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.

Richard Gold, president and chief operating officer for M&T Bank Corp., has announced his intention to retire, effective after the first quarter of 2023. Gold plans to remain on the board of directors of M&T Bank.
“It’s difficult to overstate Rich’s impact on our company,” said René Jones, chairman and CEO of M&T. “It has been his life’s work to instill and perpetuate a culture that we all take pride in — one that allows us to operate with a sense of purpose and feel as though we are a part of something larger. That focus on culture, coupled with a keen ability to identify and cultivate leaders, has ensured that we have an outstanding talent base to carry our purpose forward and continue to make a difference in people’s lives.”
After joining the bank in 1989, Gold held management positions in retail banking, business banking, mortgage, consumer lending and marketing. In 2014, he was named vice chairman and took on the role of chief risk officer. In 2017, he was named president and chief operating officer — the culmination of a career spanning five decades during which the bank experienced exponential growth, expanding its footprint to include 12 states and the District of Columbia.
Beebe Medical Group welcomes Dr. Leonard Lev to its medical staff to serve the people of Sussex County.

Lev will start seeing patients in Beebe primary care offices in the coming weeks through referrals from Beebe providers. A board certified psychiatrist, Lev will be able to offer a full complement of psychiatric services for patients. He also specializes in treatment of addiction disorders. Beebe primary care providers can refer their patients to Lev, meaning fewer Sussex County residents will be referred outside of Beebe or for telehealth services.
Plans are in place to continue growing access for mental health services across Sussex County.
“Mental health is an important service, and Beebe is working to create more access for patients who need psychiatric, mental health, and addiction services,” said Stephen Keiser, vice president and chief administrative officer of Beebe Medical Group. “Dr. Lev is just the start of our program as we will continue to build on these services for our community. Please welcome him to Sussex County.”
Lev is board-certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine. He obtained his medical degree from Samara State Medical University in Russia in 1988. He completed his psychiatric residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, where he was promoted to chief resident.
He has served as an assistant professor at both Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. His most recent position before joining Beebe was as the Delaware state medical director of LifeStance Health. He is employed by Beebe Medical Group and is a member of Beebe Healthcare’s medical staff.
“Sussex County is in need of access to high quality mental health and addiction treatment,” Lev said. “Beebe’s decision to develop that line of service is timely and admirable. I am proud to play a part in that effort, and happy to give anything I can to make it another Beebe success story.”
Beebe Healthcare is pleased to introduce Susan Lacomba, RN, BSN, MHA, CNOR, as the vice president of perioperative services.

In this role, Lacomba will lead Beebe’s perioperative team at the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus and Rehoboth Health Campus, which is anchored by the Specialty Surgical Hospital and Beebe Outpatient Surgery Center.
“Susan’s significant and varied experiences make her a tremendous addition to our Executive Staff at a time we are poised for significant growth in Perioperative Services,” said Rick Schaffner, chief operating officer at Beebe Healthcare. “Please welcome her to Sussex County and Team Beebe.”
Prior to joining Beebe, Lacomba worked at the Wellspan system in York, Pa., where she most recently served as the clinical director of perioperative services for Wellspan York Hospital. Her other significant experiences include associate vice president for quality and safety for the Geisinger Health System, associate director of surgical services for the Holy Spirit Health System, and assistant chief nursing officer for Carlisle Regional Medical Center.
Susan has obtained her master’s certificate in Six Sigma (Black Belt) from Villanova University, her Master of Health Administration from The Pennsylvania State University, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from York College of Pennsylvania.
“I am thrilled to join Beebe Healthcare at this exciting time of growth and advancement,” Lacomba said. “Sussex County is an amazing place to work and live and my family and I look forward to joining the community.”
InterDigital Inc., a mobile and video technology research and development company, today announced that it has appointed industry veteran, Rajesh Pankaj as its new chief technology officer effective July 5. Concurrently, Henry Tirri will move into the role of senior advisor to facilitate an orderly transition.
Dr. Pankaj joins InterDigital from Qualcomm where he most recently served as the senior vice president of engineering and head of corporate R&D, managing a global team of engineers focused on artificial intelligence, edge computing and new technologies. Throughout his 25-year tenure at Qualcomm, Pankaj oversaw research in 5G, 4G LTE, augmented reality and other technologies, contributing to an industry-leading wireless and mobile computing patent portfolio. His team developed a software platform for drones that was implemented in Ingenuity, the first vehicle to fly in the atmosphere of Mars. Pankaj is also a prolific innovator and is an inventor or co-inventor on 230 patents worldwide.
“I am delighted to welcome Rajesh to InterDigital as our new chief technology officer,” said Liren Chen, InterDigital president and CEO. “As a highly experienced and respected innovation leader in cutting edge connected technologies, Rajesh is perfectly placed to take our work in wireless, video, AI and other areas to new heights. I am particularly excited by his experience of working in a variety of industry verticals and horizontal technologies, such as deep learning, that are shaping a new, more immersive era of connectivity.”
Pankaj will lead InterDigital Research and Innovation (R&I), a global research team regularly recognized as industry leaders for developing advanced wireless and video innovations that have been licensed to billions of connected devices worldwide. A majority of InterDigital’s workforce are engineers, 90% of which are inventors, and InterDigital has exhibited their collective expertise and impact in mobile connectivity, content delivery technologies, and critical emerging technology arenas.
Pankaj holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree of technology in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Henry Tirri, for his dedication to InterDigital these past four years,” Chen added. “Henry’s passion and intellect helped guide InterDigital’s technology strategy into important new areas, and we thank him for his leadership of the R&I organization and his contributions to the company at large.”