as a Ronald E. McNair scholar, has served as a Washington Fellow for U.S. Senator Tom Carper on Capitol Hill, and has studied abroad in The Netherlands and Barbados. Kaneisha is also a graduate of Public Allies Delaware, a national organization with a mission to advance diverse young leaders to strengthen communities, nonprofits, and civic participation, as well as a proud alumnus of Leadership Delaware, class of 2016.

Kaneisha currently serves as a mentor to young women and girls and actively volunteers with Teens In Perspective, Inc. where she recently joined the Board of Directors as acting President. She also serves on the Carl M. Freeman Foundation FACES Advisory Board which provides grant support opportunities to small nonprofits in Sussex County.

In 2016, Kaneisha was named DBT40 Delaware Achievers & Innovators Under 40 by the Delaware Business Times. She has also received honors from the Lower Sussex NAACP and Sussex County Chapter D.S.U. Alumni Association for her leadership and community service.

A native Delawarean, Karen Matteson is passionate about making a difference in the lives of others and has done that through work in a variety of settings. She lead a grass roots effort which resulted in legislation being passed in 2009 to support education continuity and effectiveness in a local school district. She continued her community change activism by to improve lives in Delaware, by joining United Way of Delaware and worked to launch a “ground breaking” financial empowerment program called “$tand by Me” and post-secondary education efforts to ensure high school students were aware of opportunities to continue their education and pursue their dreams.
A graduate of the University of Delaware with a degree in Business Administration, Karen started her career in financial services as a Vice President of Operations for both MBNA America and First USA before seizing an opportunity to launch and build an entrepreneurial venture.

In 2014, Karen returned to her first love of team leadership in the financial services industry and rejoined JP Morgan Chase as a Vice President in Business Engineering. Karen resides in Bear’s Emerald Ridge community with her husband, Ken, and their children, Grace and Kenny.

Karina Chara was born and raised in Mexico and graduated from the University Autonomous of Nuevo Leon with a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering. She has extensive experience in process improvement which she has gained while navigating through different industries such as refrigeration, beverages, glassware, packing and most recently, health care. She moved to Delaware in 2010 as a newlywed and joined the English Language Institute of the University of Delaware to improve her English skills. Karina is part of the Continuous Improvement Resource Office at Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children. In her role as a Continuous Improvement Specialist, she coaches and mentors high performing teams and optimizes workflows while providing better care to patients and families. She is currently one of the leaders of the Nemours Associate Resource Group, Adelante, a group dedicated to Latino associates and families. When she is not doing time studies in the Emergency Department, Karina enjoys spending time running and exploring the Delaware hiking trails with her husband, Allan, and her adventurous toddler, Penelope.

Karl Wagner is a native Delawarean who graduated from the University of Delaware in 1999 with an Accounting Degree, and lives in Wilmington. After graduation, Karl joined Buccini/Pollin Group where he focuses on acquisitions, development, and financing commercial and residential real estate. He is a CPA whose financial background has allowed him to execute complex real estate transactions. Working in real estate development has sparked his interest in the relationship between business and government. Urban redevelopment has been his passion as it is essential to create new places within our aging cities. Karl is an active board member for Downtown Visions. His greatest enjoyment comes from spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and their two young children.

Kate Rudolph is a Corporate Director for ChristianaCare where she works for the ChristianaCare Medical Group. She is responsible for the operations of the employed physician practices within the Surgical Services and Women and Children’s Service Lines. In addition, she is the Operations Leader for the Women and Children’s Service Line and is responsible for the ambulatory strategy for the service line.

Prior to her role as Corporate Director she serves as Administrative Director for the Acute Medicine Service Line at Christiana Care Health System. She started her career in Pittsburgh where she served as the Division Administrator of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). She also completed a two-year Administrative Fellowship at UPMC focusing on physician practice management and clinical operations.

A native Delawarean, Kate Forsten has two degrees from the University of Delaware (history and computer science). Active in politics, she currently serves as Secretary for the Delaware Republican Party, and was recognized as Delaware Republican of the Year in 2008. She has worked on numerous statewide and local campaigns, and has been a candidate for her local school board. Kate is married and resides with her husband in an old, restored farmhouse south of Middletown.

Kat Belford is the Operations Manager at NERDiT RECYCLES.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Kat moved to the United States with her family in 2004 to pursue the American Dream. Here, she found herself trying to adapt to a new culture without losing herself.

At the age of 11, Kat once fixed an Xbox Console using a penny and electrical conducting tape. At that moment, she found a love for technology. She attended the Girl Scouts STEM Program where she learned how to code and furthered her technical skills. In 2013, Kat began working in the Technology Department at Penn State Brandywine University. She later transitioned to Computer Aid Inc. as a Service Desk Level 2 technician servicing Amerihealth, Christiana Care, Synergy and Touchpoint Solutions.

In 2019, Kat started working at NERDiT NOW as an executive assistant. She excelled as a leader and product manner and was quickly chosen to help launch NERDiT’s R2 Recycling business.

An empathetic and inquisitive thinker, Kat is dedicated to solving problems and making a difference in the workplace and in her communities. She is detail-oriented, a natural team leader, highly motivated, and self-driven. Kat loves to connect with like-minded individuals in the social impact space and with those who are just finding their way as young professionals. As an LGBTQ West Indian woman, her mission is to empower all people to pursue their dreams.

Her favorite quote, by Emma Stone is, "I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid of being herself."

Kathryn attended Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, achieving her degree, Masters in Science of Physical Therapy, in 2003. Kathryn gained professional experience at one of the then top rated sub-acute hospitals in the country at Kessler Institute, now called Select Medical, in New Jersey.
Since moving to Delaware in 2006, she has become an integral part of the rehabilitation community here in Sussex County in the private practice domain, directing two clinics, and also in home care physical therapy. Now, Kathryn has also become a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) and a Certified Environmental Access Consultant (CEAC). She has currently directed her professional ambition in becoming the premier fall prevention and independent living expert in Delaware through in-home Physical Therapy and home modification services. She started her own company “Aging in Place Specialists, LLC,” with the mission of empowering and equipping senior individuals with the services, knowledge, assistive technology, and home modifications needed to live well at home more safely and independently.
In January of 2015, Kathryn was invited to be a speaker and discussion panelist at the Annual LIFE Conference in Dover Delaware, joining two other distinguished voices in the field of aging in place and accessibility. Kathryn and her company have also been published in “PT in Motion,” a national publication of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) in 2016.
Kathryn’s goal is to pioneer the pathway to successful aging in place in Delaware- improving quality of life, enabling independent living, and collaborating efforts to decrease the likelihood of the aged entering long term care facilities. Kathryn resides in Lewes Delaware with her husband, Mark, and two sons, Landon and Noah.

Katie Kutler is the owner of kaffe KARMA located in Wilmington, Delaware. Coffee shop by day, yoga and meditation studio by night, the concept is not only new to Delaware but one the world doesn't come by often. With her background in nutrition and life coaching, teaching yoga and meditation, and being well-connected to the local fitness community, Kutler strives to lead her team through a focus on all things life development, community connection, and personal wellness.

As a Delaware native, Kutler has set out to make a lifelong impact within her home state by developing her staff in their personal and professional aspirations, working closely with local nonprofits, and supporting neighboring businesses through both kaffe and yoga offerings for corporate wellness initiatives. kaffe KARMA is quickly becoming Wilmington's favorite coffee shop and is recognized for its commitment to quality sips and eats among its creative wellness-focused menu, excellent customer service, and a refreshing clean design within the space. Kutler intends to create more spaces for her fellow Delawareans to co-exist as time goes on.

Katisha Fortune is a law-firm trained, proactive and multifaceted legal advocate. Her work with the Delaware Attorney General’s Office exposes her to the most important litigation and policy issues in Delaware. Katisha’s legal education from the University of Pennsylvania Law School (class of 2006) provided a firm foundation for diverse legal experiences. In her current role in the Office of the Attorney General, Katisha has gained substantial experience reviewing and prosecuting administrative complaints pending before the Delaware Board of Medical Practice, the Board of Nursing, and other State administrative boards. Katisha has also been involved in complex healthcare regulatory matters, including the proposed affiliation of Blue Cross and Highmark (2011). She also worked with a team of attorneys to draft an amicus curiae brief in support of Delaware for the United States Supreme Court’s consideration in King v. Burwell. Most recently, Katisha briefed, argued and won a case of first impression before the Delaware Supreme Court on behalf of the Medical Board.
In her role as a Deputy Attorney General, Katisha also advises state agencies on matters of State and Federal law, reviews contracts, and trains her colleagues on trending legal issues. For example, Katisha recently drafted a Freedom of Information Act reference guide for state agency personnel. She also assisted the new Attorney General’s administration with memorializing in writing a set of comprehensive internal protocols for handling conflicts of interest and other issues that arise with advising state agencies.
Prior to joining the Attorney General’s office, Katisha worked for Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. as a business transactions and bankruptcy attorney. This position provided her with a background in a wide range of corporate governance issues.
In addition to Katisha’s legal work, she participates in community endeavors supporting criminal justice reform, education, and diversity and inclusion. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Delaware Center for Justice and is also a member of the Kuumba Academy School Board in Wilmington.

Keisha Morris is an organizational development practitioner who has spent her career helping formal and informal leaders, organizations, and teams maximize their strengths, competencies, and capabilities in industries such as insurance, financial services, government, higher education, healthcare, and non-profit sectors. She currently provides organizational development and workforce management consultancy for a pediatric healthcare system where she uses her knowledge of talent development, learning science, instructional design, training delivery and facilitation, career and leadership development, research, coaching, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging to successfully navigate the everyday workplace and career challenges.

Keisha is passionate about helping organizations and individuals grow to their fullest potential by maximizing their talents and abilities to impact their current environment. She believes that everyone is capable to bloom wherever they are planted.

Keisha resides in Delaware with her husband, Anthony, and her dog, Harley. She enjoys learning, listening to music, and watching sports documentaries and HGTV in her free time.

Dr. Kelley Kovatis is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist. She is an assistant professor of Pediatrics at Jefferson University and serves as the associate director of research within the division of Neonatology at Christiana Care. She has presented and published extensively on how clinical interventions impact the breathing of premature and critically ill infants with the hope that this research will improve care and long-term outcomes. She serves as a clinical and research mentor to trainees and acts as a lead Neonatal Resuscitation Program facilitator responsible for teaching delivery room stabilization to medical professions throughout the region. Dr. Kovatis earned a BS in Neuroscience at Washington and Lee University and a MD at Temple University School of Medicine. She completed her Pediatric Residency at the University of Virginia Health System and her Neonatology Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Kovatis resides in Philadelphia with her husband and 3 young children and can often be found exercising during the early morning hours.

Taking on roles that bridge an expertise in communications with a passion for serving the community, Kelly's professional focus is fueled by a strong desire to connect, educate and inform others. This focus is clearly defined in her current role as Director of Communications for the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences. She leads a team of communications professionals driven to develop dynamic content that highlights the innovative research and robust array of services and programs available to students and the community, which support the improvement of health outcomes and development of the next generation of health professionals.

Prior to her current role, Kelly served briefly as a senior communications manager for ChristianaCare, developing C-Suite Executive and thought-leadership communications, while also collaborating to advance internal and external communications, media relations, and issues management. Before that, she spent nearly 13 years building a career as a public servant in government communications - three years, locally, as the communications manager for the City of Newark, and nearly a decade in state-level communications roles, serving honorably as a member of Governor Jack A. Markell's senior staff, and as the lead communications specialist for the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families.

As a communications professional for nearly two decades, Kelly has forged strong relationships with colleagues throughout Delaware, with media throughout the region, and with industry professionals across the country. She has presented at national conferences and participated on several state and regional panels as a subject matter expert on communications.

Kelly Basile graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. She now works for the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, the most influential business organization in the state. As the events manager, Kelly works to promote an economic climate that strengthens the competitiveness of Delaware businesses through managing the Small Business Alliance whose participants comprise more than 80% of the State Chamber’s membership, advising 400 members of the Delaware Young Professionals Network and organizing more than 100 weekly State Chamber events and meetings. She is responsible for the Superstars in Business program, which recognizes outstanding small businesses in Delaware, and also runs Delaware Principal for a Day, a program that fosters more than 100 partnerships between business and school leaders each year.
In Kelly’s spare time, she participates on the Delaware Humane Association’s special events committee and serves as a board member for Wilmington Renaissance Corporation and the William P. Frank Scholarship Fund, which runs the First State Gridiron Dinner & Show. Kelly also teaches ice skating lessons at the University of Delaware and competes on a nationally ranked synchronized ice skating team.

Ken Simpler was elected Delaware State Treasurer on November 4, 2014 on a platform to bring transparency, accountability, and certainty to our State’s fiscal operations. He has fostered accountability in the Treasurer’s Office by implementing a value-driven and performance–measured culture. His focus on certainty has made him a consistent advocate for systemic solutions to large-scale, long-term problems. Ken has applied lessons from his 20-year career as a finance professional to improve some of Delaware’s core fiscal functions. These include: enhancing the return on investment of our $2 billion cash portfolio; restructuring the banking services through which our $10 billion in annual spending flows; ensuring the feasibility of our $2 billion of outstanding debt; and overhauling the State Employees’ $1 billion defined contribution plans. In addition, Ken has provided leadership to over a dozen committees and councils that determine state revenues, design employee healthcare offerings, preserve agricultural lands and provide capital spending for fire companies.

Prior to entering public service, Mr. Simpler served as the Chief Financial Officer of Delaware-based Seaboard Hotels. As an owner-operator, Ken assisted in developing and managing hotel and retail properties in Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and Nags Head, North Carolina. Ken previously held the position of Managing Director at Citadel, LLC, a $25 billion global investment fund. At Citadel, he oversaw a billion dollar portfolio, managed personnel in Chicago, San Francisco, New York/Greenwich, London and Tokyo and served on the firm’s worldwide investment committee. He began his career as a corporate attorney at Kirkland & Ellis, a national law firm. Ken’s work at K&E focused on private acquisitions and capital raising transactions for corporate and private equity clients. Ken has served on the board of directors of Draper Holdings, the parent company of WBOC and Fox 21, and the finance committee of Beebe Healthcare.

Ken is a life-long learner with a passion for applying empirical research to real-world applications. He is currently enrolled at the University of Delaware’s School of Public Policy where he plans to graduate with a Masters in Public Administration. Mr. Simpler earned graduate degrees from the University of Chicago in both business and law. He received an M.B.A. with honors from the Graduate School of Business and a J.D. with honors from the Law School. He obtained his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University as a political economy major. Ken attended high school at St. Andrew’s in Middletown, graduating summa cum laude and representing the school in Delaware’s 30th Annual Blue-Gold All-Star Football Game. Ken married his college sweetheart, Elizabeth, more than 25 years ago. Liz and Ken are devoted parents to their three children, Blakeley, Gillian and Emmett, and make their home in Newark. He was born and raised in Rehoboth Beach, where his family owned and operated the Avenue Restaurant for almost a half of a century.

Kendal has been employed with CAI (Computer Aid Inc), an IT Consulting Firm in Wilmington for 13 years. She is currently the Director HR and Recruiting focused on local IT talent needs in the Delaware Valley. She has been recognized for her work and was honored as a recipient of CAI’s Presidents Award in 2000. Through CAI, Kendal is active in supporting Easter SealsDelaware and Maryland Eastern Shore and a participant in the Annual Spike for Life Volleyball Fundraiser. She received her B.A in Political Science from Ithaca College, Ithaca NY. Kendal lives in Chadds Ford, PA with her husband Colin Dyckman and two dogs.

Kendall Massett is the Executive Director of the Delaware Charter Schools Network (DCSN), a non-profit organization supporting 24 charter schools statewide that provide independent, tuition-free public education to 15,882 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Prior to her work as an advocate in the education space, Massett served as Director of Business for At Your Service Hospitality Management from 1998 to 2011. At Your Service provided interim managers to fill open management spots in hotels and restaurants across the country and abroad. During her tenure, she filled in positions ranging from Banquet Manager to Food & Beverage Director to Hotel General Manager.
Massett’s role as an advocate is a direct result of her time as a 2010 Fellow of Leadership Delaware, Inc. (LDI). During her fellowship, two speakers rose to the top for her – Command Master Chief Chuck Baldwin and Bill Manning. Both spoke to the group about leadership and education in the First State. Massett knew that was where she wanted to give back to her community in Delaware, and since 2012, she has been able to do so. Massett holds a B.S in Business Management from North Carolina State University and a M.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Management from the University of Maryland University College.

She is the President of the Board of Trustees of The Brady Kohn Foundation, a volunteer-driven foundation dedicated to educating the public on the use of stem cells from umbilical cord blood to save lives. In the Fall of 2017, she joined the Board for Christ Church Episcopal Preschool where her children attended. Along with her husband Kelly and their two sons, Massett is an active member of Christ Church Christiana Hundred, where Massett was baptized at the age of 40. The Massetts live in Wilmington, Del. with their dog, Bayley.

Kerriann Otaño was a professional opera singer for ten years before the pandemic, working at such prestigious opera houses as the Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, Wolftrap Opera, and the Glimmerglass Festival. In 2020, she transitioned into arts administration and artist advocacy, consulting on mental health and DEI advancement at regional opera companies across the country. She began as the artistic administrator at Opera NEO during the first summer of the pandemic, before becoming the Marketing and PR Manager at Opera Memphis in Tennessee. She created and produced a bilingual children’s show called “Mijo Milan” which developed into a 30-minute filmed opera available in English and Spanish. The program and accompanying materials became a tentpole of music education in the public school system. In the summer of 2022, Kerriann began in her new position as Vice President of Engagement with OperaDelaware, a position that centers on making opera accessible and approachable to the community. She continues to advocate and lecture about artist empowerment, mental healthcare for singers, and the future of opera.

Kevin has been employed with Pepco Holdings Inc. (also known as Delmarva Power) since July 2009. He is a Lead Talent Strategy & Workplace Consultant. He recently served as the Project Manager for PHI’s Applicant Tracking System Replacement Project. Prior to joining PHI, Kevin worked for CBI Group as a Recruitment Consultant providing recruitment strategies for clients in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The bulk of Kevin’s professional career has been spent serving in the U.S. Air Force as an Aircraft Technician working on the F-4, F-16, A-10 and C-5 aircraft. In 1997, he decided to make a career change and took on the demanding challenge as an Air Force Recruiter. He recruited entry level enlisted candidates for four years and then was promoted to recruit physicians for the Air Force. Through his employers, Kevin has volunteered his time to support Easter Seals, American Heart Association, Junior Achievement, and many more fundraising activities. Kevin’s ultimate business goal is to start an organization to help educate the “at risk” community in Delaware. Kevin received his BS in Workforce Education & Development from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Ill. He is currently pursuing his MBA through Wilmington University with plans to graduate in 2013. Kevin lives in Claymont DE and enjoys golfing in his spare time. He has two children, son Khairi, age16 and daughter Kiahna, age 14.

Kevin Kain, MPT, MBA is a dedicated health care professional who is currently functioning as the Director of Financial Planning and Operational Analysis at ChristianaCare. He earned a Bachelor of Health Sciences Degree and Master of Physical Therapy Degree from Duquesne University. Kevin also received a Master’s in Business Administration with a health care concentration from Widener University. He has received his Green Belt Certification and is experienced with Lean Methodologies and the Rapid Process Improvement (RPI) Process. Kevin plans to receive a Black Belt Certification from the Juran Institute in 2019.

Kevin’s more than 20 years of clinical healthcare experience include pediatric acute care, wound care, acute rehabilitation, and adult rehabilitation medicine. His leadership and administrative experience includes rehabilitation, operations (Laboratory, Supply Chain, Environmental Services, Safety & Security, Plant Operations, and Dietary/Nutritional Services), and project management (Orthopedics, Bariatrics, & Supply Chain). Kevin spent the past four years with Christiana Care Health System as a Managing Organizational Excellence Consultant focused on labor management & productivity, benchmarking, operational analysis, and zero based budgeting. In this new opportunity with the finance team, Kevin’s focus is on three aims: leading the organizations budgeting process, the Road to $100 Million project, and resource optimization. Kevin takes great pride in being a husband and father.

Kevin Dombrowski is a Partner at Grey Fox Wealth Advisors. Kevin formerly worked for a private wealth company outside Philadelphia where he helped manage over $600 million of clients’ assets. Before that role, Kevin served as Senior Vice President for Morningstar and managed several of its largest strategic partnerships. He has been in the financial services industry for over 15 years.

Kevin is passionate about making a positive impact in the community. He serves as a board member for The Independence School, a private co-educational day school for ages 3 through 8th Grade. He also serves as a board member for Delaware Guidance Services, Delaware’s largest provider of non-residential mental health services for children and families. He serves as a board member for the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation. Kevin was a 2016 Fellow and serves as an active board member for Leadership Delaware. Additionally, Kevin serves as the Chairman of the Finance Committee at his church.

Kevin holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Kevin was a recipient of the Delaware Business Times “40 Under 40” award in 2016.

Kevin currently resides in Wilmington with his wife, Kaitlyn, and their four young children: James, John, Charles, and Grace.

Currently working in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the External Affairs Specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Region III, Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT), Kia Evans is part of a 12 person team, capable of rapidly deploying to presidentially declared disasters to handle the oversight and management of catastrophic events. After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, Evans deployed to San Juan for 45 days, serving as the Lead Visual Imaging Manger, in the Joint Information Center. In this role, she was charged with managing all FEMA assets, as well as; the military assets assigned to FEMA, that were responsible for visually documenting recovery events. Prior to FEMA, Evans’s served as the Chief Communications Officer for Kent County Levy Court, Dover, Delaware. In her role with the County, she managed all aspects of public relations, and served as the point of contact for crisis communications with the Department of Homeland Security and the Kent County 911 Emergency Operations Center. Born in Philadelphia but reared in Milton, Delaware, Evans’s work in the field of public relations spans decades and includes interning with Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, working for Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, Harrington Raceway and Casino, Harrington, Delaware, Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware and Cayman Airways, located in the British West Indies. Evans served a five year political appointment under the George W. Bush Administration as the Chief Spokesman for the Secure Border Initiative with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Washington, D.C. A graduate of Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, with a BS in Communication, Evans is an active member of the Public Relations Society of America. She is the proud mother of two adult children.

Kim Benton is the owner and operator of Kim Benton Agency, Inc., a State Farm agency helping the people of Millsboro and all of Delaware with their insurance and financial needs. In addition to insurance, Kim is a licensed mortgage loan originator for Rocket Mortgage and a registered investment advisor. Her agency's mission is to challenge customers daily to plan for financial success. Kim is a native of Sussex County, and both sides of her family have lived here for multiple generations. She is a graduate of Sussex Central High School and the University of Delaware. Kim is a very proud farmer's daughter and grew up learning the value and importance of hard work. It is truly an honor for her to serve in the community in which she grew up! Outside of work, Kim loves spending time with her husband and their three children. One of their favorite things to do together is to travel & explore new places. She is an avid sports fan and exercise enthusiast who loves to play golf when she can find the time and enjoys leading worship as a part of the praise band at her local church.

Kim Hoey Stevenson is a nationally recognized award winning writer and journalist who specializes in feature writing, especially taking complex subjects and presenting them in an approachable manner. She writes for such publications and AOL, Daily Finance, PARADE Magazine and The News Journal. She travels extensively both personally and professionally. Most notably, she was in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope to cover the change over from US to United Nations forces and what Delawareans were doing as part of those efforts.

A graduate of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale and Wake Forest University, Kim used her degree in psychology to help co-author the book, “Overcoming Misfortune: Children Who Beat the Odds,” a book that explored the positive side of psychology. She was the Delaware Young Mother of the Year for 2013, serves on the national board of American Mothers, Inc., is a chair of the Delaware Association of Mothers and is co-leader of a life group at her church.

As the Senior Director for TeenSHARP, Kim manages partnerships with the Delaware Department of Education, various high schools across the state, and college admissions offices across the country. TeenSHARP’s mission is to prepare talented low-income, African American, and Latinx students to attend and thrive at our nation’s top colleges. As a first-generation to college student, she is highly invested in this work. Kim has presented at many conferences on the topics of undocumented students, first-generation to college students, and navigating the selective admissions process. In 2019, she was named one of the Potomac & Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC) Counselors of the year. Prior to joining TeenSHARP, Kim served as an Associate Director of Admissions under the Equity and Access team at the University of Pennsylvania. In this role, she worked with students in various states and countries while also serving as the liaison for undocumented students and The Center for Hispanic Excellence: La Casa Latina. While working at Penn, she earned her Masters of Science in Social Policy. Kim earned her Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. Kim lives in Middletown with her husband Juan and three fur babies, Chavo, Kiko, and Bullwinkle.

Kim  Ilardi  graduated  from  Mount  Saint  Mary's  University  with  a  degree  in  Business  and  a Concentration in Marketing. After graduation, Kim joined The Whiting-­‐Turner  Contracting Company, where she is currently a Senior Industry Specialist, focusing on Healthcare, Senior Living, Sustainability and New Building Technologies. In 2004, Kim became a LEED Accredited Professional, one of the first within Whiting-­‐Turner and became responsible for the coordination of Whiting-­‐Turner's sustainability efforts. She is a founding member of the USGBC Maryland Chapter, and a past Board Member and Treasurer. Kim currently sits on the Delaware Valley Green Building Council's (DVGBC) Board of Directors, and is the Chair of the Delaware Green Schools Committee, which has just created and is managing the Pathways to Green Schools program to promote sustainability in Delaware. Kim has also been the Education Committee chair for both the USGBC Maryland and DVGBC Chapters were she coordinated education programs to share green building stories and best practices. Kim has also participated in other nonprofit organizations like Catholic Charities were she was involved with their Bi-­‐Annual Dragon Boat Race competitions, to support various organizations. Kim lives in Wilmington, DE with her husband, and two young children.

Hailing from Kent County, Kimberly Taylor holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Delaware, with dual concentrations in social welfare and healthcare. Embarking on a career path that started in Washington, DC, she honed her skills across diverse industries, including hospitality, real estate, legal, and finance. A transformative stint with Netflix’s Talent Acquisition team led her to California in 2018, reinforcing her belief in the undeniable impact of intentional inclusion strategies.

Currently, in the ed-tech world, Kimberly serves as the Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Coursera, an online learning platform, where she remains steadfast in her commitment to inclusivity. As co-founder of The Concrete Rose Collective, an investment firm with a vision for lasting social impact, she pours into the potential of the people and ideas around her. Kim’s dedication to nurturing aptitude is palpable as she leads with exposure, education, and empowerment at the forefront.

Kim is a wife and mother of two who is attuned to the profound influence community and exposure can have on personal and professional trajectories. Drawing from her experiences and a heartfelt desire to elevate communities, she seeks opportunities to contribute her unique insights and energies to her environment.

Kira-Destiny Prince works as a trusted adviser to C-Suite leaders and senior managers in private and public sectors. Her Swiss based firm, PASS PANACEA Sarl, is consulted to analyze success and failing factors of leadership styles and the impact on performance as it pertains to the behaviour of the staff to function cohesively. Kira-Destiny’s mandates often includes the assessment of vendors and partners within her clients supply chain network. As head of partnership, she is appointed to bridges gaps in personnel and resource optimisation, consolidate agendas and promote collaborations that results in growth.

Kira-Destiny’s business model and client base is globally operational through her USA firm, PASS International LLC, based in Wilmington Delaware. In addition to corporations, her clients include State and City government departments in need of a confidante strategist and coach to implement transformational steps that address employee grievances, with the objective of reducing inefficiency, motivate communications and inspire collaborations.

Under Kira-Destiny’s ownership and management, both Swiss and USA firms corporate clients include: Novartis, Nalco, SC Johnson, Shire Pharmaceuticals, and Computer Associates. Prior to setting up her first company in 2005, Kira-Destiny had been the Regional Director-Central Eastern Europe, for Euroforum Economic Summit Production company. Prior to that she was the International Trade Negotiator for Cambridge Office of Trading Standards in England. In both leadership roles, she was responsible for the performance of forty managers overseeing operational teams across the EU. Her tasks included enforcing trade regulations, monitoring business practices and arbitrating conflicts.

Certified in legal, business and diplomatic academia, Kira-Destiny’s clients credit her as a strong collaborator, a leader by example, and an advocate for performance excellence.

In her personal life, she is a strong advocate for the welfare care of foster or orphaned children. Her collective work continues to inspire talent growth and commitment to duty.

Kristen Kuipers has over 20 years of marketing experience in the private and public sectors. Before moving to Delaware, she spent more than 18 years living and working in Philadelphia where she last served as community relations manager for ARAMARK’s public affairs team, leading their community involvement strategy for corporate social responsibility and managing national nonprofit partnerships.

Kristen developed her passion and experience in Community Relations and Communications while serving as Marketing Manager for KPMG, LLP where she managed multi-level relationships with Fortune 500 companies to support their community programs and business development initiatives, and while serving as Vice President of the Board for The Career Wardrobe, a Philadelphia-based social enterprise that uses clothing and professional development to empower unemployed individuals to work. She started her career in Human Resources with PNC as an Employment Specialist managing staff and employee relations for their entire bank operations.

In 2015, she was selected as one of the Delaware Business Time’s 40 Under 40 and is a graduate of the Class of 2014 for Leadership Delaware where she served as their Director of Development and Communications for nearly 2 years. In April 2017, Kristen began her role as the Director of Communications for State Treasurer Ken Simpler and also served as Finance Director on his re-election campaign for 2018.

Kristen is a member of the Preliminary Review Committee of the Delaware Supreme Court, and current board member of the Fund for Women where she also chairs the New Castle County Development Committee. She is also past chair of Next Gen North of the Delaware Community Foundation, and former board member of the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation and Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids. Originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, she is a graduate of the Temple University Fox School of Business with a dual degree in marketing and human resources.

Kristin (Davis) Sommers is proud to be a part of the Welfare Foundation, serving the mission of promoting the social welfare of people and communities in Delaware and southern Chester County, PA.

She received her BA in Communications from Rowan University in 2006, and began her career as a news producer at News Channel 40 NBC in South Jersey. In 2008, Kristin left the news industry to pursue her interest in marketing as Marketing Coordinator for Goldcoast Sotheby’s International Realty in Ocean City, NJ.

Through her volunteer efforts with Big Brothers Big Sisters, she found her passion working within the nonprofit community, and moved to Delaware in 2010 to become Marketing Communications and Community Relations Manager for the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS). Kristin bolstered the organization’s outreach through social media and video. She was a critical part of the team promoting the national expansion of the brain tumor awareness initiative GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME®. Wanting to focus her efforts in her new home state, Kristin joined the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) team in July 2012 as Vice President of Communications and Marketing. There, she established the DANA brand and image across the state, created and launched a new website, and built DANA’s social media channels from the ground up, all to strengthen, enhance, and advance nonprofits and the sector in Delaware.

Most recently, Kristin served as Director of Engagement for Philanthropy Delaware, the membership organization for funders in the state of Delaware, aiming to strengthen philanthropy in the First State with her communications, marketing, educational programming, and membership skills.

As a part of the Welfare Foundation, Kristin works closely with the President & CEO, utilizing her knowledge of the nonprofit and grantmaking sectors in Delaware to continue Pierre S. du Pont’s vision, and deliver upon the mission of promoting the social welfare of people and communities in Delaware and southern Chester County, and assisting other organizations and agencies promote the same purpose. Kristin lives in Wilmington with her husband Jon, stepson Anthony, and daughter Kayleigh.

Kristin Moore, a native Delawarean, is a Senior Vice President of the Institutional and Corporate Trust business at WSFS Bank. She has over 20 years of experience in Corporate Trust operations and administration. Kristin’s work includes trust operations, securities processing and administration of a wide range of complex corporate trust transactions. She works closely with law firms, corporate influencers and other industry participants and enjoys the collaborative environment. Kristin’s current focus is to continue growing the business while ensuring scalability and mentoring her team as they grow and develop.

Kristin sits on several committees of industry organizations and enjoys being a player in helping shape the future for corporate trust as it relates to market issues and emerging technology. She is a co-chair of the STA Debt Committee; a member of the Steering Committee for the Trustee Committee of SFIG and a member of several other industry organizations. She is certified by the American Bankers Association as a Certified Corporate Trust Specialist, graduating with honors from The Cannon Trust School.

She was a member of the Best Buddies of Delaware board for 3 years and is currently a board member of the Corporate Contributions Committee at WSFS Bank. Kristin is a mentor through the TeenSHARP program which prepares talented students of color to attend and thrive at top colleges. Kristin resides in Wilmington with her husband Jeff Moore.

Kristin Pearce, a native Delawarean, is a Vice President at WSFS Bank in the Business Banking department working as a Relationship Manager. She has over 10 years of experience in the local commercial banking market. She works with business owners on a daily basis to help them to maintain and grow their businesses by providing lines of credit, equipment loans and commercial mortgages. She likes being surrounded by the business owner’s entrepreneurial spirit and enjoys playing a part in the growth of the local economy. Currently her focus is business development and relationship management of closely held family businesses primarily in New Castle County.
Prior to joining WSFS Bank in 2015, she was employed by M&T Bank/Wilmington Trust in a similar role focusing on government banking, healthcare, and middle market business lines. After graduating from Ursuline Academy, Kristin attended the University of Miami where she graduated with a degree in Finance. In 2013, she successfully completed her MBA from the University of Delaware.
Kristin has been involved with Serviam Girls Academy, a local tuition free, faith-based school for girls from low-income families, since its inception in 2008. She supports Serviam by serving on their Board of Directors. Kristin also serves on the Board of Directors for the St. Patrick’s Center, a non-profit organization that provides emergency food, meals and respite, clothing, transportation and recreational activities for people in need in Wilmington’s East Side.

Kristina Siddall is Academic Chair in the Department of Radiology at Aventura Hospital and Medical Center and Founding Program Director of the first sponsored radiology residency training program of HCA Healthcare, the largest health system in the United States. In additional to her roles in graduate medical education, she holds faculty appointments at Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine and Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Prior to moving to Florida, she was Associate Program Director and Level II Clinical Educator in the Department of Radiology of the Christiana Care Health System and served as the President of the Delaware Radiological Society. A magna cum laude graduate of the Case Western Reserve School of Engineering and a graduate of the CWRU School of Medicine, Kristina completed her radiology residency and women’s imaging fellowship training at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She is passionate about the fight against breast cancer. She is Chairman of the Board of ARTfull Angels, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing breast care to underserved women in South Florida. She recently joined the Advisory Board of the Miami Cancer Research Center. Tina and her family reside in Miami. She and her husband are avid cyclists, and most weekends can be seen riding the roads of Miami Beach and Key Biscayne.

Kyle M. Sheppard is a Delaware native currently volunteering with organizations including the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, its Youth & Education Committee and Compassionate Community Project. He is a secondyear doctoral practitioner interested in impacts of structural racism on the social, political and environmental determinants of health in education and the role of institutions serving students and families. He is a graduate of Delaware State University with Master of Education (M. Ed.) in Educational Leadership also holding a B.S. in Psychology, having graduated summa cum laude focused in Drug & Alcohol Assessment and Co-Occurring Disorders and minored in Gender Studies, focused on Violence Prevention. His prior work includes delivering community engagement strategies for entities including city, county, state, federal government, local and national advocacy organizations, and proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. His scope of Community Development Through Community Involvement nurtured his mission to explore examining classrooms as communities and communities as classrooms in providing the reparation, restoration and transformation they need. His mission is to build and bridge the potential of peers, colleagues, and stakeholders unto the needs and priorities of evolving local and broader communities through an authentic and devoted commitment to equity and excellence.

LaKresha S. Roberts has worked for the State of Delaware Department of Justice for the past seven years. A native Delawarean and proud alumna of William Penn High School, LaKresha’s professional life has been devoted to serving the children and families of the State of Delaware. After clerking for the Chief Judge of Family Court, LaKresha began her career as a Deputy Attorney General. LaKresha focused her practice in the Family Division, prosecuting juvenile delinquency and domestic violence cases as well as representing the Division of Family Services and Division of Child Support Services in civil matters. In December 2015, Attorney General Matthew P. Denn appointed LaKresha to serve as Director of the Family Division. LaKresha was later appointed Chief Deputy Attorney General of Delaware in January 2017. In this position, she serves as advisor to the Attorney General, oversees the work of the Department’s five divisions consisting of over 200 attorneys, and assists in managing the operations of the Department.

LaKresha finds volunteer activities to be an integral part of her commitment to serving the community. She mentors young leaders in the YMCA Youth in Government Judicial Competition, college-bound high school students in the Delaware Futures program, and bar exam-takers participating in the Delaware Multicultural Judges and Lawyers Section Minority Supplemental Bar Review Course. For many years, LaKresha has also worked closely with several local nonprofits including the Food Bank of Delaware (Board of Directors, 2013-present), YMCA (Statewide Board of Directors, 2015-2017), and Habitat for Humanity (Voice of Women Training Facilitator, November 2016). Most recently, LaKresha was elected as a trustee of Christiana Care and as a member of the hospital’s Community Engagement Advisory Council. LaKresha’s charitable efforts were recognized when she was named as an honoree of The Delaware Business Times’ Class of 2015 “40 Under 40.”

LaKresha earned a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Pace University and a Juris Doctor from Delaware Law School.

Latisha L. Bracy is President of Bracy and Associates. Before her current role, she was with IKEA US and the Director of Outreach & Special Projects for U. S. Senator Chris Coons.

Latisha is a seasoned government and community relations professional with over 10 years of experience in the public and private sector. After studying mass communications at Delaware State University, Tish became involved with then Governor Tom Carper’s campaign for U.S. Senate in 2000. After the successful election, she joined Senator Carper’s Wilmington office staff. After eight years of service, Tish joined the campaign of then U.S. Senator Joseph Biden.

After working for both Senator Biden and his successor Senator Ted Kaufman, Tish joined the staff of U.S. Senator Chris Coons. She served as Outreach Director- working with his in state team responsible for federal grants, economic development and nonprofit, business and community outreach. Tish received Masters degrees in both Public Administration and Human Resource Management, and is currently at ABD status on her doctorate in Education & Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University.

Laura Lloyd is a CPA and Supervisor in the Tax Department at Albero, Kupferman & Associates. She works with a wide variety of clients to not only optimize their tax positions, but to also service their planning and business strategy needs while helping them achieve their financial goals. Other key roles in her position include overseeing staff accountants and the work that they perform for clients as well as recruiting new talent for the firm. Since becoming a Supervisor, her focus is to create a strong teaching environment to help develop team members.

Laura holds a BS in Accounting and Finance from the University of Delaware. She is a member of several professional organizations, serves as the Philanthropy Adviser for her college sorority, Chi Omega, and is very active with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Delaware. In her downtime, she is an avid traveler, reader and Eagles fan. Laura lives in Wilmington with her dog, Bernie.

In 2013 Lauren Connelly, a Delaware native, returned home to find her place in the family business, O.A. Newton, a 101-year-old agricultural business. Prior to this, she graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design. Her first professional positions included a mentorship with New York Fashion Week luxury designer Yigal Azrouël, a technical design role at Abercrombie and Fitch, and a design position at specialty retailer Tween Brands, Inc.

Currently, Lauren holds the position of Media & Marketing Manager at O.A. Newton. In 2015, she added the role of Manager and Marketing Coordinator at Body and Soul Fitness, LLC, a new family endeavor. In both roles, she wears many hats, including marketing, event coordination, media relations, social media management, and business development.

Lauren is an avid community volunteer and has spent four years serving in a number of volunteer roles at Delaware Technical Community College. She currently serves on the Member Services Committee for the Greater Seaford Chamber of Commerce, leading a Young Professionals group set to launch in 2018.

Lauren is a lover of food and spending time with her family, a bonus if it is a combination of both! She currently lives in Seaford with her husband, Tim, and their dog Shelby.

Lauren M. Daley is a dedicated healthcare professional, and is a member of the leadership team at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. She was born and raised in Philadelphia, but has called Delaware home since 2014. After attending Merion Mercy Academy, Lauren went on to earn a B.S. in Psychology from Ursinus College. In 2010, Lauren joined Nemours and has continuously expanded her leadership role in the organization. She has previously served in a number of roles at Nemours, including Business Manager within the Department of Orthopaedics, Continuous Improvement Associate for the Nemours Enterprise, and Performance Improvement Program Manager within Patient Care Services.

Lauren is currently the Administrator of Pennsylvania Primary Care; in this role, she is responsible for the financial, operational, and service excellence of the division. Her expertise and influence contribute to the organizational journey to provide children and families the highest quality care at the greatest value. During her time at Nemours, Lauren completed her MBA with a Healthcare Management Concentration (MBA-HCM) at Widener University. She is involved in a number of professional networks.

Of note, Lauren serves as the Co-Chair of the Widener MBA-HCM Alumni Council and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In her spare time, Lauren loves traveling, exercising, cooking, and spending time with her wife, family and friends.

Lauren Stracuzzi is a Clinical Nurse Specialist practicing at Nemours Children's Hospital in Delaware. With a dedication to neonatal care, Lauren oversees the clinical practice for a team of more than 100 nurses within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Lauren's academic achievements include a master's degree in Nursing Leadership in Health Systems Management from Drexel University. Building upon this foundation, she further honed her specialization by obtaining a Post Master's Certificate as a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist from the University of Delaware.

Her impact extends beyond the hospital walls, as evidenced by her term as President of the Delaware Valley Association of Neonatal Nurses. Throughout her four-year leadership, Lauren guided over 350 nurses in the tri-state area, fostering a culture of education, mentorship, and service. Her focus is one of empowerment as she continually advances the field of nursing, intending to leave an impact on healthcare in the region.

Lauryn Elder is a Delaware native, born and raised in Wilmington, DE where she graduated from Concord High School. She is the owner and founder of her private behavioral health practice, The Holistic Behaviorist LLC where she provides community-based behavioral health support utilizing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Trauma Informed Care, and Applied Behavior Analysis to support families experiencing behavioral challenges, neuro-diverse individuals, or those looking to skill build their own health behavior habits. Lauryn is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Certified Trauma Practitioner, Coach, and Entrepreneur. She graduated from the University of Delaware where she received her Bachelor of Science in Human Services and was a nationally ranked dance team member. She then attended the University of Cincinnati where she received her Master of Education in School Psychology and Applied Behavior Analysis. Lauryn began her career working as direct care support for neurodiverse, and at-risk children and adolescents across the home, education, and clinic setting.

Lauryn's passion, mission, and experience supporting her community with wrap-around behavioral health support and care collaboration for children who have experienced high rates of toxic stress, or have complex behavioral diagnoses is attributed to her long-standing employment and collaborative history with various reputable agencies in the state. It is Lauryn's overall mission to support any individual to identify their values to skill build and commit to action that allows them to live at their most optimal health. Lauryn values health, curiosity, creativity, authenticity, and connection. Lauryn spends her free time engaging in functional fitness or any art medium. She is a proud wife to her husband Nate, and dog mom to her rescue dogs Max and Christopher.

Le’Mar Dixon is an Assistant Vice President at WSFS Bank. He has over 14 years of experience in credit card and commercial banking. As an analyst he underwrites loans for a range of Delaware’s business and professional leaders. Mr. Dixon was also a contractor/intern for the Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO). In this role, he reviewed business plans and mentored entrepreneurs of all ages, organized the business plan competitions hosted by DEDO and assisted with other programs run by the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Unit. Mr. Dixon is also a Walnut Street YMCA Black Achiever, a mentoring program that exposes middle school and high school students to different career paths and prepares them for college. He was elected president of the Class of 2012 Adult Achievers. Mr. Dixon earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Management with a concentration in Finance and Banking and a minor in Economics from Delaware State University and an MBA from Wilmington University.

Leah Brown is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). She is currently the Community Nutrition Director at the Food Bank of Delaware (FBD). After earning her RDN credential, Leah started her career at the FBD in 2013 as the Child Nutrition Production Manager and was quickly promoted to Community Nutritionist.

In 2016, she left FBD to start her own nutrition private practice. This was always a dream of hers; however she was motivated to do this after identifying a gap in care based on the questions she received in the community nutrition classes she taught. In her time away from FBD, she also started a real estate investment business and attended business school. Additionally, she sharpened her skills as a dietitian by working in Clinical Nutrition. When Leah received the call to come back to the FBD, in 2021, she was honored to fulfill the leadership role as Director to cultivate the nutrition departments.

Leah is a New Castle, Delaware native and proud alumnus of William Penn High School. She also attended University of Delaware, earning a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and completing her Dietetic Internship. She attended James University to obtain her Master's of Science in Kinesiology.

LeAnn M. Myers serves as the Director of Quality Improvement at Westside Family Healthcare. She is responsible for providing direction and leadership for the clinical performance improvement programs throughout the Westside Family Healthcare network. LeAnn contributes to the organization’s mission and vision by planning, designing, studying and assessing organization-wide clinical performance improvement. She also supports the “Quadruple Aim” at Westside which focuses on enhancing the patient experience, improving population health, reducing cost, and improving the work life of the health care providers, including clinicians and staff. LeAnn also co-authored an article published by Children’s Hospital Association in their May 2019 on-line edition, featuring her work on managing the aggressive child in the ambulatory setting.

LeAnn received her Masters of Science in Nursing with a focus in Executive Leadership from Wilmington University in 2017. During her time in Leadership Delaware, LeAnn discovered her love of serving the communities in Delaware. She is currently active on the board for CHILD Inc., and the HELP Initiative, Inc., which are two non-profits dedicated to improving the communities in the first state.

LeAnn was the recipient of the Delaware Business Times 40 Under 40 award in 2020.

LeAnn lives in Delaware with her children, and enjoys running and the great outdoors.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Leslie Johnson is currently a Human Resources Executive at Bank of America. In her role, she is responsible for delivering the core processes and tools that enable managers in three global technology businesses to drive results for their businesses (i.e. talent acquisition, compensation, learning, performance management, etc.). Prior to Human Resources, Leslie managed in several different businesses at Bank of America (MBNA) including Collections, Customer Service, Marketing, Affinity Management, Loss Prevention, Learning, and Leadership Development. She holds undergraduate degrees in Rhetoric & Communication Studies and Sociology from the University of Virginia. She has always been committed to mentoring youth and community involvement. Currently, she is an Enterprise Co-Chair for the Parents and Caregivers Network, and a member of the Black Executive Leadership Council at Bank of America. She also serves on multiple committees as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., an organization dedicated to public service, scholarship, and sisterhood. Leslie and her daughter reside in Charlotte, NC.

Lianna Magerr is a non-profit leader, music educator, and singer who serves as the Manager of Operations for the Wilmington Children’s Chorus (WCC). Her love of music and education began when she joined the Wilmington Children’s Chorus as a chorister in 2007. Having worked her way up from chorister to intern, and later from Logistics Coordinator to Manager of Operations, she has worked for WCC since her high-school years. Ms. Magerr also works with many area schools and organizations as a teacher, clinician, and organizer. Her goal is to inspire the children of Delaware to find strength and resiliency within themselves, reach high levels of achievement, and change their world through music.

Outside of work, Ms. Magerr is an avid reader, hiker, and devoted neighbor. She is proud to call Downtown Wilmington home.

A Virginia native, Libbie also lived in North Carolina and Georgia before moving to Newark, Delaware in 2010 with her husband, Casey, and children, Ellie and William. As a career educator, Libbie received her Masters in Education from Virginia Commonwealth University and taught in many schools: public and independent, boarding and day. A career highlight was creating a learning center accessible to children JK-12 grade. This allowed Libbie the opportunity to imagine, design, fundraise and collaborate with constituents of a large independent school in Georgia. The learning center continues to develop and promote quality teaching and learning that benefits the entire student community. Serving as Sanford School’s Lower School Head, Libbie oversees the PreK-4th grade division of this strong Pre-K-12th grade, college preparatory school. Devoted to the day-to-day learning opportunities and experiences of the children, Libbie is also actively involved in all administrative areas important to the life of an independent school including finance, marketing, enrollment, and program development.

Mr. Willis is Principal of The Willis Group, LLC, a lobbying firm located on the historic Green in Dover, DE. He is a former State Representative in the Delaware General Assembly. A lifelong love of politics, an education in government and law, and a reputation for bipartisanship and integrity among his legislative colleagues led to the foundation of The Willis Group, LLC.
He grew up in his family’s central Delaware automobile business, which began as a single point Chevrolet dealership in 1951. Mr. Willis worked in and around the dealerships from childhood. His automotive claim to fame is that, at the age of twelve, he wrecked his first car while moving cars at the dealership after a snow storm. After college, he worked in the dealerships as a manager before founding The Willis Group, LLC.
In 2012, Mr. Willis was invited to become a Fellow in the Aspen Institute’s Aspen-Rodel Fellowship in Public Service. This two-year nonpartisan educational program is comprised of twenty-four elected officials from all levels of government across the country. The program is designed to “bring together elected officials who have demonstrated an outstanding ability to work responsibly across partisan divisions and bring greater civility to public discourse.”
He was also a Fellow in Leadership Delaware.
A cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, Mr. Willis earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Government. He graduated from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary. During law school, he served as a Law Clerk to then Chief Justice Myron T. Steele of the Delaware Supreme Court. He was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 2006.
Mr. Willis brings a strong commitment to community service in both his business and personal endeavors. He has served on several boards and is involved in community activities including the Children’s Advocacy Center of Delaware (a nonprofit helping child victims of sexual and physical abuse), Atlas Corps (a NGO which facilitates international nonprofit fellowships), his local chapter of Ducks Unlimited, and Asbury United Methodist Church in Smyrna. He is a member of the Smyrna-Clayton Rotary Club and a member of Harmony Lodge #13. Mr. Willis, his wife, Laura, and their sons, Deane and Ellwood, reside in Clayton, Delaware.

Lindsay Richard is the Executive Project Manager for the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation and Carl M. Freeman Foundation where she manages special projects from the Executive Director’s office, including grantmaking.

Lindsay is a proud alumnus of Salisbury University and University of South Carolina where she earned her B.A. in Communication Arts and a Master’s degree in Sport & Entertainment Management. In 2012, she joined the Ocean City, MD Police Department as the Deputy Communications Manager where she managed the OCPD’s media inquiries and community relations. During Lindsay’s time at the OCPD, she worked part-time each summer at “The Freeman Stage”, a program of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation. Lindsay was eventually drawn to join the organization full-time in 2019 as the Executive Assistant.

Lindsay was born and raised in Sussex County to two multi-generational Delaware farming families and learned the impact of hard work and service from a very young age. Lindsay is inspired daily by her husband and their two young daughters. She enjoys baking fresh bread and burning it off on her bike.

Lindsey Sanford is a young female leader in the medical field. She is a graduate of Caravel Academy and Neumann University with a BS in Business Marketing. She was recruited out of college for the company she is currently employed with, RadNet. She spent a brief time in Virginia working for Sentara Healthcare. Upon returning to Delaware she was again recruited by RadNet. She has consistently risen through the ranks to her current position as Senior Director of Sales and Marketing. Throughout her lifetime she has consistently won sportsmanship awards and carries that team spirit in all aspects of her life. She is raising two remarkable children and paving the way for them to be leaders. Lindsey's "WE GOT THIS" attitude transfers into her day-to-day interactions with her kids/family, colleagues, and friends.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Lisa Bacot currently serves as Executive Director, Control and Exam Management at JP Morgan Chase. Prior to this role, she served as the Director of Governance and Compliance at Barclays Bank Delaware. She is a Pennsylvania licensed attorney and a graduate of both Widener University School of Law and Delaware State University, where she earned a BS in Accounting. She has extensive experience in accounting, auditing, governance and compliance, and is both a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor. Lisa also served her country honorably as a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, stationed at bases throughout Europe and ending her enlistment at Dover AFB, Delaware. Her volunteer activities include: Delaware Boots on the Ground, a non-profit organization created to assist military veterans and their families, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and Easter Seals of Delaware. She currently resides in Newark, Delaware and is a parent of two teens.

Louis Saindon is a native Delawarean who attended St. Marks High School and started on the 1990 and 1991 state championship and nationally-ranked soccer teams. He is a veteran of the United States Navy and served at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia and at Fighter Squadron TWO ONE THREE in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Currently, he is employed at the United States Census Bureau and is a Program Analyst in the Strategic Analysis and Planning Office (SAPO). In SAPO, he is developed an employee engagement strategy for the Bureau and is part of a team looking at ways to improve employee morale, communication, creativity and innovation. Prior to working at the Census Bureau, Louis was the managed the marketing division for Sandler Occupational Medicine Associates, Inc., and was a project manager at Citigroup.
Louis completed his undergraduate degree at Wilmington University where he was the recipient of the General Studies Award and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Following his undergraduate achievements he earned his Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership.
He served on the board of the Delaware Youth Leadership Academy and was a committee member for the Delaware Youth Leadership Network. He also enjoys playing golf, exercising, and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, where they reside in Hockessin.

Born in Vermont and now living in Hockessin, Luke has been proud to call Delaware home since 1994. In 2011, he made the leap from working in the Private Bank of JPMorgan to building his own financial planning practice where he specializes in comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning, insurance planning, and wealth management. Luke is also a proud Blue Hen having graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History in 2006. He earned the Certified Financial Planner™ professional designation in 2012, followed by the Certified Family Business Specialist certification in 2016. Luke’s consistent passion in life has been to act with a servant’s heart and help others where ever possible. This continues to be the driving force of his business success as a financial advisor, as well as what compelled him to serve 3 terms of elected service as District 5 Councilman on Newark City Council from 2012 to 2018. Luke enjoys supporting many large and small non-profit organizations in our community, and is actively searching for opportunities to become more involved since stepping down from his role as City Councilman in April of 2018. For recreation Luke will be found outside enjoying the beaches of Delaware, the mountains of Vermont, and traveling as much as possible.

Luz Elena was born in Tampico, Mexico. After being granted a Scholarship of Excellence (Beca de Excelencia), she graduated with honors as an Information Systems Engineer from the Tec de Monterrey in Mexico. She received recognition from the Rotary Club for her academic achievements, leadership in the Students Council, and community work. In 1999 she completed her MBA in Finance, while she was working as an Operations Consultant. In 2003 she relocated to Wilmington, DE to work as a Sr. Consultant. Luz had the opportunity to give back to the community when she became part of the LACC Mentoring Program. After seeing the diverse opportunities that Delaware offers, she decided to accept a job with DuPont in 2005 to extend her stay. Through her stay in Delaware, Luz has led different committees in DuPont and has actively participated as a volunteer in the Christiana Care ACE Unit, Mentoring/Coaching programs to help develop others, and promoting the arts in Wilmington. She plans to continue working on one of her passions: education. Currently works as a Process Design and Readiness Leader in DuPont and co-leads the education pillar in a recently formed non-profit,”Latinos Unidos”, as part of United Way of Delaware.

Malcolm Coley is a graduate of Seton Hall University with a BS in Chemistry, Malcolm believes in the intimate understanding of qualitative research as well as the sheer power and reach of quantitative measurement.

Malcolm is the Chief Technology Officer for Futures First Gaming, a STEM-accredited educational technology, and esports entertainment company. Futures First Gaming currently has a pathway partnership with Wilmington University where high school students can earn college credits or certifications through the Futures First Gaming Pathway Program. Futures First Gaming also has a workforce development program where participants learn 21st career development skills in Game Development, Coding, Entrepreneurship, and Event/Production Management.

In 2012, Malcolm Co-Founded Loc Nation, a support and celebration of the natural hair movement with a focus on locs. That movement has collectively amassed over 500,000 followers on social media via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tik Tok. Loc Nation also has a hair salon in New Castle, Delaware.

Malcolm is also the director of Digital Media for Influencers Lab Media, a full-service marketing company. Through Influencers Lab Media, Malcolm helped to create a podcast called "What's The Science, with the Lab Coat Boys" and a marketplace called Spending Black Matters, where the black Dollar continues to circulate.

Maria Stecker is the Grants Manager for the Longwood Foundation. In this role, she manages the grantmaking processes and analyzes proposals to find the best philanthropic investments for the Foundation. These grants aim to address community challenges by accelerating success in the nonprofit sector. Maria previously worked for the Delaware Department of Education where she launched and led educator talent development and management initiatives. These efforts focused on ensuring all children, especially those from low-income families and children of color, had equitable access to great teachers and leaders. Prior to that, she was part of the team that opened the Community Education Building and served as a Teach for America Delaware Corps Member, teaching middle and high school science in Wilmington. Maria holds a BS in Policy & Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a MAT in Secondary Teaching from Wilmington University. She lives in Glasgow with her husband and son.

Marietta Lundberg is the Director of Special Programs at St. Christopher’s Pediatric Associates (a partnership of Tower Health and Drexel University) in Philadelphia, PA. In this role, Marietta has oversight for the Child Protection Program, Special Needs Program, Division of Pulmonary/Allergy, Divisions of Adolescent Medicine, Nephrology, and Neurology, and is working to build a comprehensive Behavioral Health Program. Previously, Marietta served as the Assistant Administrator for the Department of Pediatrics at both Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (AIDHC) and Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA.

Marietta received her Bachelor’s in Business from Temple University and her Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Management from Widener University in 2012. In her life outside of work, Marietta enjoys spending time with her family, working out (and riding her Peloton with her LDI classmates #RideorLDI), and reading. Marietta resides in Springfield, PA with her husband and two children.

Mark Del Vecchio graduated from Dover High School and went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Business from Delaware State University and his Masters in Homeland Security from Wilmington University. Mark began his professional career working with low-income and minority farmers to improve their agricultural operations and build sustainable business models. He moved on to manage the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve where he helped preserve and protect critical Delaware species and habitat.

Mark joined the Delaware Army National Guard straight out of high school and has been on active duty since 2006. As a Brigade Operations Sergeant, he oversees the operation of an 800-man battalion which consists of Engineer, Transportation, Maintenance and Military Police units. In his current role, he ensures that each unit is ready for use during emergencies both in the State of Delaware and for Federal missions abroad. Mark has deployed twice to the Middle East and has served short tours at home along the Arizona Border and Gulfport Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He has been the Delaware Soldier of the Year and been awarded the SBI Duncan Award for Leadership. Mark looks forward to continuing to serve and protect the citizens of Delaware.
Mark stays active in his community and has worked with several nonprofits such as the Friends of Fort DuPont, the Delaware Enlisted Association, the Holy Cross School Board and the Dover Chapter of the Sons of Italy. He is currently serving as a Scoutmaster in his local Boy Scouts of America Troop. Mark lives in Dover with his wife and three children.

Mark Mazak was born and raised in Throop Pennsylvania, now residing in Rehoboth Beach Delaware for the past 7 years. Mark worked in the educational setting for over 20 years. Currently, serving the state of Delaware as an educational consultant, offering virtual online educational solutions, employed by Edmentum. He served 3 years as Sales Advisory Chair overseeing the country’s sales team. Mark is an esophageal cancer survivor. Mark is a member of the Cancer Support Community in Delaware and volunteer with the American Cancer Society.

Mark is a proud alumnus from Misericordia University earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. While pursuing his dream to educate students, Mark was a member of the Misericordia Division III Men’s Basketball Team. Continued his passion educating students by working at Baltimore  City Public Schools teaching 2nd grade. He continued his teaching career, instructing students in 4th & 6th grade over a three year tenure in the Mid Valley School District. During this teaching experience, coached boy’s varsity basketball and continued his educational pathway attending Wilkes University, earning a Masters degree in Educational Leadership. Mark served as Assistant Principal and District Principal of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment. During this time taught at McCann School of Business and Technology and Keystone University, as an adjunct instructor.

Mark Smyth is a native Pennsylvanian and current Pennsylvania resident who spent his formative years growing up and studying in Delaware. He has worked in Delaware for 15 years. Mark attended high school in Wilmington and completed his BS in Political Science at the University of Delaware in 2006. During his undergraduate studies, Mark earned valuable retail experience working full-time as a produce clerk with the Kenny Family Shop-Rite supermarket chain in Newark and Wilmington. Post-graduation, Mark began his career in business as a Business Analyst in Mortgage Banking. Initially, Mark worked for Wilmington Finance, a subsidiary of AIG in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania before joining ING Direct in Wilmington, Delaware in 2007. During his time at ING Direct, Mark helped lead the wholesale lending division through a loan origination system replacement project initially as a Senior Business Analyst then as a Project Manager. The project spanned three years and led to significant operational cost reduction in addition to improving loan submission quality.
Mark joined CSC in Wilmington, Delaware in 2011 as a Program Manager in the Digital Brand Services business division. Since joining the CSC, Mark has led efforts to reduce direct vendor spending by 1 million USD annually. He has moved into a leadership role where he manages an operations team with 25+ direct reports located both in Wilmington and in Singapore. Mark also leads an international “Icebreakers Team” at CSC that is dedicated to improving teamwork through community engagement in each of the ten global Digital Brand Service offices. In his personal life, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife Megan, a high school guidance counselor and field hockey coach, and his daughter Cara.

Markevis’ mission is to inspire people to find their passion and innovate their way to success. At the age of 12, a middle school teacher gave Markevis a computer and this event changed his life.

With this gift he quickly realized he had a passion for technology. Markevis then attended a tech-focused high school program, majored in computer science & accounting in college, and went on to live in China for five years.

Upon his return from China, Markevis was reminded of that single computer donation from years prior. He thought, “If one computer was able to change my life in such a way, what can 100 computer donations do per year?”

And that’s what he did. He started selling computers online to sustain donations. From here, NERDiT NOW was born. Today NERDiT NOW has donated over 3,000 computers to at-risk communities throughout Delaware. This is done mostly through, The NERDiT Foundation 501c3.

Markevis and NERDiT NOW have been featured on ABC’s Shark Tank, NBC News, The Washington Post, and more. Currently, he is focused on the continued growth of NERDiT NOW, starting the first I.T recycling company in the state of Delaware, all the while building an I.T. apprenticeship to help close the digital divide.

Marsha Auld-Saunders is a Technology Director at Corporation Service Company. CSC provides solutions that help businesses form, evolve, and succeed in the U.S. and beyond. CSC partners with companies around the world to provide legal, compliance, online tax, and special administration services. We offer knowledge-based solutions that help businesses run smoother and smarter. Our personal approach and applied expertise create a competitive edge that helps our clients perform at their best. Prior to her tenure at CSC, Marsha was a Software Engineer at Computer Sciences Corporation for 12 years, where she assisted in the development of the software for the Aegis Naval Weapons System with Lockheed Martin. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Marsha emigrated to New Jersey as a teen, then later to Wilmington Delaware. She achieved a Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences from the University of Delaware. She still resides in Wilmington, with her husband Mark and their two lively children.

Martha Sturtevant capitalized on her four years as a Legislative Assistant for the Delaware State House of Representatives, when she ran a 2008 campaign for State Representative of the Eighth District. While working in the General Assembly, she specialized in land use and drainage resolution, constituent advocacy and worked closely with the community, attending nightly civic meetings and mediating on behalf of constituents with other county government and state agencies. A proud Military wife, Sturtevant testified before the House on HR11, urging immediate support of our troops and partnered with the USO to coordinate a statewide collection for troop care packages sent directly overseas. She was credited for inspiring the resolution.
In January 2011, Mrs. Sturtevant joined the Legislative/Policy Committee of Autism Delaware. A passion she has been building on for some time. As a mother with children of varying academic needs including Autism Spectrum Disorder & gifted, school choice and public education that meets the needs of all students is very important to Mrs. Sturtevant. Through school choice, her oldest son attends the International Baccalaureate Program at Mount Pleasant High in Wilmington, she has three children at MOT Charter in Middletown and one enrolled as a “typical” in the Appoquinimink Early Childhood Center preschool program.

Graduating in 1993, she witnessed firsthand the implementation of charter schools and the successful partnership with the Red Clay School district, which has forged her support of charter schools and their role in public education. Championing school referendums was an important introduction to state politics and education.

Sturtevant is a longtime Trustee and Secretary of the Brady Kohn Foundation, a Delaware based non-profit that promotes public umbilical cord blood banking. She is a three-time cord blood donor and is passionate about educating the public on the benefits of adult stem cell research and cord blood banking. She is a former Executive Director and graduate of The First State Series, Winning Women, Excellence in Public Service Series, and firmly believes in the unique experience women have to offer as leaders in our community. Winning Women is a leadership development program created to encourage and empower well-qualified women from diverse backgrounds to consider public service or political leadership.

Her community activism brought recognition from a community nominating committee honoring her as a runner up for the Hardest Working Person in Delaware. A native Delawarean, Sturtevant and her husband Michael, are proud to be raising their five children in Middletown where they are both active community volunteers. Sturtevant chairs corporate fundraising for the Big Ball Marathon, to assist Middletown, Odessa and Townsend individuals and families in need, and is an active member and immediate past president for MOMS Club International of Middletown, and parishioner of St. Joseph of Middletown. Sturtevant enjoys photography, kayaking, German Shorthair Rescue, genealogy research and has recently completed her third marathon.

Mary is the Creative Services Director at Draper Media, which owns a total of five radio and six television stations with affiliations including CBS, FOX, NBC, and Telemundo. The most prominent stations are WBOC-TV, WRDE Coast TV and 102.5 WBOC-FM, and all stations serve the Delmarva peninsula including Kent & Sussex counties. Prior to this position, Mary worked for TV stations in York, PA; Johnstown, PA; Longview, TX; Tulsa, OK; and Oklahoma City, OK. In her current position, she manages public relations including on-air promotion of programming and news talent, external media placement, and event planning. She also works closely with many non-profit organizations to coordinate sponsorship of their events and to facilitate production and scheduling of their public service announcements. Mary is the co-chair of the WBOC Jefferson Awards Committee, which honors local individuals annually for their public service efforts. She also chairs the Bless Our Children Committee, which raises funds for Christmas gifts for needy children and is administered by Draper Holdings Charitable Foundation.
Mary received her B.S. with honors in Radio-TV-Film and a double major in German from Oklahoma State University and an Instructional Design & Technology Certification from Delaware Technical Community College. She also earned her Master of Education: Applied Technology in Education from Wilmington University. Mary resides in Seaford, Delaware and is a Past-President of Soroptimist International of Seaford. She is on the Delaware Technical & Community College Communications Advisory Committee and has served on the Sussex Central High School and Seaford High School CTE Advisory Councils as well as the Sussex Tech Media Advisory Committee. She is also a board member for both the Western Sussex Boys & Girls Club and Children and Families First. Additionally, Mary is an Adjunct Instructor at DTCC Owens Campus.

Matt Ford is a communications professional with a wide array of experience including broadcast television, corporate communications, and as an educator. Matt currently works in Corporate Communications at Navient. In his role, he works to manage the company’s brand, and advises on and supports communication strategy to build the company’s reputation. Prior to his time at Navient, Matt held communications roles at DuPont and AAA Mid-Atlantic. Before that, he spent over a decade working his way up the ranks in broadcast journalism producing newscasts in Salisbury, Md., Lancaster, Pa., Baltimore, Md., and Philadelphia.

In addition to his full-time job, he teaches Communication and other social science courses at Delaware Technical & Community College.

He couldn’t stay away from the broadcasting world for long. This time on the other side of the camera. You can catch Matt on DETV Comcast Channel 28 co-anchoring “DETV News,” the first Delaware newscast solely dedicated to news in the First State in over a decade.

Last year, Matt was named to The Delaware Business Times Top 40 Under 40. DBT40 recognizes the First State’s best and brightest young professionals, all under the age of 40, who are making a difference with their intelligence, initiative, and innovation.

Matt Georgov currently resides in Wilmington with his beautiful wife, Stacey. He attended Archmere Academy and graduated from The University of Delaware with degrees in Finance and Operations Management. After graduating, he accepted a position at Citigroup in New Castle, Delaware where he experienced global back office banking operations for large corporate clients. This includes documenting the North America corporate cash payment process flows, returning checks, reviewing check imaging solutions and monitoring Electronic Data Interchange(EDI) payments. While gaining a wealth of corporate experience, Matt always wanted to start his own business with his father, Bruce.

With Bruce's support, knowledge and guidance, Matt had the opportunity to start Choice MedWaste in 2015 after years of industry research. Matt and his team safely, efficiently and professionally dispose of biohazard waste, which includes sharps, trace chemotherapy, pathological and non-hazardous pharmaceuticals, from our local healthcare facilities. During the COVID Pandemic, Matt immediately jumped into action to support our local retirement communities. Whether it was additional medical waste supplies and pickups or sourcing Personal Protective Equipment like masks, gowns, or sanitizing products, he made sure his team safely supported these facilities and their residents. Matt earns his clients' business by providing transparent and reliable service in an industry that previously performed the bare minimum for their clients. Through networking, cold calling and referrals, Choice MedWaste has grown month over month to become a sustainable and valuable business for our healthcare community. Matt's goal is to become the leading infectious waste disposal company in Delaware and our surrounding states.

In addition to Choice MedWaste, Matt also manages his family's property management company, M&R Investors. He is responsible for 60+ units of college rentals ranging from apartments to townhouses and single family homes in the Newark and Wilmington area. Whether it is a tenant or a healthcare facility, Matt promises the same exceptional customer service that distinguishes his family businesses from their competitors. In his spare time he enjoys fishing with his brother, outdoor activities with Stacey, sports and relaxing with his friends and family.

Matthew Lenzini serves as a Program Manager at Landis+Gyr. An industry veteran with more than 20 years of leadership experience building business plans, strategies, processes and managing large scale programs in the utility industry, Matt has a diverse background in business planning, project and program management, financial analysis, process improvement and cross-functional leadership. During ten years at Pepco Holdings Inc. (PHI), Matt was a Lead Project Manager over strategic initiatives and oversaw all aspects of the operation of projects and programs, developing, and supervising performance of project staff. He also has multiple years of experience formulating statements of work, requests for proposal, project plans, risk management plans, stakeholder analysis, and budget strategies. Matt regularly worked with business units and facilitated the development processes geared toward reducing past-due accounts, write offs and unbilled consumption. Additionally, Matt provided support for regulatory rate cases.

Matt is a graduate of Georgetown University’s International Executive MBA program (2007) and holds Bachelor of Computer Science degree from Regis University. Additionally, Matt is aMember and Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, ITIL – IT Service Management Certified, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Novell Certified Network Engineer 3.x, 4.x, and 5.x and is enrolled to take Level 3 of the Chartered Financial Analyst program.

Matt is Chairman of the Delaware Colonial Region Republican Committee, Co-Founder of the National Tailgating Association and Varsity Motor Coach and Secretary and Executive Committee Member of the National Multiple Sclerosis Greater Delaware Valley. Mr. Lenzini is also on the Advisory Council for the Caesar Rodney Institute.

Matthew Terrell is Partner in The Signature Group, Founder of Vision Creations and Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware. He is passionate about creating new ideas and connecting resources to pursue opportunities. Matt’s role at the Signature Group is business development for all of the portfolio companies. His high energy and unique approach of solving client needs and connecting people generates growth at The Signature Group. Matt’s community service ranges from Leadership Delaware Fellow ’10, Founding Board Member of the Delaware Community Foundation Next Generation Board, Board Member of the Delaware Community Foundation Grants Committee and teaching both Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship and Junior Achievement. Matt is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in the Dominican Republic Small Business Development, he has a Master’s in Education and studied Entrepreneurship at Babson College. He lives in Wilmington, DE with his wife and their two daughters.

Dr. Matt Wilson is an Associate Professor and Director of Liberal Arts at Wilmington University. He also serves as the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) to the NCAA for the University. Matt holds degrees in psychology, ministry, and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Innovation and Leadership. During his time at Wilmington University, he has served on a variety of committees including Chair of the Faculty Senate’s policy committee, curriculum committee, the Middle States Accreditation Self-Study Steering Committee, and two terms as the Chair of the Faculty Senate. He also serves on several committees with the NCAA.

At the age of 29, Matt was diagnosed with early stage pancreatic cancer. Fortunately, surgery was successful and he was declared cancer-free around Christmas of that year. Since his year anniversary, Matt has been volunteering with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on both local and national levels. Currently, he the Advocacy Chair for the State of Delaware and a member of the Community Engagement Committee of the Board of Directors.
One of Matt’s biggest passions is service work which includes building projects in Mexico, volunteering at food banks and homeless shelters, and extensive disaster relief work with clean up and rebuilding in the Gulf Coast and New Jersey/New York.

Matt is a renowned speaker having spoken in a variety of arenas nationally and internationally, including several radio, podcast and TV appearances, which include Good Morning America and Inside Edition. He has been recognized nationally for his diverse work including the Randy Pausch Award, the NCAA's FAR of the Year and being named one of Delaware’s 40 under 40.

Matt serves as the Senior Director of Online Learning at Wilmington University, overseeing the design and development of the University’s online program
offerings. He’s also an adjunct professor in Wilmington University’s Doctor of
Educational Leadership and Undergraduate Communication programs. Prior to working at Wilmington University, Matt was the Director of the Delaware Center for Distance Adult Learning, a nonprofit which offers online James H. Groves High School programming and GED preparation for Delaware residents. Matt is a past Vice President and President of the Delaware Association of Adult and Community Education (DAACE) and currently serves on the board of the Delaware Center for Distance Adult Learning. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Communication from the University of Delaware and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Wilmington University.