Brandon Smith
Brandon Smith was appointed vice president and relationship manager for business and professional banking at M&T Bank.
Smith is responsible for providing traditional financial services and customized product solutions to business clients in Delaware.
Smith was promoted from M&T Bank’s Wayne, Pa. branch, where he served as vice president and senior branch manager. He previously held positions with Commerce Bank and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Smith is a graduate of Gettysburg College.
Caesar Rodney Institute taps Sandra Ware for board
Sandra Ware joined the Caesar Rodney Institute’s (CRI) board of directors.
Ware, of Lewes, is a native Delawarean and a commercial real estate broker who has been nominated for three consecutive years as Realtor of the year. She is the owner of Bay Breeze Properties. Ware recently served the community for six years as a statewide board member for United Way of Delaware and is a charter member of the Rehoboth Beach-Lewes Sunrise Club.
Katzins pledge $4 million for program at Nemours
Susan and Dan Katzin were honored by the Nemours Fund for Children’s Health with the Inspiration Award. This year, the Katzins pledged $4 million toward the development of a comprehensive clinical and research program for children with autism and other neurological disorders at Nemours/Alfred I. du Pont Hospital for Children.
The expanded program will improve access to diagnosis and treatment for children with autism and facilitate the creation of an autism-friendly environment. The Katzins’ donation aided in the recruitment of Dr. Diane C. Chugani, a renowned autism researcher, and Dr. Harry T. Chugani, an internationally prominent neurologist and epilepsy specialist.
“We are extremely grateful to the Katzins for their generosity and their vision,” says Lori Counts, operational vice president of the Nemours Fund for Children’s Health. “This combination of new technology with leading experts in the field will position Nemours to become a national leader in the neurosciences. But, most importantly, it will help us improve the care we provide children with autism and other neurological disorders.”
This Inspiration Award is given to Nemours Society members who personify philanthropy, generosity, willingness to approach others to join them in giving, and a commitment to the community.
The Katzins also offered to contribute an additional $1 million when the Nemours Fund for Children’s Health raises $5 million toward the overall program.
Karen Weldin Stewart named “˜key influencer’
Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart was named by trade publication Captive Review to its first Enterprise Risk Captive Pioneers list. The list recognizes 20 of the “key influencers” in the United States’ smaller captive industry.
“Commissioner Stewart has been the driving force behind Delaware’s rapidly growing captive industry and has taken a strong interest in the facilitation of captives for small and medium-sized businesses,” according to the publication.
In just five years, Delaware has become one of world’s preeminent captive insurance domiciles, in large part by providing a captive insurance domicile that has knowledgeable regulators and laws that encourage the formation of captive insurers.
“I’m honored to be included on this list of small captive insurance industry trailblazers,” said Stewart. “When I first became commissioner, I was determined to grow our captive program. Of course, my hard-working captive division staff has really gotten down in the trenches and worked with our ERCs to make sure they make use of all the advantages Delaware’s favorable business climate provides.”
Captive insurance companies are owned by the entities they insure, and are formed by businesses that wish to more efficiently manage the cost and administration of their own risk. Delaware is the world’s sixth largest and the third largest U.S. captive domicile.
DSU postdoctorate named rising star
Dr. Lathadevi Karuna Chintapenta, a DSU postdoctorate research associate in aquatic sciences, was awarded the Women of Color STEM Conference 2015 Technology Rising Star Award.
Presented at the recently held WOC Conference in Detroit, Mich., the award was given to young women who are helping to shape technology for the future.
A native of India, Chintapenta earned her Ph.D. in natural science at North Orissa University in India in 2011. There, in her marine microbiology dissertation research, she isolated and identified natural pigments from mangrove fungi that have been found to be potentially useful in the food industry as food colorants.
Later as a research associate in India, she isolated a protein medically and commercially important due to its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Dr. Chintapenta became a research associate at DSU in 2012. Since then, she has successfully trained about 20 undergraduate students in connection with their research projects.
