Governor Matt Meyer is a former public school math teacher and small business owner who served as New Castle County Executive from 2017 through January 2025. As the leader of Delaware’s largest local government, Matt proved that government can still work for the people–delivering real results for real people and making real progress for Delaware’s working families. Governor Meyer will bring that same result-driven leadership across our state by creating an effective government that reflects our values and priorities. Growing up in Delaware, Matt attended schools in the Brandywine School District, followed by Wilmington Friends School, and then studied Computer Science & Political Science at Brown University. He then moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he learned Swahili and created Ecosandals, a recycled footwear company that sold environmentally friendly footwear to customers in 17 countries on five continents. Matt subsequently spent 12 months in Mosul, Iraq, as a diplomat embedded with the United States Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

Rod Ward III is president and chief executive officer of CSC®, elected in 2010. Over his career, Rod worked in manufacturing as president of the Speakman Company and vice president of Snap-On Inc.’s European Equipment division. He worked for FMC Corporation in operations and for Credit Suisse as a precious metals trader. With Delaware’s Governor John Carney, Rod serves as co-chair of the Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP), a public-private partnership for economic development. He is also currently board chair of Rodel Foundation, a non-profit that advances education, serves on the advisory board of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, and is a board member of Leadership Delaware, an organization that recruits and mentors young professionals. Ward holds an MBA from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a B.S. from Middlebury College.

Fayetta M. Blake is the founder and Executive Director of Pathways to Success, Inc. She is also an entrepreneur with several businesses throughout Delaware and Maryland. Fay started her career about forty years ago in the Lending industry with Security Pacific National Bank where she worked as a loan officer for five years. She then enjoyed a 20-year banking career at All First Financial. Fay held various positions of increasing authority at All First Financial. In 1995, she was appointed as Senior Vice President of Operations and was the first African American to be appointed to that level in the banks 200-year history. During that time, she had global oversight of all Operations units in the Mid-Atlantic region. In 1998, Fay was recognized by this banking institution for Quality Assurance as well as being recognized in the industry by Visa USA for Quality Service and Outstanding Customer Service.

Beth G. Brand is Vice President and University Secretary for the University of Delaware. In her role, she acts as a liaison between the President and the Board of Trustees, providing administrative support for the Board and its chair, as well as overseeing the University’s records management and archives operation. In addition, she is responsible for coordination of presidential leadership advisory boards, as well as planning and delivering presidential, University-wide events, including Commencement and Convocations. Beth is also responsible for building an effective institutional model to cultivate corporate engagement in partnership with other areas of the University. An administrator in UD’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations since 2007, she most recently served as Senior Associate Vice President for Development. From 2016-17, Beth served as the University’s Interim Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations. She is a UD alumna.

In 2022, Shane Breakie became the Chesapeake Utilities Corporation’s first Environmental Sustainability Officer, a role in which he leads the Company’s environmental sustainability efforts and organic growth initiatives, including the identification and management of emission-reducing projects internally and those that support customers’ sustainability goals. Previously, Shane was appointed Assistant Vice President and then Vice President of Chesapeake Utilities and Sandpiper Energy in 2019, with expanded responsibilities regarding the day-to-day activities of Chesapeake Utilities, Elkton Gas Company, Sandpiper Energy and Florida Public Utilities. In an earlier role as Director of Energy Services for Chesapeake Utilities, Shane was responsible for developing and directing natural gas expansion efforts on the Delmarva Peninsula. He has also held the positions of Director of Consumer Services, Director of Operations, Customer Service Manager and Accounting Manager.

Desa Burton is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and spent 10 years as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve. She later earned an M.B.A. from Florida International University and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Economic Law. Prior to coming to Zip Code, she was the Assistant General Counsel of Intellectual Property at InterDigital, Inc., where she served as the senior transactions counsel for research and development, technology innovation and government contracts.

Born in Dover, Representative Bill Bush represents Kent County’s RD 29 and has strong ties to Kent County. A graduate of Caesar Rodney High School, Representative Bush went on to complete his undergraduate work at the University of Delaware and received a law degree from Widener University’s School of Law. He currently operates his own small business and practices as a private attorney. Previously he served as policy advisor of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security actively working with Delaware fire, emergency medical and police services. An active member of the community, Representative Bush served on the Caesar Rodney School Board, Board of Trustees for Delaware Technical Community College, and the Greater Dover Boys and Girls Club Board. He has also served on the Modern Maturity Center Board, and the Delaware Emergency Medical Services Oversight Council.

Since 2017, Tony Edwards has led Integrated Operations around the globe for the Kalrez®, Vespel®, Electronic Polymers, Silicon/Medical and Molykote® product lines. He has held roles at both DuPont and Kodak, among them global plant management and engineering marketing.

Rodger Levenson is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of WSFS Financial Corporation and its primary subsidiary, WSFS Bank. An active member of the Greater Philadelphia and Delaware communities, his community service spans memberships on the Board of Directors of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, the Delaware Prosperity Partnership Board of Directors and Audit Committee as well as the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. He serves as a member of the CEO Council for Growth, Delaware Business Roundtable, CHOP Executive Committee and the Executive Committee of the Satell Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility.

Terry Murphy has been CEO of Bayhealth Inc. and president and CEO of Bayhealth Medical Center Inc. since 2009. He previously was Bayhealth Medical Center executive vice president and CEO and before that had served as vice president of the southern region of Bayhealth Medical Center. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. In 2008, he received the Regent’s Award as a senior-level healthcare executive from the American College of Healthcare Executives. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Belmont Abbey College and a master’s degree in health-services administration from The George Washington University.

Senator Brian Pettyjohn represents SD 19, which includes parts of Sussex County. Prior to his current seat in the Delaware State Senate, Senator Pettyjohn served as councilman of Georgetown from 2008-10 and Mayor from 2010-12. Senator Pettyjohn was named as co-chair of the Council of State Government – Eastern Regional Conference (CSG-ERC) Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee and was named a 2022-23 Fellow to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Pretrial Policy program. Senator Pettyjohn is also a member of the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council (DEFAC), which is charged with making the formal projections for Delaware’s revenue on which the state’s budget is based. Continuing in his commitment to his community, Senator Brian Pettyjohn serves on several organizations including the Sussex County STEM Alliance, Sussex Sports Center Foundation, the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, and The Chad Spicer Foundation. He is an information technology consultant.

Rob Rider graduated from Cornell University and began employment immediately with O. A. Newton & Son Company, a service and solution provider for the agricultural irrigation industry, as well as a materials handling business that is able to convey “difficult-to-handle” raw materials all over the world. After holding various positions in the organization, including Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Sales, and President, he was appointed CEO. Rob currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, as Trustee and Treasurer of The Nature Conservancy Delaware Chapter, as a Trustee of the University of Delaware, and as a Director on the Delaware State Fair Board. He also serves on the Nanticoke Physician Network Board of Directors and is a Member of the Board of Directors for Sussex County Economic Development Action Committee and the Bridgeville Kiwanis Club (Past President). He also is a member of the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Advisory Board.

Lisa Schmidt focuses her practice on advising and representing Delaware corporations, their directors and other constituencies in corporate litigation. She has successfully litigated numerous corporate control, corporate governance, appraisal matters and contractual disputes in the Delaware courts. Lisa also advises corporations, their directors and special committees on corporate governance and fiduciary duties. She co-chairs the Federal Securities Institute. She earned her juris doctor degree from Dickinson School of Law, where she served on the Dickinson Law Review, after earning a bachelor of arts degree from Drew University.

Paula Swain joined Incyte in 2002 and serves as Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources & Facilities. She also chairs the Incyte Charitable Giving Foundation. Before joining the company, she spent nearly 10 years with DuPont, where she served as Vice President and Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources. She also has held positions in human resource planning and employee relations with Chase Manhattan Bank, Marine Midland Bank and Delaware Trust Company. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Rockhurst University and graduated from the Strategic Human Resources Planning program at Harvard Business School.

Whitney Sweeney focuses on environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts, integration and education across several channels, including intermediary, insurance, Canada, US Offshore and Latin America. She builds partnerships across these channels, managing the education and training of advisors and investment professionals, as well as ensuring the understanding of the policy and regulation landscape for each of the regions. Previously, Whitney was with Schroders for 18 years, serving in various roles: most recently as an investment strategist on the intermediary team, focusing on building client relationships, providing market insights and product positioning, and before that as a Portfolio Manager/Client Portfolio Manager for the Municipal team and an Investment Director across US and Global Fixed Income and Securitized Credit.

Senator Jack Walsh represents SD 9, which includes Christiana and portions of Newark, Pike Creek, Stanton and Newport. A lifelong Delawarean and graduate of St. Mark’s High School, Walsh is an electrician by trade and has been a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 313, for nearly 39 years. From 1993 to 2002, he served on Local 313’s board of directors, its executive board and its political action committee. He also led the union’s Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee from 1996 to 2001. Today, Senator Walsh works as the Executive Director of the Delaware State AFL-CIO.

Richard Wilkins is president of his county Farm Bureau and immediate past chairman of the American Soybean Association (ASA). Serving in various roles over the years, he is currently serving on the ASA Farm Bill & Crop Insurance Advocacy Team and Farm Bill Task Force. He has been the ASA representative to the National Coalition for Food & Agricultural Research (NC-FAR) since 2010 and is currently their Vice President as well as serving as a Director on the Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation Board. Wilkins is a member and former president of the Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association (MASA) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Delaware Farm Bureau. In addition to 400 acres of soybeans, the Wilkins family annually produces 400 acres of corn, 250 acres of wheat, 150 acres of barley, 300 acres of vegetables, and 400 acres of hay and maintains a 120-head cow-calf beef herd and backgrounding operation. They also operate a small feed, seed, and farm supply retail store.

Dr. Cherese Winstead has generated over $8.8 million in funding on projects for which she serves as Principal, co-investigator, or key personnel. Her educational scholarship and research funding partnerships include NIH, NSF, and NASA. Dr. Winstead has worked with numerous local, regional, and national agencies and community-based organizations, revealing an important inter-agency and interdisciplinary approach toward science and educational research. In the area of community service, Cherese is Founder and President of the Young Chemists Society (YCS), a non-profit organization dedicated to the early education of students in the area of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Representative Lyndon Yearick represents RD 34, which includes Camden, Wyoming, Magnolia, and South Dover. He is also House Minority Whip. He has over 20 years of business experience in industries ranging from housing and banking to healthcare and education. Additionally, he holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Penn State University and is a former small business owner. He has also worked as a public school educator, mentoring local elementary school students and serving on advisory committees for both the Caesar Rodney and Polytech school districts. Raised on a dairy farm in upstate Pennsylvania, Representative Yearick is one of the few Delaware legislators who have first-hand agricultural experience, giving him unique insights into the challenges faced by the farming community. He successfully authored legislation creating Delaware Produce Week. The annual observation has worked to link Delaware farmers with local consumers.