Who We Are
Chairman and Founder
Chris Kenny is a successful businessman, attorney, philanthropist, community leader and chairman of A Better Delaware.
As president and CEO of The Kenny Family ShopRite Stores of Delaware, Chris has led a doubling of ShopRite’s volume, becoming the market’s largest supermarket chain and providing good jobs and economic opportunity for 1,250 Delawareans.
His family, business, and the Kenny Family Foundation have collectively given $6 million to the community since establishing in Delaware in 1995.
Sam Waltz
Vice Chair
Sam Waltz, Vice Chair of A Better Delaware, is an award-winning and acknowledged leader in his profession and is active in the Delaware political and business world.
Sam’s history in the business community precedes him. He has been the chair of the Delaware Delegation to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business, Chair of two Governor’s Conferences on Small Business in the 1990s, chair of the Delaware Leadership Council of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) for 10 years from 1997-2007, and committee and board memberships at the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce and the Delaware Small Business Chamber.
Mike Castle
Former Delaware Governor and Congressman
Advisory Board Member
During 40 years in public office, Mike Castle served two terms as governor, from 1985 to 1992, before he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for nine terms. While in Congress, he served on the Financial Services Committee and on the Education and Labor Committee and was a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility and working across party lines to build bridges and form coalitions to find pragmatic, bipartisan solutions to some of the nation’s most pressing problems.
William W. Erhart
Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA)
Advisory Board Member
William W. Erhart became a lawyer in 1982 and focuses on estate and elder law exclusively. Bill’s time in the Marines after High School provided the foundation for his personal and professional path. Following his service, Bill entered the Reformed Episcopal Seminary, earning his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1979. After graduation from Rutgers Law School, Bill served as law clerk for Superior Court and began his legal career as a prosecutor before entering private practice.
Throughout his career Erhart has helped thousands of individuals and families with estate planning, family trusts, veterans’ benefits, Medicaid planning and probate. Erhart’s professional associations include Delaware State Bar Elder Law Section Chair (2010-2012), National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and National Elder Law Foundation. Erhart has been recognized as a top Delaware Elder Law Attorney by Delaware Today Magazine, Super Lawyer Magazine, and Peers.
Dr. Greg DeMeo, D.O.
Advisory Board Member
Dr. DeMeo is the medical director of Christiana Care’s Labor and Delivery Department and is certified in the Da Vinci robotic surgical system and specializes in minimally invasive surgical techniques. Throughout the past ten years, DeMeo has held numerous leadership positions for The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He currently represents that organization at the national level where he focuses on issues related to Medicare reimbursement.
David Legates
Advisory Board Member
- Published more than 125 times in refereed journals, conference proceedings, and monograph series
- More than 250 professional presentations.
- Former Executive Director of the US Global Change
Legates is a retired tenured professor of climatology, geography, and spatial sciences in the Department of Geography at the University of Delaware and a retired adjunct professor in the Department of Applied Economics and Statistics.
Dennis E. Godek
Advisory Board Member
- Former assistant chief of career services with the Christiana Fire Company
- 2016 President of the New Castle County Fire Chiefs Association
- 24-year veteran of the Newcastle County Police Department
Since his retirement from NCCPD, Dennis has served as town manager of Elsmere, worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, served as vice president of a public safety consulting firm in New Jersey, and conducted federal security clearance investigations for the Department of Defense, U.S. Customs, and the National Security Agency.
Hon. William L. Witham, Jr.
Advisory Board Member
- Recently retired Kent County Resident Judge.
- Served over 40 years in Delaware’s justice system.
- Former leader in the US Army Reserve and National Guard with 34 years of service.
Utilizing 34 years of service in the Delaware National Guard including Deputy Commander of the Delaware Army National Guard and his experience on the bench he instituted Delaware’s first Veterans Treatment Court in 2011. This court provides a therapeutic approach to criminal prosecution of veterans with mental illness who are charged with nonviolent felonies and misdemeanor crimes away from jail and into rehabilitative programs. He is also a frequent speaker on the issues of veterans involved in the criminal justice system on a state and national level.
Susan Casscells
Treasurer
Susan Casscells is a change agent always looking for new ideas, people and goals. She has had the great privilege of serving in numerous volunteer leadership roles for institutions she loves namely Christ Church Christiana Hundred, St. Michael’s School and Nursery and her alma mater, the University of Virginia. Additionally, Susan is the Office Manager for Casscells Orthopaedics. She and her husband Christopher are the parents to three adult children and proud to be grandparents.