People on the Move is 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.
Certified public accountant Alex Masciantonio has been promoted to partner of Gunnip & Company LLP.
Masciantonio joined Gunnip & Company in 2011. He received his Bachelor’s degree in accounting from West Chester University, graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA. He also received his Master’s degree in taxation from Florida Atlantic University.
Masciantonio’s areas of expertise are international tax matters, domestic corporate taxation, domestic partnership taxation, and tax planning for foreign clients entering the U.S. economic forum.
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has elected 23 new partners from its attorney ranks. The promotions will go into effect on Feb. 1. They include Wilmington-based lawyers:
Shannon E. German, who focuses on corporate governance litigation and counseling, navigation of corporate fiduciary duties, and representation of companies and their officers and directors in stockholder class actions, derivative suits, and complex commercial litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery and appellate practice in the Delaware Supreme Court. She also represents clients in complex business disputes in the Delaware Superior Court and securities litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
James Griffin-Stanco, who maintains a Delaware corporate law and corporate governance practice, providing advice to clients through all stages of a company’s life cycle, including with regard to fiduciary duties, entity formation, venture financings, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and statutory requirements. He also represents special committees of boards of directors in mergers, internal investigations and other transactions, and provides corporate advice in the context of litigation and appraisals.
Rayonier Advanced Materials’ Board of Directors has elected Vito J. Consiglio to succeed Paul G. Boynton as president and CEO, and board member, effective Jan. 1. Boynton, who has served as president and CEO since the Jacksonville, Fla.-based company’s spin-off in 2014, announced his decision to retire.
“In 2021, the Board of Directors commenced an extensive and well-planned search for a CEO candidate with the expertise and ability to effectively capitalize on the Company’s tremendous growth potential,” said Lisa Palumbo, Chair of the Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. “With his broad commercial expertise and operational acumen, Vito has a proven track record of driving strategic growth in the specialty materials sector. Given his strengths in areas of critical importance to RYAM, including strategy deployment, technical sales and innovation, we believe Vito is the ideal CEO to lead RYAM into its next chapter of growth and success.”
“I am honored to join RYAM and look forward to working with RYAM’s talented employees to continue building value and driving growth for its stockholders, customers and employees,” Consiglio said. “Having previously been a customer of RYAM’s, I understand the value proposition of its products and see the opportunity to grow demand for its bio-based solutions. Rayonier Advanced Materials is uniquely positioned in this competitive marketplace with its strong assets, broad product portfolio, and unparalleled technical support. I look forward to joining and leading the company as we define our bright futures.”
Consiglio, 57, has extensive global industrial and product experience and a proven track record of achieving commercial and operational excellence over a 30-year career. He most recently served as an advisor to multiple private equity firms on deals within the chemicals industry. Prior to that, Consiglio was with Ashland Global Holdings Inc., a global specialty materials company, where he served as senior vice president and chief commercial officer from 2018 to 2020, and prior to that, as group vice president, Consumer Specialties of Ashland from 2016 to 2018. Consiglio has also served on the board of directors of the Delaware STEM Council since 2018.
House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf recently announced that longtime House Majority Caucus Chief of Staff Sean Finnigan will leave his position later this month, and be succeeded by Lauren CW Vella.
Vella previously worked for the caucus in a variety of functions for more than eight years starting as a legislative fellow and progressing to legislative director. Most recently, she has worked for Attorney General Kathy Jennings as policy and legislative director since 2019. Her first day with the caucus will be Dec. 21.
Finnigan has served as chief of staff for the 26-member caucus since August 2011. Prior to that, he was deputy chief of staff for the caucus and worked as a Senate legislative aide. During his time as chief of staff, Mr. Finnigan oversaw a transition to more policy-driven and proactive communication efforts while maintaining direct constituent services. He hired staff to research and draft legislation directly for caucus members and expanded the communications team to grow and evolve with the increasing demands of social media and electronic forms of communication.
More recently, Finnigan served as a central person in coordinating the House’s efforts to safely continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, organizing and planning for virtual and hybrid sessions and committee meetings during 2020 and earlier this year.
“These past 10 years have been a tremendous and rewarding experience, making lifelong friends and accomplishing many great things,” Finnigan said in a statement. “I’m very proud of how we’ve grown as a staff to better accommodate our members and meet their needs and the needs of residents across the state. It’s been an honor to serve in this role and to have played a small role in the successes we have had in the General Assembly. While it’s bittersweet to leave, I know the staff will continue providing the same excellent service it always has.”
Christopher Moore has been promoted to director of education and community engagement at ChristianaCare. In this role, he will be responsible for the oversight and growth of all community health education programs, as well as continuing to identify and nurture community partnerships and investments.
A Delaware native, Moore is a graduate of the University of Delaware and a two-term AmeriCorps alum. His first and only assignment in public service was with Community Health at Wilmington Hospital. In the 15 years since, Moore has helped build the section into a diverse, wide-ranging section which supports the clinical operations of the hospital; provides quality education and connection to resources across the state; explores innovative ways to evaluate non-traditional health interventions; and invests in community programs that address the social determinants of health.
Moore also is on the faculty at Delaware Technical Community College, where he teaches English. He is an advocate for reproductive health education and access to resources. Together with Dr. Catherine Dukes and Dr. Judy Herrman, he has trained, presented and been published on topics ranging from the effectiveness of interventions for teens, including Wise Guys, to the use of inclusive language in education; the latter, via “Who’s at the Water Cooler” received national recognition when it was published by the Center for Sex Education as part of their anthology of lesson plans for sexual health educators. He is a fierce advocate of the LGBTQ+ community and commits much of his time and energy to service and philanthropy. He was recognized for this work in 2020 with a Jefferson Award for Public Service. That year, he was also appointed by Gov. John Carney to the State Council of the Arts.
The Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA) announced the election of new board members this week that include Delaware BioScience Association (Delaware Bio) president Michael Fleming.
Fleming will serve a two-year term (2022-2023) representing the Mid-Atlantic region states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
“The CSBA is a vital catalyst for this country’s thriving, unrivaled ecosystem of bioscience innovation and I’m excited and looking forward to serving on the board. There is no region with a stronger or faster growing life science sector anywhere in the world, and I’m eager to work closely with my neighboring state colleagues to be a voice for their associations and the great companies, research institutions and universities we are all so fortunate to represent. I’m also pleased for the terrific opportunity this presents for enhancing the profile of Delaware’s flourishing bioscience community on the national stage,” he said in a statement.
Justin Leahy is the new head brewer at Thompson Island Brewing Company, a Rehoboth Beach brewpub owned by SoDel Concepts.
A graduate of the Siebel Institute of Technology Brewing School in Chicago, Leahy recently worked at Peace Tree Company, a craft microbrewery in Knoxville, Iowa.
“Justin brings a wealth of knowledge to our team,” said Brewmaster Jimmy Valm, who oversees brewing operations at Thompson Island and the new Ocean View Brewing Company, which is under construction.
Leahy is taking on more of the daily tasks in the Rehoboth brewpub, allowing Valm to get Ocean View Brewing ready for a spring 2022 opening.
“Being originally from outside of Philadelphia, I’m really excited to be on the East Coast again,” Leahy said. “It’s been an absolute pleasure thus far working alongside such immensely talented, dedicated and caring people at Thompson Island and SoDel Concepts.”
