People on the Move – Aug. 13

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.

The Delaware Data Innovation Lab (DDIL) has announced the appointment of Ryan Harrington and Héctor Maldonado-Reis as associate directors. 

Héctor Maldonado-Reis (left) and Ryan Harrington (right)

Harrington previously led CompassRed’s data science team, where he was responsible for building data products for clients across a wide range of industries. He also led Open Data Delaware, where he focused on building a community of technologists in Delaware and advocating for civic technology to improve government.

Maldonado-Reis is transitioning to DDIL after his tenure as Data Science Fellow at The Lab. Maldonado-Reis is a biomedical engineer turned public health scientist that brings extensive theoretical knowledge and experience in research and analytics. Through his work, he hopes to continue integrating diverse data sources and approaches to distill interpretable inferences that help support community-level decision making.

Olivia Jamison

Santora CPA Group has announced the promotion of Olivia Jamison to Senior Accountant.  She joined the firm in August 2019 after interning during the summer of 2018.  Olivia is a December 2018 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. She is a member of the American Institute and the Delaware Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Lisa Mathena

Lisa Mathena, head of the Lisa Mathena Real Estate Group, has achieved the coveted Five Star Real Estate Professional status for 2021. Mathena is a 3-time winner, having also received the Five Star designation in 2019 and 2020. According to Mathena, “The FIVE STAR Professional Program is the only service award based on a combination of direct client and industry professional feedback, and I am incredibly grateful to my clients as well as my peers for their input.”

Award candidates are identified through evaluations completed by consumers. To receive the Five Star Real Estate Agent award, a real estate agent must satisfy five objective eligibility and evaluation criteria that are associated with real estate agents who provide quality services to their clients. The award process is conducted annually in each market. This award is limited to just 7 percent of all professionals within a specific industry and market area. Real estate agents do not pay a fee to be included in the evaluation process or to be named as a FIVE STAR Real Estate Professional.

Lisa Mathena is ranked in the top 1% of realtors nationwide and one of Real Trends 1,000 Best Agents in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2019 Lisa was named one of America’s Top 100 Agents.

Solutions IPEM’s Adam Weissend has passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. The 6-hour exam is the first of two exams that engineers must pass to become a licensed Professional Engineer.  After gaining four years of professional experience, he will be eligible to apply to sit for the second exam.

Weissend is graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Civil Engineering and joined the firm in June as an Engineering Designer. He is currently working on Lightship Cove and Cardinal Grove residential subdivisions.

Scott Kammerer, president of SoDel Concepts, recently announced the opening management team for the hospitality company’s newest location, Matt’s Fish Camp in Fenwick Island.

“I could not be prouder of this team,” Kammerer said. “They are a talented group who represent our company culture. They are also superior leaders, and I know they’re up for the challenge of opening a restaurant.”

(L-R) Brittany Gross, Charles Armstrong, Lauren Bohager-Herlihy, Ronnie Burkle. | PHOTO COURTESY OF SO DEL CONCEPTS

Seasoned SoDel Concepts veterans Lauren Bohager-Herlihy, a director of operations, and Ronnie Burkle, a corporate chef, will lead the team.

Bohager-Herlihy joined SoDel Concepts in 2011. As director of operations, she’s overseen Catch 54 and Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria.

Burkle, a winner of the Best Chef in Sussex County award, began working with SoDel in 2011. He was a sous chef and then executive chef before being promoted to corporate chef. He’s overseen the kitchens in Catch 54, Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria – both in Fenwick Island – Matt’s Fish Camp in Bethany Beach and NorthEast Seafood Kitchen.

Charles Armstrong, the executive chef, has been with the company since 2013. He’s worked at several SoDel Concepts’ restaurants, including the original Matt’s Fish Camp in Bethany Beach. Most recently, he was executive chef at Catch 54, and he helped make the waterside restaurant one of the area’s busiest establishments.

Armstrong will work closely with Brittany Gross, the general manager. Gross, who grew up in Pasadena, Maryland, began working in the industry at age16 and continued while attending West Virginia University.

After gaining management experience in a West Virginia brewpub, she joined SoDel Concepts in 2020. Gross previously managed Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar in Bethany.