Who We Are
Chairwoman
Jane Brady has been interested in public policy since she was an undergraduate at the University of Delaware. She has written on topics from public safety to budgeting and constitutional issues. She served as a prosecutor in Delaware for 12 1/2 years. She was elected three times as Attorney General of Delaware after which she served as a Judge of the Delaware Superior Court. She has a Juris Doctor Degree from Villanova University, School of Law, and an MBA from the Lerner School at the University of Delaware.
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.
Sherri Tull-Hubbard
Advisory Board Member
Tull-Hubbard is a school counselor, child therapist, adjunct professor, and retired Captain with the Wilmington Police Department. Having served on the police force since 1990, Sherri is the first African American female in the Wilmington Police Department’s 126-year history to be promoted to the rank of Captain. Tull-Hubbard earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Bowie State College. During her 28-year career with the Wilmington Police Department, she earned a master’s degree in education and a master’s degree in community counseling from Wilmington University. She also served as Commander of the Office of Professional Standards, commonly referred to as Internal Affairs and Commander of the Criminal Investigation Division.
John Marinucci
Advisory Board Member
John worked for the State of Delaware in the field of auditing, accounting and finance. John later became the Chief of Administration for the Division of Highway Operations. John transitioned to the K-12 education field in the year 2000, as the Director of Operations for the Milford School District. John would later assume the responsibility for state-wide educational facilities planning and construction at the Department of Education (DOE) in 2006. John served as the Director of Finance for the DOE on an interim basis for approximately 18 months and worked in education until 2015. John assumed the duties of Executive Director of the Delaware School Boards Association in February 2016 after retirement from 31 years of State of Delaware. John retired from the Delaware School Boards Association (DSBA) in July 2023 after having rebuilt the organization’s finances and reputation. The DSBA once again enjoys a reputation as one of the premier education advocacy organizations in Delaware.
John graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Delaware State University. He received an MBA from Wilmington University, before then received his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Innovation from Wilmington University.
Beth Conaway
Advisory Board Member
Beth Conaway is a former teacher, who served for 8 years as Principal of the Morris Early Childhood Center and then as Principal of Milton Elementary School for 5 years. She retired after 31 years in the Delaware public school system. She currently teaches graduate courses at the University of the Cumberlands and volunteers in the Indian River School District.
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.
Chris Kenny
Founder
Chris Kenny is a successful businessman, attorney, philanthropist, community leader and former 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.