DCF Names Chanta Howard-Wilkinson as Chair of the Board; Mariah Calagione Tapped for Vice Chair
Gina Ward and Dr. William M. Chasanov join the Board of Directors as Kelly Firment and the Hon. Tamika Montgomery-Reeves Complete Terms
The Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) has appointed Board of Directors Vice Chair Chanta Howard-Wilkinson to the role of Chair for the fiscal years of 2026 and 2027 with Mariah Calagione stepping up to Vice Chair. Drew Fennell completed her term of three years as Chair and will remain on the Executive Committee as Immediate Past Chair.
“DCF has always been honored to have incredible leaders on our Board, from our founding in 1986 to today; the very best our state has to offer,” said Stuart Comstock-Gay, President and CEO of the DCF. “This year is no exception. We are thrilled to have Chanta take the helm of the Board, and we welcome Mariah to the Executive Committee.
Howard-Wilkinson leads Chanta Wilkinson Consulting, LCC, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultancy based in Lewes, Del. She holds a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law and served as a Deputy Attorney General and an EEO/Affirmative Action Coordinator for the New Jersey Office of Attorney General. She is currently a board member of the Lewes Public Library and Delaware Public Media.
Calagione is co-founder of Dogfish Head, the beverage and hospitality company owned by Samuel Adams and based in Milton, Del. She has 30 years of experience in the beer and hospitality industries, as well as in local television and marketing. Calagione is a graduate of Brown University, and she served as chair of the board of trustees of Northfield Mount Hermon School in Connecticut, which she attended.
The Executive Committee is rounded out by Pete Kennedy, Treasurer; Cindy L. Szabo, Esq., Secretary; and Dan Cruce and Margie Lopez Waite who serve as At Large Members.
Fennell Closes Out Term
After three years of dedicated service as DCF Board of Directors Chair and seven years total on the Board, Drew Fennell has stepped down from the Chair role in June. She will continue to serve as a Board Member and as a member of the Executive Committee in the coming cycle.
During her tenure, Fennell oversaw DCF’s pivot into the new political realities, the launch of a revised development approach, and significant expansion of work into Sussex County.
The current Executive Vice President of Social Contract, a consultancy that helps communities solve complex problems, Fennel worked previously for the Office of Governor Jack Markell as Chief of Staff and was a former Senior Vice President at ChristianaCare. She also serves on the board for the Delaware Center for Justice, Delaware First Media, and Equality Delaware.
DCF Board Adds Two New Board Members
Gina Ward and Dr. William M. Chasanov have joined the DCF Board of Directors as Members.
Chasanov, from Lewes, is a Senior Vice President, Chief Health System Design Officer at Beebe Healthcare. He received his medical degree at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Delaware. Chasanov serves on several boards, including the Medical Society of Delaware and the Infectious Disease Society of America.
Gina Ward, from Wilmington, served for more than five years as a public representative on the Delaware Health Resources Board, appointed by then Gov. Jack Markell in 2012. In 2018, she and her husband, Rod, established the Riverview Works Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation, with a focus on education and wellness. She currently serves on the board of Rodney Street and is Vice Chair of the Tower Hill School Board of Trustees.
Ending their terms on the DCF board are Kelly Firment and Hon. Tamika Montgomery-Reeves.
Firment, director of affinity management for Bank of America, served 10 years – the maximum number of terms – and contributed greatly to the DCF on almost every committee, and as Board Chair from 2020 to 2022. Montgomery-Reeves, a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, served six years.