People on the Move is a part of Delaware Business Times’ For the Record section, a rundown of recent hirings, promotions, appointments and other notable movements by professionals in the state. If you’re interested in submitting an entry, please contact news@delawarebusinesstimes.com.
Publishing
Ruth Gilbert has been promoted to Director of Advertising for Today Media Custom Communications. She will focus on sales management of multiple publications distributed to serve various audiences in the region. Ruth joined Today Media as Special Projects Manager, focusing on sales initiatives for a newly launched publication serving the Delaware HR Community, STUFF Made and Built in Delaware, and has worked as an Account Executive for Delaware Today Magazine. Ruth’s career in media sales and management spans almost two decades and originated in local broadcasting.
Nonprofit
Great Dames will honor three women icons at its 10th Anniversary Celebration on April 24. The women, Dr. LaVerne Harmon, Beatrice (Bebe) Coker and Anna Welsh, were selected not only for their unique and impressive contributions to their communities, but their ability to elevate and support other women with passion and purpose. T
- Dr. LaVerne Harmon is the first African-American woman to be named the president of any college or university in the state of Delaware. As the president of Wilmington University, she leads an institution that serves more than 22,000 students worldwide, both in-person and online. Dr. Harmon began working at Wilmington University in 1989 and held numerous positions while earning undergraduate and graduate degrees from Wilmington University and a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania.
Bebe Coker is a prolific champion of social justice in Delaware. Among many politically based efforts, Coker was appointed by former Delaware Gov. Pierre S. du Pont to join the Citizens Alliance for Public Education to ensuring peaceful desegregation of schools. She has volunteered for many organizations that support justice for young people, including the Christina Cultural Arts Center and the NAACP Young Adults Group. She chaired the State Civil Rights Commission and has aided numerous organizations focused on literacy.
Anna Welsh, the founder of Little Bags.Big Impact and an eighth-grader at Welsh Valley Middle School in the Lower Merion (Pennsylvania) School District, is a social venture entrepreneur. She is on a mission to provide quality books to children in underserved communities, among other altruistic endeavors. The Philadelphia Inquirer named a “Stellar Start Up” and Main Line Today magazine selected her as a “Leader on the Rise.”
Engineering
Alan G. Steinle, P.E., was named the 2019 Engineer of the Year by the Delaware Engineering Society at its annual Engineers Week Banquet on Feb. 21. In 1993, he founded Steinle Construction Engineers Inc., a Wilmington engineering firm, specializing in structural consulting, design services and building code review. The firm was acquired in 2011 by VanDemark & Lynch Inc., to form the structural engineering division, doing business as Steinle Construction Engineers. Steinle was previously named the Outstanding Young Principal by the Consulting Engineers Council of Delaware in 1988, and in 2013 was awarded the prestigious James M. Delahay Award by the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) for his contributions towards the development of building codes and standards.
Health care
Kenan J. Sklenar, president and CEO of Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore, has become a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), the nation’s leading professional society for health-care leaders. Sklenar is among only 9,100 health-care leaders who have earned this distinction.
Hockessin resident Marisa Maddox is one of the 29 people featured in a new public service announcement in Times Square this month for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Maddox, a colorectal cancer survivor, is an awareness ambassador for Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC), the country’s leading advocacy organization focused on colorectal cancer policy and research.
Banking
Gerard P. Cuddy, Karen Dougherty Buchholz and Michael J. Donahue have joined the boards of directors of WSFS Financial Corp. and its primary subsidiary, WSFS Bank, following WSFS’s successful acquisition of Beneficial Bancorp Inc. and its primary subsidiary, Beneficial Bank.
- Gerard Cuddy was president and CEO of Beneficial Bank from 2006 to 2019, and has more than 30 years of experience and local market knowledge. During his tenure, he led Beneficial’s conversion from a mutual savings fund to a public-traded company, and he engineered several successful mergers and acquisitions. In addition to joining the WSFS Board, Cuddy has been named vice chairman of WSFS Bank.
- Karen Dougherty Buchholz is senior vice president of administration with Comcast Corp. She has a wide array of corporate development responsibilities, including corporate real estate, facilities, aviation, diversity, political affairs, corporate services, business continuity, travel, security and sustainability.
- Michael Donahue is a business adviser, board director and investor with technology, media, and industrial companies. He spent 21 years in leadership roles at KPMG LLP, most recently as chief operating officer of the firm’s KPMG Consulting business unit.
Insurance
Womble Bond Dickinson has added a trio of the captive insurance sector’s leading attorneys to the firm’s Wilmington office.
Jeff Simpson leads the team, which also includes Andrew Rennick and Paul (Tres) Ostien. The three previously worked together at Gordon, Fournaris & Mammarella, P.A. in Wilmington.
- Simpson is a founder and director of the Delaware Captive Insurance Association and serves on its legislative and regulatory liaison committees, working closely with regulators. He is a director of the Self-Insurance Institute of America and chairs its Enterprise Risk Captive Advocacy Working Group, which focuses on government advocacy for the captive insurance industry.
- Rennick has experience in general corporate law, including governance and entity formation, in addition to his captive insurance experience. He is a frequent author on captive insurance topics. In the community, he represents abused and neglected children through Delaware’s Guardian Ad Litem program.
- Ostien served as a principal drafter of Delaware’s Revised Captive Insurance Company Act and helped form the Delaware Captive Insurance Association. In addition to his private practice experience, he practiced in-house with Alstom Power and Doncasters Group Ltd. He also served for three years in the U.S. Army and for seven years in the Army Reserves.
International Business
The World Trade Center Delaware (WTC Delaware) has added three consultants to its team:
- Dinette Rivera joined the WTC Delaware earlier this year as senior business consultant. Dinette is president-elect of Delaware’s chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). She is a University of Delaware Customized Learning Solutions Instructor, training hundreds of financial coaches for the state of Delaware’s Stand by Me Financial Coaching Program.
- Dana Dobson joined the World Trade Center of Delaware in January as director of marketing and communications. In this capacity, Dana develops and leads WTC Delaware’s overall communications strategy tied to global and regional goals and objectives. The president of Dana Dobson Public Relations, Dana is a well-respected public relations consultant, speaker and TEDx speaker coach with 30 years of experience working with both Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurs in a broad range of industries.
IN MEMORIAM
George Constantinou of Greenville passed away February 28, at age 93. Encouraged by his father’s love of food and cooking skills, he convinced his parents to open a submarine sandwich shop and named it Sophie’s. Shortly after opening Sophie’s he joined the Army to serve and fight for his country. After returning, he met his future wife Priscilla and they worked side by side and raised five children. After 10 years the family purchased the B&O Restaurant, which was renovated and became Constantinou’s House of Beef. The inspiration for Constantinou’s came from numerous restaurants he visited during his travels through various states. He studied each restaurant and incorporated ideas to fit his concept. George knew that dry aged beef, prime rib and great service by a dedicated staff would be successful, but the hospitality was the key ingredient. Through the 1970’s he expanded the restaurant by adding two more dining rooms and created George’s Next Door. In 1986 he sold the business and retired so he and Priscilla could travel around the world.
Rudi Carboni passed away March 4, at the age of 96. Rudi’s career began at DuPont in Central Research, which led to 20 patents. Over time, he moved from research into various management assignments, and technical ventures. When he decided it was time to retire, he agreed to stay on to act as director of University/Industry Collaborations.
Evelyn Armor (Haas) Thomson passed away March 3, at the age of 95. Evelyn worked for Ethan Allen Town and Country in Wilmington and co-owned Armor’s Hearth and Home with her husband, Merritt K. Armor, before retiring.
Stanley M. Hart passed away March 3, at the age of 92. While attending high school, he started his 77-year career at Al’s Sporting Goods, working his way up from a stock boy to purchasing Al’s in 1967 with Izzy Weiner. This success in his life can be credited to his surrogate father, Abe Kristol, and his greatest pleasure was when his son, Robert Hart, became his partner in 1984.
Dr. Aydin Z. Bill of Lewes has passed away at the age of 92. Dr. Bill was born in Istanbul, Turkey. After completing his medical degree at University of Istanbul and becoming a fourth-generation physician in his family, he immigrated to the United States for a residency program in psychiatry at Delaware State Hospital. He remained in Delaware, working full time for over 50 years. His accomplishments included founding the first mental health crisis hotline in Delaware; serving two consecutive terms as president of the Delaware Psychiatric Society; and serving as Clinical Director of Rockford Center. Dr. Bill was also a Physician Emeritus of the Medical Society of Delaware and Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
William H. Hartzel III of New Castle, passed away Feb. 28, at the age of 88. William was a retired Master Electrician who started his own business, William Hartzel & Sons, in 1972.
Jennifer Erin Fanny Duncan of Wilmington passed away on February 22, at the age of 42. Jen was diagnosed 15 years ago with Chiari Malformation, a painful and debilitating condition that severely limited her physical abilities and was later diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Syringomyelia. She was the driving force and lead organizer of Delaware’s Conquer Chiari Walk Across America for the past eight years.
