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.
Education
Dorrell Green will be the new superintendent of the Red Clay Consolidated School District, taking responsibility for a diverse district of 17,000 young people that includes part of Wilmington and the suburbs west and southwest of the city. Green, 43, has spent the last 18 months as director of the fledgling Office of Innovation and Improvement under Gov. John Carney. Some schools in the Red Clay district are known for innovation and success, such as the Conrad Schools of Science for students in grades six through 12. Others are high-poverty schools known for abysmal student performance, like Warner Elementary, which was once slated for closure but has made small gains in proficiency. Overall, 39 percent of Red Clay students scored proficient in math and 51 percent were proficient in math last year in standardized tests — both below the state average.
John Long has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer at the University of Delaware. Long will join the university March 11. He currently serves as chief operating officer and special adviser to the senior vice president of strategic financial strategies at the University of South Florida, where he oversees that university’s business, administrative, audit and compliance, public safety and IT functions.
Leadership
Morrow, Georgia-based Women in Leadership Development & Empowerment Inc. (WILDE), a professional women’s 501(c)(3) public charity that serves to improve the lives of women, children and underserved communities through Education, Mentorship, Leadership and Community Service, presented its Jessie Arrey-Mbi Leadership & Service Award to three Delaware women for their commitment to service and improving the lives of women and families. The award was presented March 2 at a WILDE-sponsored conference in Dover. Winners were:
• Delaware YWCA CEO Stephanie Staats.
• Pamela Rizzo of The County Women’s Journal.
• Erika Broadwater, president of the National Association of African
Americans in Human Resources.
Banking
Paul Degnars has joined Artisans’ Bank as vice president of residential lending. Degnars has previously worked at MBNA, Barclays Bank, and JP Morgan Chase over his 20-plus-year career.
Real estate
Ryan Bennett is the new chief financial officer and controller for Hockessin-based Delaware Valley Development Group. Bennett comes with more than eight years of public and private accounting experience, including several years of specialized experience in low-income housing tax credit projects. He will be responsible for DVDG’s overall financial strategy and will provide significant oversight of the construction and transition phases of development projects. Bennett is a CPA in Delaware.
Kimberly Davis is the 2019 President of New Castle County Association of REALTORS. Kimberly worked in senior housing for many years before getting her real estate license. Once licensed, she started her career with Re/Max Central. Kimberly has been in the real estate Industry for nearly 20 years and is the broker-owner of Innovations Realty Solutions.
Health Care
Brian Wells, a dietary assistant at Beebe Healthcare, was the February 2019 recipient of the company’s Living Our Values Every Day (L.O.V.E.) Award.
Legal
Greg Varallo, president of Richards, Layton & Finger, has been elected as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Fellowship in the college is by invitation only.
Nonprofit
Janet Berry has joined Autism Delaware as associate executive director. She manages the administrative work necessary to develop and implement the business, regulatory, and financial affairs of Autism Delaware. In addition, she directs strategic communications and fundraising initiatives. In the past she has served as interim executive director at People’s Place II; executive director at BlindSight Delaware (previously known as the Delaware Association for the Blind); and vice president of membership, program and properties,
and volunteerism at the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay Council Inc.
Vernita Dorsey was recently named chairwoman of Philanthropy Delaware’s board of directors for 2019-2020. Vernita, a Senior Vice President and Director of Community Strategy at WSFS Bank, assumed her role
on January 1, 2019.
Hospitality
TKo Hospitality Management has presented Knockout Awards to associates who go above and beyond in fulfilling company culture with guests, owners, fellow associates and the communities they serve, including:
• Michael Schlegel, hotel manager at the Hyatt Place Dewey Beach.
• Annie Benjamin, housekeeping attendant at the Hyatt Place Dewey Beach.
• Phyllis Smith Tiller, guest service agent at the SpringHill Suites Newark.
• Maria Rodriguez, executive housekeeper at the SpringHill Suites Newark.
• Corinne Harrington, front office manager at the Surf Club Oceanfront Hotel.
• Patty Jackson, assistant general manager at the Hotel Monte Carlo Ocean City.
• Philippe Lespangol with TKo Hospitality.
Jeffrey Straub and Kathy Quimby were recognized as “Front of the House” Associates of the Year for the Delaware Hotel and Lodging Association. Both Jeffery and Kathy are associates at the Hyatt Place Dewey Beach.
Finance
Cover & Rossiter has announced the promotions of Luci Roseman to Manager in the Tax Department and Tina Truby to Senior Staff Accountant.
• Roseman, who joined Cover and Rossiter in 2011, is a member of the AICPA, Delaware Society of CPAs, and Wilmington Tax Group. She is also involved with Toastmasters International.
• Truby joined the Tax Department at Cover & Rossiter in September 2017 after a successful career in the chemical industry in product R&D and marketing research. She was awarded her CPA license from
in November 2018.
Utilities
Kyle McCullough of Wilmington has been promoted to plant supervisor at Aqua Pennsylvania. In his new role, McCullough will supervise compliance sampling programs, implement capital improvements, and perform treatment pilot studies and assist Aqua’s southeastern Pennsylvania water production and wastewater operations groups meet treatment goals and other support as required throughout its 32-county service territory.
Development
Kevin Shertz, AIA and Shawneil Jackson have joined the Salisbury, Maryland, office of Davis, Bowen & Friedel, a full-service architectural, engineering, planning and surveying firm.
• Shertz brings more than a decade of experience designing residential and commercial properties. He is a registered architect in the state of Maryland and was the 2007 recipient of an AIA Chesapeake Bay Chapter Citation Award for Architectural Excellence for a custom home he designed on the Elk River while sole proprietor of his firm in Chestertown, Maryland.
• Jackson joined DBF’s survey department as a land surveyor in August. He works with the Salisbury survey team helping conduct physical site surveys and collecting and analyzing field data on various job sites throughout the Delmarva region.
Tourism
William “Bill” Barrow has left his role as executive director of the Delaware State Golf Association, is no longer with the nonprofit organization. Barrow had been with the DSGA for 17 years, originally reporting to then-Executive Director Curt Riley, and then taking the position himself in 2008.
Kavin Schieferdecker is joining the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau as senior vice president, Convention Division. Schieferdecker joins the organization from Dallas, Texas, where he was the director of sales and marketing at the Hilton Anatole. He will lead the bureau’s convention sales and services team in achieving booking goals by proactively positioning and marketing Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC) to prospective groups
Government
Marie Holliday and Peter Kennedy of Cover & Rossiter have been elected to the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Governors and the Delaware College Scholars (DCS) board, respectively.
• Marie is Cover & Rossiter’s managing director, a role she has held since December 2015. Since joining the firm in 1997, Holliday’s area of expertise has been in Tax. In addition to serving on the Chamber’s Board of Governors, Holliday participates in a nationwide practice management (MAP) group through the AICPA and is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Delaware, Inc.
and Wilmington Tax Group.
• Peter heads Cover & Rossiter’s Audit practice. Since joining the firm in 1999, he has developed an expertise in not-for-profit accounting, auditing and tax issues and works with many of the region’s leading not-for-profit institutions. In addition to his role with Delaware College Scholars, Pete is a member of the Finance Committee of Christiana Care Health System, the Audit Committee of the Delaware Community Foundation, the Audit and Governance Committee of the Delaware State Employee Benefit Plans Management Board, and the EastSide Charter School Citizens’ Budget Oversight Committee.
Infrastructure
David A. Hoppenjans, P.E. of Landenberg, PA, has been promoted to Chief Engineer for the Delaware River and Bay Authority. He is responsible for Authority-wide infrastructure engineering and construction activities, including developing and directing strategic planning of construction and renovations at all DRBA facilities. The Chief Engineer is also a key player in the development of the agency’s Capital Improvement Program.
In Memoriam
Russell R. Dynes Sr., 95, of Newark, passed away Feb. 10. In 1951, he completed his Ph.D. at Ohio State University and joined the faculty of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. In 1982, he became chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware, remaining until 1989. In 1964, Russ and colleague E.L. Quarentelli created The Disaster Research Center focusing on social-science aspects of disasters. The work of the center became internationally known and developed cooperative relations with scholars around the world. The center moved to the University of Delaware in 1985. Russ earned Fulbright fellowships in Egypt, India and Thailand, served as president of the Fulbright Alumni Association, and co-edited a book on the 50th anniversary of the program. He lectured in over 30 countries around the world. He wrote and/or edited 11 books and more than 100 articles in professional journals and was also a member of the staff of the Presidential Commission on the Disaster at the Three Mile Island.
Stephen Papantinas passed away on Feb. 16, at the age of 94. Born in Palamas, Greece, he served Greece as an Evzone in royal honor guard from 1947 through 1949 and was a member of the team of Evzones who were dispatched in 1949 to campaign for aid to Greece at the White House with President Truman. Stephen immigrated to the United States and worked with his wife and family to build a local business in Newark, known then as the Hidden Hearth Inn.
Dr. Galicano B. Inguito of Newark passed away on Feb. 20, at the age of 91. After completing medical school at Manila Central University in the Philippines, Galicano immigrated to the United States and continued his residency training in General Surgery and Forensic Pathology in New Jersey and then in Delaware. Dr. Galicano worked as a board-certified forensic pathologist for 25 years for the State of Delaware, retiring in 1998 as the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner. He also served in the Delaware National Guard and retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Dale Cleo Reynard passed away Feb. 16, at the age of 84. After moving to Wilmington in 1966, Dale held positions as a chemistry/science teacher at Brandywine High School; Wilmington Friends School and Padua Academy where he retired in 1999. He received honors/awards for his teaching including Middle Atlantic States Chemistry Teacher of the Year in 1976 and Delaware Chemistry Teacher of the Year in 1984. He assisted with the facilitation of the Science Olympiad program in the State of Delaware as well
as regional and national tournaments.
Ralph N. Cicconi passed away Feb. 12, at the age of 77. Until his recent retirement, he was President of Ralph A. Cicconi Inc., locally known as Cicconi’s Topsoil. Ralph spent his career working hard to supply landscaping materials to countless New Castle County residents, businesses, and contractors. He especially enjoyed donating his products to local youth sports leagues for field-improvement projects.
Sheila Dorothy Rambo of New Castle passed away Feb. 16, at the age of 77. Besides working for the Catholic Youth Organization and Chase Manhattan Bank, she and her husband Bob owned Bear Building Supplies and Glasgow Home Center for 15 years.
Patricia Raquel Wood Bushweller (“Rocky”) of Dover, passed away on Feb. 21, at the age of 71. Rocky’s passion and dedication went beyond her family. She was very active in Kent County politics. She made lifelong friends as the volunteer Kent County Co-chair of Tom Carper’s congressional campaigns, as a two-term chair of the 31st District Democrat Committee, and as a volunteer in many other county and state Democratic campaigns. In 1996, she was recognized as Kent County’s Outstanding Democrat. Most notably, she was the campaign chair for her husband’s four campaigns for the Delaware State Senate.
W. Grant Nelson of Elkton, Maryland, passed away Feb. 20. Pastor Nelson was the founder and pastor of Glasgow Baptist Church for 46 years, where he served until his passing.
Edward D. Kee of Newark, DE, passed away February 21, 2019, at the age of 92. His entire working career was in the electrical industry. In 1972, Edward became vice-president of Diversified Lighting Associates of Philadelphia. While with Diversified, he was chairman of the board of directors. Edward was instrumental in growing it from a small company and now it is the largest lighting fixture manufacturer in Philadelphia. He was past chairman of the Lighting Division of Electrical Associates of Philadelphia.
