People on the Move is a rundown of recent hirings, promotions, appointments and other notable achievements by professionals in the state. If you’re interested in submitting an entry, please contact news@delawarebusinesstimes.com.
Chesapeake Utilities Corp. has announced the promotions of six company leaders, effective Jan. 1:
- Jeff Sylvester, promotion to chief operating officer
- Kevin Webber, promotion to chief development officer
- Michael Galtman, promotion to senior vice president and chief accounting officer
- Mike Cassel, promotion to vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs
- Stacie Roberts, promotion to vice president of corporate governance
- Lindsay Orr, promotion to assistant vice president and associate general counsel
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Jeff Sylvester | PHOTO COURTESY OF CHESAPEAKE UTILITIES[/caption]
Sylvester will assume responsibilities for all of the company's business operations. This includes oversight of the non-regulated operations in addition to the current responsibilities for the company's regulated segments. His expanded role will include propane operations, Eight Flags and Marlin Gas Services operations. In 2019, Sylvester was appointed senior vice president of Chesapeake Utilities.
Webber will increase his focus on new business development and expansion, including in renewable energy. He will be responsible for business development, energy logistics, sales and the incubation of new business opportunities such as RNG, hydrogen and a new environmental sustainability office. Webber was promoted to senior vice president of Chesapeake Utilities in 2019.
Galtman was appointed vice president and chief accounting officer of Chesapeake Utilities in April 2019. In his new role, he will oversee all accounting functions of the company and will assume the role of principal accounting officer.
Cassel will continue to strengthen efforts in gas advocacy with external stakeholders and advance strategic regulatory efforts. Cassel has served as assistant vice president of Florida Public Utilities since 2019 and led the Regulatory and Governmental Affairs groups for this subsidiary. He joined Chesapeake Utilities in March 2008 as a regulatory analyst for the company's Delaware and Maryland Natural Gas Divisions.
Roberts will continue to be responsible for corporate governance at Chesapeake. Roberts has served as assistant vice president of corporate governance since 2019. Roberts provides guidance to the company's leadership team, including the Board of Directors, on corporate governance and compliance matters.
Orr will continue to help develop and expand the company's internal legal efforts. Orr joined Chesapeake Utilities in 2019 as associate general counsel and provides counsel to senior management and business units on the company's legal affairs, including compliance with applicable laws and regulations, regulatory matters and major business transactions.
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Stanley Siegfried | PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTESIAN[/caption]
The Board of Directors of Artesian Wastewater Management, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Artesian Resources Corp., has named Stanley Siegfried as vice president of wastewater operations. Siegfried has over 30 years of professional experience in utility plant construction. He has provided Artesian with his high-level expertise in the design and construction of wastewater facilities while overseeing their efficient operation.
Siegfried initiated his professional career in construction after earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware. Siegfried went on to own a construction company, which Artesian contracted to construct some of its wastewater facilities. In 2018, he became the manager of wastewater maintenance for Artesian Wastewater Management and in 2020 he was promoted to director of wastewater operations.
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Steve Herst | PHOTO COURTESY OF BARNES & THORNBURG[/caption]
Barnes & Thornburg has added Steve Herst to the firm’s Wilmington office as a partner in the Government Services and Finance Department.
Herst represents public and private businesses and regulators in unclaimed property matters and escheat-related issues. In Delaware, he is deeply familiar with the state’s unclaimed property audit program and Voluntary Disclosure Agreement program. Most recently, Steve was a principal with Specialty Audit Services, a firm that partners with more than 25 state governments on unclaimed property examinations. Steve advises clients nationwide regarding multi-state abandoned property examinations, voluntary disclosures, and annual compliance. He also advises clients on corporate transactional matters, administrative law and commercial litigation matters.
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Dr. Dwayne Dexter PHOTO COURTESY OF INVENTIA LIFE SCIENCES[/caption]
Dr. Dwayne Dexter has been appointed as Inventia Life Science' new director of U.S. sales and will be based in Delaware.
Inventia is an Australian biotech startup working on advanced 3D cell cultures for drug discovery. Dexter was appointed alongside Inventia's $25 million Series B fundraising, which aims to grow the firm’s pharmaceutical and academic customer base and drive adoption of Inventia’s technology in the U.S. and Canada. Currently, three of the leading U.S. pharmaceutical companies are Inventia customers.
Prior to joining Inventia, Dexter served as the director of U.S. operations at Mimetas, a Dutch organ-on-a-chip provider.
New Jersey Audubon’s Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed (CDRW) announced that Kelly Knutson, currently serving as interim director, will become the coalition’s next leader on policy and partnerships throughout the four basin states. Formerly CDRW’s state policy manager, Knutson will be the first openly LGBTQ member to hold the director title in the coalition’s history.
Trained as a biologist, Knutson has spent his professional career advancing science-based policies to stakeholders, communities, and lawmakers to ensure that evidence-driven solutions are at the foundation of constituent advocacy and legislative strategy.
Previously, he worked for National Audubon Society facilitating their grassroots climate engagement in New York alongside Audubon chapters and active volunteers. Additionally, through prior work at NextGen America, Knutson was instrumental in inspiring the next generation of young and diverse voices to be engaged in civic processes and policy change.
He will immediately assume the role of CDRW’s permanent director and be based at New Jersey Audubon’s office of Government Relations in Trenton, N.J.
