Community Foundation welcomes two new board members
The Delaware Community Foundation welcomes two new members to its Board of Directors. The new board members are:
Thomas Hanson, a partner with the law firm Morris James LLP in Wilmington, where he is a corporate and commercial litigator. Hanson has served on the Executive Committee of the Delaware State Bar Association (DSBA), has twice chaired the Delaware Minority Job Fair Committee and is a previous Vice Chair of Legal Development of the Multicultural Judges and Lawyers Section of the DSBA, which, in 2011, awarded him its Leadership Award.
Hanson has demonstrated his commitment to community development and philanthropy, receiving the Wilmington Award for Community Service in 2009 and the Torchbearer Award from the DuPont Minority Counsel Network in 2014. He is also a member of the DCF Grants Committee.
Additionally, he has served on the Executive Committee of the First State Community Loan Fund Board since 2011, as well as the Regional Advisory Board of the Salvation Army since 2008. Hanson has been recognized by Benchmark Litigation’s Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Firms and Attorneys each year from 2010 to 2014.
Andy Staton, 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 has also served on the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council since 2009.
Staton served as an ambassador to the Beebe Medical Foundation, and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Sussex Family YMCA and the Leadership Council to the CAMP Rehoboth community center. A graduate of Leadership Delaware, Andy was instrumental in establishing the Southern Delaware chapter of the DCF’s Next Generation. In 2011, Staton founded the Andy Staton Foundation Fund at the DCF to raise money for programs battling childhood obesity, which is his primary focus as a community advocate.
Belfint, Lyons & Shuman announces staff additions, promotions
Belfint, Lyons & Shuman, P.A. (BLS), a certified public accounting and consulting firm with offices in Delaware and Pennsylvania, announced the following additions and promotions.
Kyle Hicks, Emily Schmidt, and Tyler Dorso join the BLS team as Staff Accountants.
Kyle Hicks received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 2011 from the University of Virginia where he majored in History and African-American Studies and earned an Accounting Certificate from Delaware County Community College. He is currently pursuing his CPA certification.
Emily Schmidt received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting with a minor in Spanish from the University of Delaware and is currently pursuing her CPA certification.
Tyler Dorso received his Bachelor of Science Degrees in both Accounting and Finance from West Chester University and is currently pursuing his CPA certification.
Steve Blahut, CPA, Joe Gaudio, CPA , and Lou Volpe, CPA have each been promoted to Supervisor.
Blahut celebrated his 14th anniversary this month and works in the firm’s Corporate Service Department. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from William Paterson University.
Gaudio celebrated his second anniversary this month and works in the firm’s Tax & Small Business Department. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from West Chester University.
Lou celebrated his seventh anniversary this month and works in the firm’s Accounting & Auditing Department. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware and currently resides in Oreland, PA.
Joanne Beach, CPA has been promoted to Senior Accountant. She celebrated her 4th anniversary in May where she works in the Tax & Small Business Department. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics and Economics and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.
Mitchell joins Christiana Care
Christopher Mitchell, M.D., is Christiana Care’s newly appointed director of Robotic Surgery at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute. He joins Christiana Care and the physicians at Brandywine Urology Consultants in Wilmington, having completed a two-year fellowship in laparoscopy/endourology at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.
He brings expertise in some of the most advanced and complex minimally invasive robotic surgical techniques in the field of urology today. With his arrival, Christiana Care is one of only a handful of centers in the United States to offer holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). This new procedure is shown to be highly effective in treating enlarged prostate or BPH (benign prostate hyperplasia), a non- cancerous condition that affects most men as they age.
McGill promoted at First State Manufacturing
First State Manufacturing announces that Corey McGill has been promoted to the position of Assistant Manager of Purchasing & Materials. “Mr. McGill has been with us for five years. We were fortunate that he ‘came with the building’ when we relocated, said President and Chief Operations Officer, David Hitchens. “His attention to detail and inventory practices are the backbone of our continued success with 100% on time delivery ratings.”
Rowe joins Corrado
Corrado Construction Company announced that Kevin Rowe, Project Engineer has joined them. Kevin graduated from the University of Delaware with his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering in May 2015. He at Corrado Construction as an intern in the summer of 2014. He gained experience in the field by working under the direction of multiple crew foremen and assisting project managers with job documentation, cost tracking and communication between office and field. He also has seven years of experience with hardscape landscaping and drainage systems.
Pirini joins Bernardon
Bernardon announced that Derek A. Perini, IIDA had joined them as Senior Interior Designer.
Perini is well-known in the region for senior living design, and has designed the interiors for several multi-million dollar Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). He has also been a speaker at both national and regional events for the prominent aging services organization LeadingAge, and a judge at the annual Environments for Aging Conference.
Perini will be involved in the firm’s senior living, multifamily, and hospitality projects. He has close to twenty years of design experience, and a few of his notable local projects include the Masonic Villages of Pennsylvania and the “Harvest Table” at Garden Spot Village. His projects have also extended into a range of other states, including New Jersey, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, and Colorado.
He is a member of several professional organizations, including the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments (SAGE). He is also certified with the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), where he serves on the exam grading committee. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interior and Environmental Design from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA.
Papa john speaker at event
Linda Pappajohn, Director of HR Consulting Services with Santora CPA Group, was a speaker at last month’s national conference for the American Institute of CPAs, the Association for Accounting Administration, and the Association for Accounting Marketing in Orlando, FL.
At the conference, the 26th annual award was presented to the top accounting administrator. Linda was recognized at this year’s conference as the first
recipient of this award and for her many years of contributions to the accounting profession. She heads up Santora CPA Group’s HR Consulting Division.
Downtown Visions announces executive committee
The Board of Directors of Downtown Visions, which is the non-profit management company of Wilmington’s Downtown Business Improvement District recently announced its executive board.
They are: Norman Pernick, Esq., Chair, Peggy Strine, First Vice Chair, Karl Wagner, Treasurer, Martin P. Hageman, Secretary, David S. Swayze, Esq., John Kaczowka, Jed Hatfield, Julia Han and Stuart Baron.
McPherson joins Wilmington Trust
Wilmington Trust announced Stephen McPherson as business development officer in Texas and the Southwestern U.S. region for the Global Capital Markets division. He will focus on growing Wilmington Trust’s corporate trust business in those regions, as well as serving current clients’ needs.
Prior to joining Wilmington Trust, McPherson was employed by Bank of New York Mellon as a client service manager in corporate trust.
He worked in various corporate trust roles at Wells Fargo and JP Morgan.
He has experience working with many large cities, counties, and districts across the nation on a wide variety of financing structures.
McPherson received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of North Texas.
