Meyer nominates Bell to lead Division of Small Business

DOVER — Christopher “CJ” Bell, who has served as New Castle County’s economic development director for a year and a half, has been nominated by Gov.-elect Matt Meyer to serve as the next Delaware Division of Small Business director.

Bell is the fifth New Castle County administrator considered to join the Meyer administration. The governor-elect resigned as New Castle County executive earlier this month.

“CJ is a millennial economic leader who has a unique understanding of the issues facing Delaware entrepreneurs,” Meyer said in a prepared statement on Jan. 9. “He has been an effective advocate for small business owners across New Castle County and I’m excited to have him as a champion for innovation at the state level.”

- Advertisement -

The Division of Small Business was established in 2018 under Gov. John Carney as part of his sweeping efforts to reimagine economic development efforts in the First State. On the recommendation of the Delaware Business Roundtable, Carney had disbanded the Delaware Economic Development Office and in its place established the public-private partnership the Delaware Prosperity Partnership to attract and retain large companies.

To support small businesses, minority-owned businesses and rising entrepreneurs, the Division of Small Business was created to help guide business owners through a network of resources. As there are 28,000 small businesses in Delaware that employ 227,000 people combined, the director of this agency will have considerable impact on how to support entrepreneurship.

Under the Carney administration, the Division of Small Business was responsible for the taxpayer-backed state grant program known as Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion (EDGE) grants.

The office also runs the Delaware Economic Development Authority, which manages and administers taxpayer-backed grant funding to businesses of all sizes. Its programs include the most well-known, including the Strategic Fund, Site Readiness Fund and Lab Space Development Fund.

Born in Prince George’s County, Md., Bell came to Delaware as an undergrad student at University of Delaware. After graduating, he stayed with a degree in psychology and public policy, enjoying the state’s low cost of living. He later worked as a personal aide to U.S. Sen. Tom Carper in 2017, right when the seasoned politician was facing his first primary battle in a decade. Bell also went on to serve on Carney’s re-election campaign.

New Courses for Busy Professionals

Working professionals are getting an exciting new lineup of noncredit course offerings from the University of Delaware – and plenty more are on the...

At the same time, he was building his career in politics, Bell launched a young professional group known as The Connect, where he caught Meyer’s attention.

He started organizing meet-ups and events throughout the state. That became The Connect, one of the rare young professional groups without a parent organization.

In his current position, Bell has overseen initiatives such as Building Better Communities, the county’s comprehensive approach to public safety for at-risk areas, the Commercial Corridor Program, and the Grow NCC Fund.

Meyer has been preparing for his tenure as Delaware’s top government official by announcing his nominations for his cabinet, which has included past government officials, industry leaders as well as many that had worked with him when he was New Castle County Executive.

He has nominated Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez, the current general manager of New Castle County’s Department of Land Use as the next Delaware Secretary of State, New Castle County Chief Financial Officer Michael Smith as the next state finance secretary. He has also nominated the immediate past acting General Manager in New Castle County Public works Yvonne Anders Gordon to lead the state’s department of Human Resources.

– Digital Partners -