People on the Move: Mar. 25

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 get in touch with news@delawarebusinesstimes.com.

Elena Delle Donne | PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

President Joe Biden has nominated Elena Delle Donne as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition, a federal advisory committee that aims to promote healthy, accessible eating and physical activity for all Americans. Delle Donne, the two-time WNBA MVP and Delaware basketball legend, will chair the council with acclaimed chef José Andrés. In 2017, she founded the Elena Delle Donne Foundation to raise funds and awareness of Lyme disease research, special needs programs and animal welfare work.

President Biden also appointed two Delawareans to the President’s Committee on People with Intellectual Disabilities, which serves as a federal advisor to the president and the secretary of Health and Human Services on matters relating to persons with intellectual disabilities. The Committee has 21 citizens members who serve two-year terms.

Cathy Kanefsky | PHOTO COURTESY OF FOOD BANK OF DE

Appointed were Cathy Kanefsky, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Delaware, and Wendy Strauss, who recently retired after serving 23 years as the executive director of the Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens.Kanefsky has 30-year-old twins Sam and Adam who were born four months early and live with significant physical and intellectual disabilities, including autism. After 14 years in leadership roles at the March of Dimes, Kanefsky built and led national field operations for Autism Speaks and later spent five years as chief development officer at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children.

Wendy Strauss | PHOTO COURTESY OF STATE OF DE

Throughout her career, Strauss has worked for and with individuals with disabilities and their families to positively impact their lives through legislation, policies, and procedures.

President Biden also appointed Cherese Winstead, dean of the College of Agriculture, Science & Technology at Delaware State University, to the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science, which evaluates nominees for the National Medal of Science, a presidential award to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, social, and behavioral sciences.

She is a member of Delaware NASA Space Grant, Delaware Comprehensive Sickle Cell Research Center, Materials Research Society, American Chemical Society, and the Delaware Science Coalition. Winstead is founder and president of the Young Chemists Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the early education of underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

ChristianaCare President and CEO Dr. Janice Nevin has been named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Women in Healthcare for 2022. This is the second time Nevin has received this distinction.

Modern Healthcare chose awardees – female executives from different sectors of the health care industry – who are guiding health care improvement by influencing policy and care delivery models across the country. A panel of judges and the top editors of Modern Healthcare made the selections.

Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH | PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTIANACARE

The publication focused on Nevin’s leadership in ChristianaCare’s use of innovation and technology to aid in the battle against COVID-19 and improve health equity. It also called attention to her leadership in ChristianaCare’s collaboration with Highmark Health; through a new joint venture company, ChristianaCare and Highmark combine their expertise and capabilities to create better health and make health care more affordable for everyone by taking costs out of the system.

Nevin has overseen growth at ChristianaCare during the past year that includes a joint venture with AccentCare (formerly Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care) to expand in-home hospice and palliative care services throughout Delaware and a recently announced letter of intent to acquire Crozer Health, as well as the continued integration into the health system of Union Hospital in Cecil County, Md., which joined ChristianaCare in January 2020.

The recognition also highlighted Nevin’s work in promoting gender equity – from building an executive cabinet evenly split between women and men to the creation of ChristianaCare’s Gender Equity Taskforce, which focuses on issues like pay equity and leadership access.

James Spadola | PHOTO COURESTY OF LD

Literacy Delaware announced James Spadola to its board of directors.

As executive Director of Read Aloud Delaware, a statewide nonprofit fighting childhood illiteracy, Spadola brings more than 14 years of experience in relationship cultivation, public relations, marketing, and community outreach across Delaware’s private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Elected to the Wilmington City Council to the at-large seat in 2020, Spadola is a member of the Delaware Communities of Excellence Collaborative advisory committee, which focuses on developing a comprehensive literacy ecosystem that promotes equity and impacts Delawareans for the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in Delaware. An Iraq War combat veteran and former police officer, Spadola has also served as board chair of the Wilmington Housing Authority and was a former board member of REACH Riverside.

The addition of Spadola to the Board of Directors brings Literacy Delaware a connection to another statewide literacy organization which will help break down silos and build collaborations across the literacy landscape to empower all Delawareans through literacy.

Sallie Mae has named William Wolf as its chief people officer. Wolf will oversee all facets of Sallie Mae’s human resources function. He will succeed Bonnie Rumbold, who has served as Sallie Mae’s chief people officer since 2014. Wolf’s first day at the company will be March 28.

Wolf brings more than 20 years of HR leadership experience to Sallie Mae, most recently serving as chief human resources officer at Santander U.S. While at Santander, he led all aspects of HR for its U.S. businesses and 17,000 employees. Wolf also led Santander’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and pioneered its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Before Santander, Wolf served as the global head of talent acquisition and development at Credit Suisse and was a partner at McKinsey & Company.

Irwin Burton | PHOTO COURESTY OF TNC

The Nature Conservancy’s Pennsylvania and Delaware Chapter has announced two new additions to its Board of Trustees—Jenny Rose Carey and Irwin “I.G.” Burton. Carey and Burton bring years of experience and leadership to their new positions supporting TNC’s mission to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Carey is a renowned gardener, educator, historian, and author, and until recently served as the senior director at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Meadowbrook Farm in Jenkintown. She previously worked at Temple University for over a decade, first as an adjunct professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and then as director of the Ambler Arboretum. Ms. Carey has been lecturing nationally and internationally for many years. She is an avid, hands-on gardener whose gardens have been featured on the PBS series The Victory Garden, in the Wall Street Journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Green Scene magazine, and the Pennsylvania Gardener.

Burton is a lifelong Sussex County, Delaware resident, where four generations of his family have operated a prominent and successful auto dealership in the Milford area for more than a century. Now retired, Mr. Burton has remained active in the community, having formerly served as member and chairman of the board of directors for Bayhealth Medical Center, a Sussex County Council member, and a Delaware Council on Transportation member. He is currently a trustee for the University of Delaware. 

Santora CPA Group, a Newark-based certified public accounting and consulting firm, announced the following additions to its team:

Joseph Meyer | PHOTO COURESTY OF SANTORA

Joseph R. Meyer has joined SCG as a staff accountant. He is a graduate of Fairfield University in Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and a Master of Science degree in accounting. Meyer works on various tax and audit engagements, and he is currently studying for the CPA exam. He is a member of the AICPA and the DSCPA. 

Michele Camponelli | PHOTO COURESTY OF SANTORA

Michele J. Camponelli has joined SCG’s Small Business Services Department. She is a graduate of Wilmington University with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. Campanelli provides much-needed bookkeeping support to SCG’s clients. She is currently working towards becoming a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor.

Justin Kemmerer | PHOTO COURESTY OF SANTORA

Justin A. Kemmerer, CPA has joined SCG as a Senior Accountant. He is a graduate of West Chester University with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and finance. With Kemmerer’s prior experience working at other local CPA firms, he is a welcome addition to SCG’s team.

Andrea Mattson | PHOTO COURESTY OF SANTORA 

Andrea E. Mattson has joined SCG’s Small Business Services Department. She is a graduate of the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. Mattson provides much-needed bookkeeping support to both SCG and its clients. She is currently working toward becoming a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor.

Jonathan Arena has joined Vitesse Systemsas chief information officer. Arena will lead the company’s technology strategy.

Arena has over 25 years of experience working in leadership roles at technology managed service providers. He is the published author of “Cyber Security Essentials for Small Businesses,” and an adjunct professor in the College of Technology at Wilmington University. Arena serves on several academic boards and is on the Technology Forum of Delaware board as treasurer. The Delaware Business Times named Arena a “Delaware Achiever & Innovator Under 40.”  

RiversEdge Advisors, a financial planning, investment management, and retirement planning firm located in Wilmington, announced the addition of four new employees, Mike Hendrickson, CFP, Amy Solano, Greg Johnson, and Brooke Kuhlman.

Hendrickson and Solano join as financial planners, working with clients to help achieve their financial goals. Johnson joins as a CSA to optimize client experience by proactively assisting clients to meet their needs. Kuhlman joins as RiversEdge marketing coordinator, developing a comprehensive marketing plan and cohesive brand image for the company.

Also Gary Diegert, a RiversEdge portfolio manager, recently earned his chartered financial analyst (CFA) designation. He is responsible for preparing investment recommendations for client portfolios, monitoring portfolio performance, and conducting market and economic research. He also participates in the RiversEdge Investment Committee, where he leads investment manager research efforts and recommends changes to the firm’s model portfolios.

The Courtyard by Marriott Newark – University of Delaware has promoted Reid Hagan to operations management intern.

Reid Hagan | PHOTO COURTESY OF MARRIOTT

Hagan is a local talent, having attended Newark High School and most recently graduating from the University of Delaware’s Hospitality Business Management program. He officially joined the hotel team just a few months ago, but in that short time, he has already demonstrated his natural leadership ability and sense of commitment to his teammates. Hagan’s new role will embody the newly created Manager-in-Training program, designed to garner the best and brightest hospitality students to embark upon a one-year management rotation within all the operational departments of the hotel.