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.
WSFS Bank announces Brionna L. Denby as senior vice president, general counsel, and Michael Dzielak, MBA as senior vice president, director of Financial Crimes.
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Brionna L. Denby | PHOTO COURTESY OF WSFS[/caption]
Prior to joining WSFS, Denby served as Senior Counsel at Cohen, Seglias, Pallas, Greenhall & Furman PC, where she was a member of the White Collar Defense and Internal Investigations, Government Law and Regulatory Affairs, Student Defense, Title IX and Scientific Misconduct practice groups, as well as part of the firm’s Women’s Initiative, Strategic Recruitment and Diversity Committees. She also previously worked as Deputy Attorney General at the Delaware Department of Justice, as well as Trust Compliance Officer at The Bryn Mawr Trust Company of Delaware (previously known as Christiana Trust Company of Delaware), a subsidiary of WSFS, among other roles.
Denby is a resident of Wilmington, Del., and is a member and past president of the Delaware Barristers Association, a local affiliate of the National Bar Association, the Delaware State Bar Association, Women’s White Collar Defense Association, Richard S. Rodney Inn of Court, and Delaware Supreme Court, Preliminary Review Committee of the Board on Professional Responsibility. She received her Bachelor of Arts in economics from Spelman College, her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law, and is admitted to practice in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Washington D.C., the U.S. District Court, District of Delaware, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Prior to joining WSFS, Dzielak spent more than 20 years at the FBI, most recently as a Special Agent on the White Collar Crime Squad, where he was responsible for investigating financial fraud and corruption, and was a leader of global and national criminal investigations in the financial institution fraud, money laundering, government fraud, healthcare fraud, public corruption, civil rights and child exploitation arenas. He also previously worked for Cross Country Bank (now Applied Bank) and MBNA America Bank N.A. in auditing roles.
He received his bachelor’s in accounting from Saint Joseph’s University and his MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Delaware.
Delaware Department of State name
Regina Mitchell will lead the Delaware Division of Small Business as its next director. Mitchell most recently served as the Acting Director of the Division of Small Business.
Mitchell has served as the Acting Director of the Division of Small Business since April 2022, where she led a team that assisted small businesses, attracted new businesses, administered the Delaware Strategic Fund, and marketed the state as a tourist destination. Regina joined the Division of Small Business in 2018 as Business Finance Director and was promoted to Deputy Director in 2021.
Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Mitchell has been a Delaware resident since 2014. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Communication from La Salle University and an M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
The Delaware Historical Society announces Ivan Henderson as executive director of the Delaware Historical Society (DHS).
Henderson has nearly two decades of experience in museum education in Delaware and Philadelphia. He served as the VP for Programming at the African American Museum in Philadelphia where he led the work of the Programming and Curatorial Services teams in designing a wide array of exhibitions and adult, family, and youth programming. Prior to that, he was the Curator of Education and Outreach for the University of Delaware museum galleries. A graduate of Harvard University and the Bank Street Program in Leadership in Museum Education, Ivan brings substantial connections in Delaware and across the country.
Henderson is the 21st leader of DHS in the organization’s 159-year history. He brings a strong academic background and extensive and varied museum experience to the role. He is an enthusiastic and visionary leader that will guide DHS on its trajectory to even greater heights.
Autism Delaware announces Dan Getman has joined the staff of the statewide autism agency. Getman has stepped into the agency’s role of fund development and engagement director. Responsible for meeting an annual revenue target, Getman is charged with achieving the agency’s strategic vision and initiatives that translate into operational goals and priorities related to community engagement, philanthropy, stewardship, volunteerism, and communications. To this end, Getman will oversee all fund development initiatives while simultaneously providing direct leadership to fund development and engagement staff.
Before joining Autism Delaware, Getman worked as the senior manager of donor relations at MANNA, a Philadelphia company that empowers people to improve their health and quality of life through medically tailored meals and nutrition education. A certified fund-raising executive (CFRE), Getman oversaw all of MANNA’s donor fundraising efforts, volunteer and corporate team-building programs, and board relations.
In addition to this effort, Getman has served as the retail account manager at the March of Dimes and community engagement and development manager at the Food Bank of South Jersey. The resident of New Castle, Del., has also authored a standard operating manual for volunteer management. Currently, Getman is affiliated with the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Philadelphia Marketing Council and serves as a board member and marketing committee co-chair for the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
The National Council of Nonprofits announces the election of
Sheila Bravo, president and CEO of DANA – Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, as the Treasurer of its Board of Directors.
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Sheila Bravo | PHOTO COURTESY OF DANA[/caption]
Bravo joined DANA as President and CEO in August 2015. She is the former Executive Director of the Rehoboth Art League in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Her professional experience spans nonprofit, for-profit, and academia. She began her career in advertising, then in brand leadership positions launching new products, expanding businesses internationally, and developing strategic growth plans for brands such as Vlasic Pickles, Godiva Chocolatier, Corelle Dinnerware, Corningware Ovenware and Pyrex bakeware. She transitioned to provide strategic planning, new product and leadership consulting services to mid-size companies and nonprofit organizations in a variety of industries. Her work led her to pursue a doctorate in leadership, specializing in nonprofit governance. Bravo has a PhD in Organizational Leadership from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a BS in Business and Languages from Millersville University. Sheila lives in Lewes, Delaware.
Kathleen Seeman, MEd: is a reading and dyslexia specialist who has spent her career working with non-readers in classroom settings and private practice creating successful programming and having a 100% success rate with teaching children to read. Kathleen was early to apply Positive Psychology in classrooms, spawning a local movement and speaks globally and the effects of Reading Trauma.
Seeman is an advocate, lobbyist and community organizer who is passionate about reducing Delaware’s illiteracy rate as well as the nations. She founded the Delaware Reading Summit and brought together the state’s stakeholders to build consensus around the Science of Reading. As a lobbyist, Ms. Seeman testified in front of the Senate and House Education Committees to help ensure several pieces of key reading legislation were passed and currently works with other states to create successful Science of Reading legislative campaigns.
Cole Schotz P.C. announces the addition of Stacy Newman to the firm’s Wilmington, Delaware office as a member in the Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring practice. Newman focuses her practice on corporate bankruptcy, business restructuring and other insolvency matters.
Newman represents a broad variety of clients in corporate bankruptcy proceedings, including debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, creditors’ committees, equity committees, and chapter 7 trustees. She also represents clients in corporate and commercial litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery and Superior Court of Delaware. In her previous role, she litigated on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, directors and officers, financial institutions and chapter 7 trustees.
Maestro David Amado announces his appointment as music director laureate at Delaware Symphony. This marks the first time in the DSO’s 117-year history that the organization will honor an individual with this distinguished title.
Amado is stepping back at a time of unprecedented institutional stability, allowing the Delaware Symphony Orchestra (DSO) to continue its growth and focus on striving to become increasingly relevant to the communities it serves.
Amado assumed the role of music director of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra in 2003 following a nationwide search. During his tenure, he saw the organization through difficult times post-recession in 2012 and the challenges presented by the pandemic in recent years.
As Music Director Laureate, Amado will continue to appear with the DSO, conducting selected concerts in the 2023-2024 season and beyond. In addition to concerts led by Amado, the DSO will welcome guest conductors next season, with a formal Music Director search beginning in 2024.
Goodwill of Delaware & Delaware County announces the addition of two new members of its leadership team.
Eileen Kemske joins as vice president of Workforce Development and
Sunaina Soares joins as director of Human Resources.
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Eileen Kemske | PHOTO COURTESY OF GOODWILL[/caption]
As Vice President of Workforce Development, Kemske will oversee the development, implementation and monitoring of workforce development programs and services. She will lead the organization’s community needs assessment to ensure that Goodwill’s programs and services are aligned with the needs of the community and are expanded to meet the evolving needs of employers and people facing barriers to employment.
Kemske earned a BA in Social Work from Holy Family University and brings over a decade of nonprofit management and workforce development experience to the role. She stated, “I look forward to working with our team and our community partners to ensure that Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County continues to build on our mission to offer innovative training and educational programs that correspond with current workforce and job trends in our region.”
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Sunaina Soares | PHOTO COURTESY OF GOODWILL[/caption]
Soares will serve as a strategic partner with organizational leadership in assessing, developing, and implementing resolutions to address human resources needs. Her expertise will be used to create talent, performance management and organizational culture strategies that align with Goodwill’s mission and organizational goals.
Soares earned her MBA in Human Resource Management from Temple University’s Fox School of Business and brings almost two decades of human resources experience to her new role.
Gawthrop Greenwood attorney Lauren A. Nehra has been admitted to the Delaware Bar and is now licensed to practice in the First State. Nehra is a member of Gawthrop Greenwood’s Litigation Department and specializes in several litigation areas, including matters involving contract disputes, landlord/tenant, guardianships and breaches of fiduciary duties.
Nehra was officially admitted during a ceremony at the Delaware Supreme Court located in Dover. She is one of six Gawthrop Greenwood attorneys practicing in Delaware. The 119-year-old law firm opened an office in Greenville in 2013 to accommodate client demand in the New Castle County area, at the heart of Greenville’s business district at routes 52 and 141.
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Lauren A. Nehra | PHOTO COURTESY OF GAWTHROP GREENWOOD[/caption]
Named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2022, a designation given to only 2.5% of lawyers in a state, Nehra was also recognized as a Top Lawyer by Main Line Today in 2022. She joined Gawthrop Greenwood in June 2021 after working in private practice at a civil litigation law firm where she focused on civil rights defense, employment law and general civil litigation. Prior to that, Nehra clerked with the Delaware Attorney General’s Office, where she worked in both the Criminal and Family Divisions and represented the state at misdemeanor hearings in the Court of Common Pleas. She also worked as a paralegal and then law clerk for a civil defense firm in Wilmington, DE.
Nehra earned her law degree from Widener University Delaware Law School, magna cum laude, as a recipient of the George B. Lindsay Foundation Award for significant achievement in legal research and writing. She is a member of the Delaware State Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association and Chester County Bar Association. She volunteers with The Garage Youth Center in Kennett Square and is active in the local chapter of the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).
Joseph L. Lewis III, a television producer with more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit marketing, has joined Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) as its new director of marketing and external relations.
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Joseph L. Lewis III | PHOTO COURTESY OD DPP[/caption]
DPP, a nonprofit public/private organization, leads Delaware’s efforts to attract, grow and retain businesses; build a stronger entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem; and support employers in place-marketing Delaware to potential employees. In collaboration with statewide economic development partners, the DPP team works with site selectors, executives and developers focused on where to locate or grow a business and helps with reviewing potential sites, cost-of-living analyses and funding opportunities, including available tax credits and incentives. DPP advances a culture of innovation in Delaware, working to connect innovators and startups with resources and showcase their successes. DPP and its partners support and advance the missions of companies of all sizes and sectors.
At DPP, Lewis leads marketing strategy and brand initiatives and works to align advertising and communications campaigns with the organization’s business development, innovation support and existing business engagement initiatives. He also helps build mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders, including DPP’s Board of Directors, investors and partner organizations.
Lewis, a graduate of Duquesne University, most recently was self-employed, collaborating with firms such as Landesberg Design in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Community Marketing Concepts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Aloysius Butler & Clark in Wilmington, Delaware. He previously was employed by Beach Advertising in Philadelphia and Acrobatique Creative and Mullen Advertising in Pittsburgh.
Lewis also was executive director of the Jazz Bridge Project Inc. in Philadelphia; director of advertising and marketing for the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival and the Highmark Blues & Heritage Festival; and founder of the Black Bottom Film Festival at Pittsburgh’s August Wilson African American Cultural Center. His other nonprofit work has been with the YMCA of Philadelphia; Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center in Camden, New Jersey; the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust; and Pittsburgh’s Kelly Strayhorn Theater.
As people worldwide prepare for the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGIS), Delaware-based Chemours Company celebrates Minjin Kim for her achievements in engineering, mentorship of aspiring scientists, and delivering sustainable solutions that impact the growth of the HVACR industry as well as the health of the planet.
At just 35, Minjin, Global Market Leader for the Stationary Air Conditioning, Heat Pump, and Chiller segments for Chemours, has overcome challenges ranging from language barriers to the industry’s unwillingness to train and even accept women in engineering. In fact, Minjin was once required to use a utility closet toilet at an inspection site because there was no women’s bathroom.
