Slater to head Energize Delaware
Secretary of State Jeff Bullock announced that Andrew (Drew) Slater, Delaware Public Advocate on Friday, will assume a new role as Executive Director of the Sustainable Energy Utility, Inc., also known as Energize Delaware.
Ruth Ann Price, who has served as Deputy Public Advocate, will become Acting Public Advocate until a candidate is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Delaware State Senate.
“Drew’s knowledge and steadfast commitment to ensuring that Delawareans have the lowest reasonable utility rates will be sorely missed,” said Bullock. “In my years in state government, no one has been a more vocal advocate for consumers. Drew will have a great opportunity to promote clean and affordable energy in his new role, and I wish him well.”
The Division of the Public Advocate advocates for the lowest reasonable rates, principally on behalf of residential and small commercial consumers, consistent with the maintenance of adequate utility service and consistent with an equitable distribution of rates among all classes of consumers.
Slater was appointed Delaware’s Public Advocate by Governor Carney and confirmed by the Senate on January 25, 2017. Before becoming Public Advocate, Slater was then-Congressman John Carney’s Kent/Sussex Coordinator. He began his career in public service nearly 20 years ago as an intern for then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden on the Foreign Relations Committee and spent 10 years working for the Delaware State Senate.
Mitchell to lead the Division of Small Business
Regina Mitchell will lead the Delaware Division of Small Business as its next Director. Mitchell most recently served as the Acting Director of the Division of Small Business.
Mitchell has served as the Acting Director since April 2022, where she led a team that assisted small businesses, attracted new businesses, administered the Delaware Strategic Fund, and marketed the state as a tourist destination. Regina joined the Division of Small Business in 2018 as Business Finance Director and was promoted to Deputy Director in 2021.
The division is made up of remnants of the former Delaware Economic Development Office that were not spun off to from the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, a public-private entity that works to retain and recruit businesses with financial incentives and other assistance. The division offers small grants and managed loan programs in place during the Covid pandemic. It also manages state Strategic Grants
Originally from Bucks County, PA, Mitchell has been a Delaware resident since 2014. Shauna Slaughter, Deputy Director of the Division of Professional Regulation, has assumed the role of Acting Director of the Division. She succeeds former Division Director Geoffrey Christ, who left the position in December 2022.
WSFS names senior VPs
WSFS Bank, the primary subsidiary of WSFS Financial Corporation hired Brionna L. Denby as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Michael Dzielak, as Senior Vice President, Director of Financial Crimes.
Prior to joining WSFS, Denby served as Senior Counsel at Cohen, Seglias, Pallas, Greenhall & Furman PC. She previously worked as Deputy Attorney General at the Delaware Department of Justice, as well as Trust Compliance Officer at The Bryn Mawr Trust Company of Delaware (previously known as Christiana Trust Company of Delaware), a subsidiary of WSFS, among other roles.
She received her Bachelor of Arts in economics from Spelman College, her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law, and is admitted to practice in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Washington D.C., the U.S. District Court, District of Delaware, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Before joining WSFS, Dzielak spent more than 20 years at the FBI, most recently as a Special Agent on the White Collar Crime Squad. He also previously worked for Cross Country Bank (now Applied Bank) and MBNA America Bank N.A. in auditing roles.
He received his bachelor’s in accounting from Saint Joseph’s University and his MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Delaware.
Khan named chief scientific officer at ChristianaCare
Omar Khan, M.D., has been named enterprise chief scientific officer and vice president of research administration and scientific affairs for ChristianaCare.
In this role, Khan will oversee research administration across the enterprise, including the Office of Sponsored Programs, Office of Research Finance, Office of Research Coordination, the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and related areas. He will continue to serve as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designated Research Integrity Officer for the health system and will continue working closely with Chief Financial Officer Rob McMurray and Chief Academic Officer Neil Jasani to implement programs in research and grant-funded areas.
Khan continues in his role as president and chief executive officer of the Delaware Health Sciences Alliance, the academic partnership between major institutions of the Delaware Valley, led by ChristianaCare, and includes Delaware’s partner medical schools (Thomas Jefferson University and Pennsylvania College of Osteopathic Medicine).
Khan has been part of the Medical-Dental Staff since 2006, as a member of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at ChristianaCare. He attended the University of Vermont for medical school and residency and earned a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University. He earned a master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
DNREC names environmental justice coordinator, launches website
DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin today announced a new appointment. Katera Moore is the agency’s – and the state’s – first environmental justice coordinator. Moore will join DNREC’s Office of the Secretary to work with the state’s underserved communities, who historically have experienced disproportionately adverse human health and environmental impacts to their minority and low-income populations.
An educator who holds a doctorate in Earth and Environmental Sciences with a specialization in geography from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Dr. Moore is an urban geographer who uses an environmental justice lens to focus on and examine how socio-political structures contribute to disparities that impact everyday life, a release stated.
Secretary Garvin also announced the launch of a new DNREC environmental justice webpage designed to be a tool for two-way communication between the Department and communities. The web address is.de.gov/dnrecej. .
Prior to joining DNREC last year as ombudsman for the DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances, Dr. Moore served as the interim associate director of the Einstein Health Network’s “A Better Start” program, building a strategic plan to address community public health.
Lewes named marketing director at Prosperity Parnertership
Joseph L. Lewis III, a television producer with more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit marketing, has joined Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) as its new director of marketing and external relations.
DPP, a nonprofit public/private organization, leads Delaware’s efforts to attract, grow and retain businesses.
At DPP, Lewis leads marketing strategy and brand initiatives and works to align advertising and communications campaigns with the organization’s business development, innovation support and existing business engagement initiatives.
Lewis, a graduate of Duquesne University, most recently was self-employed, collaborating with firms such as Landesberg Design in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Community Marketing Concepts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Aloysius Butler & Clark in Wilmington.
Lewis also was executive director of the Jazz Bridge Project Inc. in Philadelphia; director of advertising and marketing for the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival and the Highmark Blues & Heritage Festival; and founder of the Black Bottom Film Festival at Pittsburgh’s August Wilson African American Cultural Center.
Dana board names new leadership
The Board of Directors of DANA, the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, has elected new leadership for a two-year term beginning in 2023. Fayetta M. Blake succeeds Dominic Canuso as Board Chair. Blake is the founder and Executive Director of Pathways to Success, Inc. as well as an entrepreneur with businesses in Delaware and Maryland.
Jennifer Cho succeeds Patti Grimes as Vice Chair. Jennifer is head of Citizenship / Community Relations for Barclays US Consumer Bank.
Charles Vincent was re-elected as Secretary of the Board. He is Executive Director of Spur Impact.
Vickie Young Beam was re-elected as Treasurer. Beam is a Principal of the Audit Department of Cover & Rossiter, where she leads many of the region’s most prestigious not-for-profit profit and for-profit audits.
Patton named Surf Bagel VP
Matt Patton has been promoted to vice president of Surf Bagel. Patton joined parent SoDel Concepts in 2013 as general manager of Catch 54 in Fenwick Island. In 2015, Patton became a director of operations, overseeing the daily operations of three restaurants. In 2021, he was promoted to vice president of construction. His duties included architectural planning, permitting, vendor coordination, progress reporting and interior build-out. Patton will serve as the Vice President of the bagel company with Wes Books serving as the Director of Operations. Jen Bradour, Joe Charles and John Sapienza are all Corporate Chefs for the brand and DJ Forcucci, Administrative Director. Karen Johnson and Liz Vitella, will continue to help grow the brand, Karen as the Merchandise Manager and Vitella, along with Katie Frederick, as marketing specialists.
Newark Partnership names Executive Director
Mark Arehart has been named Executive Director of The Newark Partnership. Arehart will oversees strategies and objectives for the development of Newark’s business community, a release stated. Arehart spent more than a dozen years as a journalist for NPR member stations, including stints at Delaware Public Media Dover. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas.
Horn program welcomes faculty member
Horn Entrepreneurship welcomed Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship Duygu Phillips. Phillips was formerly at Oklahoma State University, where she worked as a postdoctoral researcher after earning her M.B.A. in Marketing Analytics and Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship to complement a master’s degree in marketing from the University of Birmingham(UK) and undergraduate degrees from Galatasaray University in communications as well as advertising and public relations. Phillips has 15 years of experience in marketing consulting, including founding and running her own company.
Schaefer joins Delaware Wild Lands
Geoff Schaefer has been named a Conservation Technician for Delaware Wild Lands. He has a bchelors degree in Marine and Environmental Biology and has gained experience collecting fisheries data for NOAA.
