The board of directors of Junior Achievement of Delaware and Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame Chair Daryl Roberts announced the 2023 Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame Laureates.
The induction is scheduled for Oct. 26 at the Wilmington Global Innovation Center within the Experimental Station complex near Wilmington.
Bill and Don Budinger, Robert F. Martinelli, and Ayanna Khan will be honored at Induction Ceremonies late this month. Click here for ticket information.
Hall of Fame Laureates serve as role models to the thousands of young people Junior Achievement of Delaware serves each academic year. Inductees are selected based on the impact of their work on Economic and Workforce Development in the region via Invention/Innovation, Entrepreneurship and/or Strategic Management, a release stated.
Bios
WILLIAM D. “BILL“ BUDINGER
Bill is the Founder of Rodel, Inc, where he served for over 30 years as its Chair and CEO. Rodel began in a garage in Wilmington, Delaware in 1969. The company evolved into a global leader in precision surface technologies that employed almost one thousand people worldwide, while retaining the same spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation that guided its early successes. Today, Rodel’s work continues as part of the restructured DuPont Company. Bill served for over 30 years as its Chair and CEO. He is an inventor and holder of more than three-dozen patents including key processing technologies that enabled the return of semiconductor manufacturing to the U.S. in the 1990s. Bill was inducted as a Hero of Chemistry by the American Chemical Society.
DONALD V. “DON” BUDINGER
In the early 1970s, Don Budinger joined forces with his brother, Bill Budinger, and they together built Rodel, Inc., which became a supplier of materials critical to the manufacture of semiconductors globally. Don’s professional and personal honors include being named one of the Morrison Institute for Public Policy’s Distinguished Associates, an Honorary Doctorate degree in Humane Letters from Northern Arizona University, The Outstanding Achievement in Higher Education award from the Arizona Board of Regents, and the Distinguished Service award from the University of Arizona College of Engineering.
The Budinger Brothers are being inducted together, as were historical inductees Joshua & Thomas Gilpin, who established the first Delaware paper mill in 1787.
AYANNA KHAN
Ayanna Khan is president and CEO of the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce (DEBCC), which she founded in 2020. The DEBCC is a pioneering organization aimed at providing a platform for Black entrepreneurs and professionals to connect, collaborate, and thrive. Under her innovative leadership, the chamber has grown exponentially, in a short amount of time, becoming a powerful advocate for minority businesses in the state. Through strategic partnerships, educational programs, and advocacy efforts, Ayanna has worked tirelessly to break down barriers and create a level playing field for Black entrepreneurs in Delaware. Ayanna is an entrepreneur, launching small business consulting firm Khan Consulting LLC in 2015 following a 10-year Finance career with a major communication & technology DOW 30 company.
ROBERT F. “ROB” MARTINELLI
Rob Martinelli is Group Publisher, President/CEO of Today Media. Specializing in Lifestyle Magazines, Business Publications, Events, Digital Media and Custom Publishing, Today Media’s award-winning local publishing portfolio includes Delaware Today, Delaware Business Times, and specialty magazines such as Careers & Stuff. The annual Best of Delaware party and Delaware Business Times CEO of the Year golf outing and awards dinner are excellent examples of Today Media’s signature events that combine with its print and digital assets to create and sustain a cohesive sense of community among many, many faithful followers. Rob began his career with this second-generation family business in 1982 as Publisher of Delaware Today magazine. In 2012, Rob received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the City and Regional Magazine Association, and served as its president in 2003.
Past Laureates and Hall of Fame History
Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame History – Originally created in partnership with Hagley Museum & Library, the Hall of Fame honored historical and retired titans of industry for the impact of their work on economic and workforce development in the State and region. The Hall of Fame was later a partner with Accolade Alliance and began to include retired small business owners/entrepreneurs. More recently, M&T Bank led the transition to include current and contemporary leaders who serve as role models to Junior Achievement students through their inventions/innovation, entrepreneurship, and/or strategic management. A more diverse and inclusive selection process led to five Laureates of Color being inducted in 2020 and 2021, and a growing pool of diverse candidates for future induction.
Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame Past Chairs -:
Roy Anderson – David Brennan – Michael J. Barrett – Chris Burkhard – Tim Butler – Charles M. Cawley – Ted Cecala – Howard E. Cosgrove – Alexa Dembek – Nicole Denson – Ernest J. Dianastasis – R. Keith Elliot – John W. Field – Bruce L. Hammonds – Charles O. Holliday, Jr. – Allen L. Johnson – Ellen J. Kullman – Nick Lambrow – William Levis Ben H. Lochtenberg – Charles Madden – Paul McConnell – Calvert A. Morgan, Jr. – Leonard W. Quill – Teri Quinn Gray – Rob Martinelli – Thomas S. Shaw – Mark Stellini – Andrea Thomson – Mark A. Turner – Edgar S. Woolard, Jr.
Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame Past Laureates –
1990: P.S. du Pont, Crawford Greenewalt, Joseph Tatnall
1991: Oliver Evans, Wilbert & Genevieve Gore
1992: Alexander F. Giacco, George Lobdell
1993: Joseph Bancroft, Irving S. Shapiro
1994: Jack Burris, Arthur S. Carota, E.I. du Pont
1995: Joshua & Thomas Gilpin, Edward Goett
1996: Walter S. Carpenter, David Wakefield
1997: Joshua Heald, Edgar S. Woolard, Jr.
1998: Carolyn S. Burger, Harry Levin
1999: Frederick G. Krapf, Jr., Bernard J. Taylor II
2000: Charles M. Cawley, John A. Krol
2001: Werner C. Brown, John W. Rollins, Sr.
2002: T. Coleman du Pont, Robert W. Gore
2003: John B. Campbell, Sally Hawkins
2004: Leon N. Weiner, Marvin N. (Skip) Schoenhals
2005: Leonard W. Quill, Leon F. Slocomb, Jr.
2006: Murray Berstein, Foster Friess
2007: Alan B. Levin
2008: Frank J. McIntosh
2009: Craig A. Rogerson, Dian C. Taylor
2010: Carol A. Ammon, Mark A. Suwyn
2011: Alan R. Burkhard, James A. Wolfe
2012: Arkadi Kuhlmann, Jim Kelly
2013: Daniel R. Butler, Peter Minuit
2014: Robert Laskowski, Verino Pettinaro
2015: Rob Buccini, Peter Morrow, Gary Stockbridge
2016: Ellen Kullman, Allen Fasnacht, Fred Sears, Paul McConnell
2017: Ernie Dianastasis, Rob Siegfried
2018: J. Michael Bowman, Robert W. Perkins, Terry A. Strine
2019: Sam & Mariah Calagione, Thomas H. Draper, Calvert A. Morgan, Jr.
2020: Devona Williams, William (Bill) Allen, Jr., Dana Herbert
2021: Vandell Hampton, Jr., Logan Herring
2022: Peggy Del Fabbro, William J. Farrell, William D. Provine
Presenting sponsor DuPont with Platinum Sponsor M&T Bank; Gold Sponsors Barclays, CSC and Delaware Business Times; Ensemble Sponsors Assurance Media and Wilmington University; and Friends of JA, Artesian Water.
Locally, over 16,000 students engaged with Junior Achievement of Delaware in the 2022-23 academic year.
