Kent County Economic Summit Conference - Speakers and Panelists

Governor John Carney Keynote Speaker

Born in Wilmington and raised in Claymont, Governor John Carney has been working for the Delaware people for more than 30 years. From 2011 to 2017, John served as Delaware’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives. During his three terms in Congress, John worked with members of both parties to find solutions to the most important challenges facing the nation. He supported the revitalization of American manufacturing through the “Make It In America” agenda. He was a lead sponsor of the centerpiece of the Jumpstart our Businesses (JOBS) Act that made it easier for small- and medium-sized businesses to grow and create jobs. John also introduced legislation that was signed into law to prevent critical prescription drug shortages, and he was the lead sponsor on a successful bill to help veterans more easily enter the job market.

Prior to his time in Congress, John served two terms as Delaware’s Lieutenant Governor. Between 2001 and 2009, John developed the Lt. Governor’s Challenge to encourage Delawareans to live active, healthier lifestyles. He also created and implemented the Models of Excellence in Education program that allowed schools throughout the state to share best practices. In addition, John was a strong supporter of the Delaware smoking ban and he led the fight for a Cancer Right to Know law, ultimately passed in 2008. John also served as Chairman of the Delaware Healthcare Commission, the Criminal Justice Council, and the Delaware Science & Technology Council.

Under then-Governor Tom Carper, John served as Delaware’s Secretary of Finance and Deputy Chief of Staff. Before that, he was Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for New Castle County, and on the staff of then-Senator Joe Biden. In these roles, he helped Delaware earn its first ever AAA bond rating, played a key role in the state’s purchase of the Port of Wilmington, and worked to cut taxes nine times.

The second of nine children, John was born in Wilmington and raised in Claymont by his parents, Jack and Ann Carney, who were both educators. He attended St. Mark’s High School and led the school’s football team to its first state championship in 1973. After graduating high school, John attended Dartmouth College where he continued his football career and earned All-Ivy League and Most Valuable Player honors. When John returned to Delaware, he coached Freshmen Football on the staff of UD Head Coach Tubby Raymond while earning a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at the University of Delaware.

John lives in Wilmington with his wife, Tracey. They have two sons, Sam and Jimmy.

Dr. Mark Brainard

Dr. Mark T. Brainard, a proud graduate of Delaware Tech, was appointed the College’s fifth president on August 4, 2014. Previously, Dr. Brainard spent over three decades in a series of executive-level leadership roles in the higher education, business, government, and legislative arenas in Delaware. One of his priorities as president is to employ his knowledge, experience, and leadership skills to ensure that today’s students continue to receive the same foundation and opportunities he received as a student of the College over three decades ago.

After earning an associate degree in criminal justice from Delaware Tech in 1981 and a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science from Wilmington University in 1983, Dr. Brainard embarked upon a career in public service that began in the Delaware legislature, where he ultimately served as chief of staff for the House Minority Caucus for seven years. In 1991, he began attending law school part time while continuing to work full time.

He left the legislature in 1993 when he was appointed director of external affairs at the Delaware Department of Transportation. After his graduation from Widener Law School in 1994, Dr. Brainard was named assistant vice president for personnel and legal affairs at Delaware Tech, where he managed all human resources programs and provided legal counsel regarding employment law and students’ rights issues.

In 1999, he became executive vice president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, where he managed the overall operations of the 3,000-member, 22-employee organization with a budget of $3 million. He left the Chamber in 2002 to serve as Governor Ruth Ann Minner’s chief of staff. In spite of a difficult economy, he helped to develop aggressive agendas, which led to the passage of landmark legislation such as the Student Excellence Equals Degrees (SEED) scholarship; the Delaware Cancer Treatment program; workers’ compensation reform; and a series of education initiatives including the statewide implementation of full-day kindergarten and the placement of reading and math specialists in public schools.

At the end of the governor’s term, he returned to Delaware Tech and served in a number of leadership positions until he was appointed president of the College in 2014. In a short time, he has implemented a number of initiatives, including creating a collegewide culture that embraces innovation; developing a statewide program for high school students to address the manufacturing skills gap in Delaware; and establishing a variety of support programs for veterans, earning the College its “Military Friendly School” designation for three years in a row.

Dr. Brainard is a member of the Delaware Business Roundtable, the Delaware Workforce Development Board, and the Phi Theta Kappa Advisory Board. He is also an Honorary Commander with the Delaware National Guard and serves on the board of directors for the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, First State Innovation, and United Way Delaware.

Cerron Cade

Division of Small Business, Development & Tourism - Cerron Cade makes Delaware a better place for businesses to start, expand and thrive. As Director of the Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism, he leads a team assisting small businesses, attracting new businesses, administering the Delaware Strategic Fund and marketing the state as an tourist destination.

Cade grew up in Washington D.C. and moved to Delaware to study political science and law, graduating from Delaware State University. Driven by a desire to make a positive impact and following his passion for politics and policy, Cerron has worked as a regional organizer with Democratic National Committee, legislative aide at the Delaware State House of Representatives, New Castle County deputy director for U.S. Senator Tom Carper and state projects director for then-Congressman John Carney.

Bringing with him a wealth of experience with research, drafting legislation, contracting and funding, Cade joined Governor Jack Markell’s team as the legislative liaison in 2015. Gov. Carney appointed him acting director of the Delaware Economic Development Office in 2017.

Cerron live in Wilmington with his wife, Kasmira, and two daughters, Jonnie and Toni.

Jane M. Francisco

Jane M. Francisco, Senior Account Executive at Comcast Spotlight.

Jane is a seasoned media professional with over 25 years in the business. She started her career with Comcast Spotlight in Danbury Connecticut and relocated to Dover Delaware 14 years ago. Jane has been involved in Kent County community since she arrived by serving on several boards and committees over the years. She continues to work with business owners and state/local initiatives to promote their message to Delawareans through targeted multi-screen video campaigns.

Dave Hill

Dave Hill, Senior Account Executive, I Heart Media

Dave Hill has been a part of the business landscape in central Delaware for nearly 40 years. For over half of that period of time Dave was in sales and sales management for a large auto dealer group before using his sales skills in radio advertising sales. For the past 20 years Dave has been a student of business and marketing helping his clients achieve positive results in their businesses. Having developed the skills that it takes to produce real results for his clients, Dave has been able to assist several non-profits market their events as a means of giving back to the community that has been his home. Serving on the Kent County Tourism Board, Dave has been able to provide insight to help promote the various events that take place in Kent County. Dave was recently licensed as a pastor and serves part time as an associate at Wyoming United Methodist Church. Dave and his wife Pam live in Camden where they raised their 2 children Elaina and Mark.

Ethan Holland

For more than 60 years, people have depended on WBOC's coverage, and on any given day as many as two out of three TV sets on Delmarva are tuned to WBOC's local newscast. WBOC reaches more viewers across platforms than any other media company in the region. The WBOC family currently includes CBS, FOX, and Telemundo affiliates, as well as WBOC 102.5 FM radio and WBOC Classics. As the digital director, Ethan is in charge of digital efforts across all channels and shows - from content to sales, to advertising solutions, platforms and technology.

Prior to joining WBOC, Ethan served as Senior Director of Marketing for American Eagle Outfitters. His responsibilities included branding for AE, Aerie, 77Kids, and Martin & Osa. He also oversaw social media and community, international digital marketing, display advertising, paid search, and targeted behavioral advertising. Over his five years with AEO, Ethan led partnerships on several product and beta launches with Google, Twitter, and Facebook, including Google Wallet. While at American Eagle, Internet Retailer ranked AEO as the #1 retailer in paid search growth, Hitwise selected AEO as the best in class for retail search engine marketing, Creativity Online ranked AEO as #1, and The Cassandra Report rated AEO as the #9 most social media savvy brand in the world.

Ethan has served on the customer advisory boards of Akamai, Performics, the National Retail Federation, and Frankly, Inc. He grew up in Sussex County, watching WBOC news.

Darel LaPrade

Darel LaPrade is a longtime newspaperman and media executive with 38 years of experience in the business. Earlier this month, he was named publisher of the Delaware State News.

A veteran of more than 20 years with Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA, Mr. LaPrade has served as the Delmarva Group Advertising Director, Vice President of Corporate Services, Vice President of New Media, and most recently as publisher of INI’s Delmarva weeklies.

In April 2013, Mr. LaPrade played a role in starting the weekly Salisbury Independent, now one of five weekly newspapers the company publishes in Delmarva.

Mr. LaPrade is executive vice president of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Milford, and a member of Milford Economic Development Commission, the Committee for Greater Salisbury, and the Millsboro-Georgetown Rotary Club. He is also certified in teaching English as a second language. He and his wife, Connie, have been married for 38 years; they have four children and eight grandchildren.

June Turansky

June Turansky, Ed.D, is the Vice President and Campus Director for the Delaware Technical and Community College, Terry Campus.

Dr. Turansky has over 34 years of experience at Delaware Tech. Her roles have ranged from her current position through past positions which include Assistant Vice President for Curriculum and Development, Dean of Instruction, Assistant Dean of Instruction, Chairperson for the Nursing Department and Nursing Instructor.

Dr. Turansky’s educational background began with obtaining her Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Delaware Tech. She then earned her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Marymount University. Dr. Turansky obtained both her Master’s degree in Nursing and Doctoral degree in Educational leadership from the University of Delaware.

Dr. Turansky is committed to the community and serves on the Board of Directors for Bayhealth Medical Center. Previously, she held positions as the President and member of the Cape Henlopen School District Board, President of the State Board of Nursing and a member of the Delaware Health Care Commission’s Committee on Nursing Workforce Supply and chair of the educational subcommittee.

Andrew West

Delaware State News Editor Andrew West is now in his 27th year with the state capital daily.

He has led news operations for the Delaware State News since 1996. His “From the Editor” column appears in Sunday editions.

West first joined the Delaware State News as Sports Editor, then from 1993 to 1996, he held editor positions for Delaware State News sister publications in Sussex County.

West got his start in newspapers as a senior in high school, reporting on sports for The Daily Times in Salisbury, Md., in 1980.

After graduating from the University of Delaware in 1985, he worked for The (Wilmington) News Journal, USA Today, The Saratogian in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; The Lansdale (Pa.) Reporter and The Reading (Pa.) Eagle-Times.