Delaware truly is a Small Wonder and it’s always a marvel of how small a world is when you’re out in the business community.
With a unique last name like mine, I’m now getting more questions about where I went to elementary or high school. That line of questioning helps narrow down the people I may have encountered along the way.
Delaware is continuing to grow – in communities along our beaches, in rural pockets in Kent County and in the suburbs surrounding Wilmington. We welcome those who are moving here in their retirement and seeking a new beginning or a family arriving for a new job – even though it may take a little longer for such new members of our state to feel the power of the 302.
At the Delaware Business Times, we hope that our second annual Delaware 222 will help our new neighbors become more familiar with key players in the “state of neighbors.”
Inside these pages, you’ll find a list of the most impactful business, nonprofit and government leaders. The Delaware 222 crosses industries that have long been established in the state, like banking and financial services and gets into newer ventures like technology and sports.
In addition, we hope to shine a light on some of these figures to signal to Delaware that they are the ones to watch as they continue to create jobs, shape public policy and serve communities in need.
The year of 2024 was also the year of “the great shake-up,” with many people changing jobs or retiring, including many cabinet members. While our print product is as up-to-date to these job changes in the fall, we also think that those who have since moved on deserve their moment in the sun as well for years of dedicated service.
Throughout the year, we have published many names from the list last year on our new website. We see this as a living document that evolves as the years pass. While you may have made the list twice, I encourage you to check back and see new information in your profile, as we will be refreshing it as the days pass.
There’s also a chance we’ve missed key people across the state and I hope you send me a note at ktabeling@delawarebusinesstimes.com about who you think should be on our 2026 list. If you’re on the list or interested in buying a copy, please call 302-656-1809 and let us know.
Who knows? Maybe we’ll see your name on the list very soon.
Katie Tabeling
Editor, Delaware Business Times
THE 2025 LIST
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
JC Barker, Delaware Symphony Orchestra
Tina Betz, City of Wilmington Arts
Brandon Cooke, OperaDelaware
Gayle Dillman, Gable Music Ventures
Sara Ganter, Rehoboth Art League
Molly Giordano, Delaware Art Museum
Patti Grimes, Freeman Arts Pavilion
Kristina Kambalov, First State Ballet Theatre
Neil Kirschling, Delaware Arts Alliance
Skip Pennella, The Grand Opera House
Leslie Shaffer, Delaware Contemporary
Carl Shaw, Wilmington Public Library
Matt Silva, Delaware Theatre Company
Halsey Spruance, Delaware Nature & Science Museum
Chris Strand, Winterthur
BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES
Elizabeth Albano, Artisans Bank
Ben du Pont, Chartline Capital
David Gillan, County Bank
Van Hampton Jr., True Access Capital
Tom Horne, JPMorgan Chase
Mark Hutton, M&T Bank
Rodger Levenson, WSFS Bank
Daniel McCarthy, Del-One Federal Credit Union
Don Mell, JPMorgan Chase
Abby Mrozinski, Wilmington Trust
Denny Nealon, Barclays Bank
Paul Ricci, Best Egg
Chip Rossi, Bank of America
Donna Vieira, Sallie Mae
Joe Westcott, Capital One
Katie Wilkinson, Fulton Bank
BIOPHARMACEUTICAL
Michael Fleming, Delaware BioScience Association
Herve Hoppenot, Incyte
Vance Kershner, LabWare
Eric Kmiec, CorriXR Therapeutics
Kelvin Lee, NIIMBL
Kris Vaddi, Prelude Therapeutics
BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS
Yvonne Deadwyler, New Castle County Chamber of Commerce
Carol Everhart, Rehoboth & Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce
Ayanna Khan, Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce
Sergio Morales, Delaware Alliance of Latino Entrepreneurs
Bob Perkins, Delaware Business Roundtable
Mike Quaranta, Delaware State Chamber of Commerce
Dina Vendetti, Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce
Lauren Weaver, Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Alysse Bortolotto, New Castle County Chamber of Commerce
Mike Bowman, Delaware Technology Park
Kurt Foreman, Delaware Prosperity Partnership
Rob Herrera, The Mill
Stephanie Johnnie, Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation
Liz Keller, Committee of 100
Renata Kowalczyk, Wilmington Alliance
Scott Malfitano, Delaware Workforce Development Board
Megan McGlinchey, Riverfront Development Corporation
Linda Parkowski, Kent Economic Partnership
Bill Pfaff, Sussex County Economic Development
Bill Provine, Innovation Space
Brett Saddler, Claymont Renaissance Development Corporation
Fred Sears, Council on Development Finance
REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Chris Baker, George & Lynch
Chris Buccini, Buccini/Pollin Group
Rob Buccini, Buccini/Pollin Group
Louis Capano III, Capano Management
Ed Capodanno, Delaware Association of Builders & Contractors
Neal Dangello, Newmark
Pete Davisson, Jackson Cross
Ernie Delle Donne, Delle Donne & Associates
Peggy Del Fabbro, M. Davis & Sons
Brian DiSabatino, EDiS
Larry DiSabatino, DiSabatino Construction
Greg Ellis, Patterson Woods
Wills Elliman, Newmark
Carmen Facciolo, NAI Emory Hill
Michelle Freeman, Carl M. Freeman Companies
Thom Harvey, Harvey Hanna & Associates
TJ Hanna, Harvey Hanna & Associates
Rich Julian, Eastern States Group and Benchmark
John Kaczowka, CBRE
Kevin Kelly, Leon N. Weiner & Associates
Jeff Lang, Lang Development
Joe Latina, LMT Real Estate
Bill Lingo, Jack Lingo Realtor
Greg Pettinaro, Pettinaro
Greg Sawka, Bancroft Construction
Chris Schell, Schell Brothers
Preston Schell, Ocean Atlantic
Bryon Short, Delaware Contractors Association
Dennis Silicato, Silicato Development
Jamie Vari, JLL
Tripp Way, DSM Commercial
EDUCATION
Tony Allen, Delaware State University
Dennis Assanis, University of Delaware
Mark Brainard, Delaware Technical Community College
Todd Clark, Widener Delaware Law School
Phillip Closius, Wilmington University School of Law
LaVerne Harmon, Wilmington University
Paul Herdman, Rodel Foundation
Colleen Perry Keith, Goldey-Beacom College
James Rhodes, EastSide Charter Director of Community Engagement & STEM Hub
Levi Thompson, University of Delaware College of Engineering
Oliver Yao, University of Delaware Lerner College of Business
ENERGY & UTILITIES
Rob Book, Delaware Electric Co-Op
Jeff Householder, Chesapeake Utilities
Drew Slater, Energize Delaware
Dian Taylor, Artesian Water
Phil Vavala, Delmarva Power
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Javier Acuna, Hakuna Hospitality Group
Tyler Akin, Le Cavalier
Marc Ashby, Ashby Hospitality
Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Brewery
Antimo DiMeo, Bardea
Kevin Finn, Iron Hill Brewery
Jeff Gosnear, Grotto Pizza
Carl Georigi, Platinum Dining
Scott Kammerer, SoDel Concepts
Chris Kenny, ShopRite of Delaware
Matt Kern, One Coastal
Carrie Leishman, Delaware Restaurant Association
Gianmarco Martuscelli, Martuscelli Restaurant Group
Michael Meoli, Meoli Companies
Lee Mikles, OMG Hospitality
Steve Montgomery, Starboard
Alisa Morkides, Brew HaHa!
Jim O’Donoghue, OMG Hospitality
Bobby Pancake, High 5 Hospitality
Alex Pires, Highway One
Scott Stein, Bardea
Michael Stiglitz, Two Stones Pub
Eric Sugrue, Big Fish Restaurant Group
Xavier Teixido, Harry’s Savoy
GOVERNMENT
Jeff Bullock, Delaware Department of State
Judge Colm Connolly, U.S. District Court
Judge Eric Davis, Delaware Superior Court, Complex Commercial
Shawn Garvin, Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control
Karryl Hubbard, Delaware Department of Labor
Nicole Majeski, Delaware Department of Transportation
Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, Delaware Court of Chancery
Col. William McDonald, Dover Air Force Base
Regina Mitchell, Division of Small Business
Justice CJ Seitz Jr., Delaware Supreme Court
HEALTH CARE
Tim Gibbs, Delaware Health Force
Susan Lloyd, Delaware Hospice
Nick Moriello, Highmark Delaware
Dr. Lynn Morrison, Brandywine Counseling & Community Services
Mark Mumford, Nemours Children’s Health
Terry Murphy, Bayhealth
Dr. Janice Nevin, ChristianaCare
Chris Otto, Delaware Nurses Association
Bruce Sachais Blood Bank of Delmarva
Penny Short, TidalHealth Nanticoke
Dr. David Tam, Beebe Healthcare
MANUFACTURING
Ed Breen, DuPont
Andrew Cottone, First State Hydrogen
Dora Cheatham, First State Hydrogen
Denise Dignam, Chemours
Lori Koch, DuPont
John Panichella, Solenis
Phillip Pylar, Mountaire Farms
Bret Snyder, W.L. Gore & Associates
Yushan Yan, Center for Clean Hydrogen & Versogen
MEDIA & MARKETING
Pete Booker, Delaware Public Media
Jerry DuPhily, TSN Media / Out and About
Mike Feeley, The News Journal
Konrad La Prade, Delaware State News
Mac Macleod, Carvertise
Rob Martinelli, Today Media
Paul Pomeroy, Aloysius Butler & Clark
Jet Phynx, Jet Phynx Films
Chris Rausch, Cape Gazette
Patricia Rivera, Hook PR
Sandy Taccone, Blue Blaze Associates
Wendy Scott, Blue Blaze Associates
Ivan Thomas, DE.TV
Greg Watkins, All Hip Hop
NONPROFIT
Sheila Bravo, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement
Stuart Comstock Gay, Delaware Community Foundation
Mary Dupont, La Plaza Delaware
There du Pont, Longwood Foundation
Rob Eppes, Junior Achievement Delaware
Brother Ronald Giannone, Ministry of Caring
Logan Herring, REACH Riverside
Cathy Kanefsky, Food Bank of Delaware
Maria Matos, Latin American Community Center
Colleen Morrone, Goodwill of DE & Del County
Jarrett Royster, YMCA of Delaware
Kenan Skelnar, Easterseals of Delaware & Eastern Shore
Michelle Taylor, United Way of Delaware
Dave Tiberi, Donate Delaware
John Wellons, Boys & Girls Club
SPORTS
Larry Meli, Delaware Blue Coats
Chrissi Rawak, University of Delaware
Bill Strickland, DE Turf
TECHNOLOGY
Zakiyyah Ali, Tech Council of Delaware
Desa Burton, Zip Code Wilmington
Patrick Callahan, LabWare
Patrick Callihan, Tech Impact
Stephanie Eldridge, Code Differently
Markevis Gideon, NERDiT NOW
TOURISM & HOSPITALITY
Jen Boes, Greater Wilmington Visitors & Convention Bureau
Pete Bradley, Kent Tourism
Tom Cook, Delaware River & Bay Authority
Vince DiFonzo, TKo Hospitality
Tom Kramedas, Axia Hospitality
Scott Thomas, Sussex Tourism
Jess Welch, Delaware Tourism
LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Faiz Ahmad, Skadden Arps
Robert Brady, Young Conaway
Doneene Damon, Richards, Layton & Finger
Keith Donovan, Morris James
Mary Dugan, Young Conaway/Delaware State Bar Association
Michael Hoffman, Connolly Gallagher
Michael Houghton, Morris Nichols / DEFAC
Bill Lafferty, Morris Nichols
Catherine Lyons, Lyons Insurance
Tom McGonigle, Barnes & Thornburg
Lisa Schmidt, Richards, Layton & Finger
Daniel Silver, McCarter & English
Shawn Tucker, Barnes & Thornburg
Peter Walsh, Potter Anderson & Corroon
Rod Ward, CSC
