Annual Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference Examines the Present to Prepare for the Future

Dr. David Tam speaking while standing in front of a podium

The 2021 Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference, held Oct. 27 at Delaware Technical Community College's Owens Campus in Georgetown, tried to answer the question...what is our today and tomorrow?

"Let's keep in mind the goals for our conference," said Dr. Bobbi Barends, vice president and campus director. "To promote understanding, to showcase initiatives, to identify needs, and to stimulate action. I would like to challenge each of you to stay focused on the fourth goal – action. What will you do with the knowledge you gain today?"

The conference made a comeback as a hybrid event, with limited in-person seating but also offered via livestream, after being cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The keynote speaker was Dr. David Tam, president and CEO of Beebe Healthcare.

"I believe we are at a critical time for our community," Tam said. "I am, and Beebe Healthcare is, focused on what is happening and what is going on in our community and in our county."

Additionally, a panel discussion focused on three key areas – education, equity, and the economy. The education panelists were Heath Chasanov, superintendent of Woodbridge School District, and Justina Thomas, vice president for academic affairs at Delaware Tech. Equity panelists were Lillian Harrison, founder and executive director of Elevated Community Development Corporation, and Jose Quinones, owner and broker of Linda Vista Real Estate Services and a community investor and developer. Economy panelists were Trisha Newcomer director of Economic Development & Community Relations for the City of Seaford, and Sheldon Hudson, town manager of Millsboro.

This year's conference was sponsored by Community Bank, Mountaire Farms, and Sussex Economic Development Action Committee.

Get more photos from this year's event

The 2022 Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 26. For more information, visit sussexcountyconference.com.

Justina Thomas, Heath Chasanov, Trisha Newcomer, Sheldon Hudson, Lillian Harrison, and Jose Quinones

PHOTOS:
Top: Dr. David Tam, president and CEO of Beebe Healthcare, was the keynote speaker at the 2021 Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference on Oct. 27 at the Owens Campus in Georgetown.

Bottom: The panelists for the 2021 Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference: Justina Thomas, vice president for academic affairs at Delaware Tech; Heath Chasanov, superintendent of Woodbridge School District; Trisha Newcomer, director of Economic Development & Community Relations for the City of Seaford; Sheldon Hudson, town manager of Millsboro; Lillian Harrison, founder and executive director of Elevated Community Development Corporation; and Jose Quinones, owner and broker of Linda Vista Real Estate Services and a community investor and developer.