Personnel File - July 31, 2025

Andrew D. Harton has been promoted as director of the Sussex County Economic Development office, taking over from longtime director William ‘Bill’ Pfaff  who  retired  at the  end of July.

 Pfaff has been credited with making the economic development office a key player in brining and retaining jobs in the county.

Harton joined the County in February as economic development manager, working directly with  Pfaff since then.

 Harton has  worked in the craft beer industry in the beach area, comes to the county from the Delaware Division of Small Business, where he served as the Business Finance Director.

 At the small business office, he helped administer many state-level economic development initiatives, including the Encouraging Development, Growth & Expansion (EDGE) program and the Delaware Site Readiness program.

 Harton wants to help direct more State and federal economic development funding into the hands of businesses, cities, and towns in Sussex County.

 The office works with prospective employers to  navigate regulatory processes and other matters. The office also manages the Sussex County Kitchen.

 Sullivan named executive  director of Lodging Association

 William “Bill” Sullivan has been named Executive Director of the Delaware Hotel and Lodging Association.

 Sullivan is the first  director of the association that represents lodging establishments in all three of the state’s counties.

 Sullivan recently retired as the managing director of the Courtyard by Marriott Newark -University of Delaware.

 He is also member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Delaware.

 Richards, Layton names two attorneys to leadership posts

 Richards, Layton & Finger, Wilmington announced that directors Michael Merchant and Chad Shandler have been named to leadership positions within the firm. Mike has been appointed chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring Department, and Chad has been appointed chair of the firm’s Litigation Department.

Throughout his 25-year career, Mike has represented the full range of participants in bankruptcy cases and corporate restructurings. Clients encompass biopharmaceutical, bank holding, and telecommunication companies as well as subprime lenders and businesses in the retail and manufacturing sectors.

In his 26 years with the firm, Chad has litigated cases in all of Delaware’s state and federal courts.  Chad’s expertise encompasses a variety of practice areas, including complex financial and commercial litigation in the Delaware Superior Court’s Complex Litigation Division (CCLD) and Court of Chancery, trusts and estates litigation, trade secret litigation, and litigation concerning restrictive covenants.

Shandler  also has served as trial counsel in arbitration matters filed with various arbitration tribunals and counseled numerous trust.

Spotlight Delaware adds Kent, Sussex news team

Spotlight Delaware is growing with the introduction of a new three-person news team focused on Delaware’s two southern counties.

A new deputy editor and two reporters will focus on Kent and Sussex counties, with particular attention to rural communities, land use and development, and the region’s  Spanish-speaking and immigrant communities.

Tim Carlin is the new deputy editor leading the “SoDel” team. He comes to Delaware from Texas, where he reported on issues of government for the Houston Landing.

• Margaret “Maggie” Reynolds is one of 107 journalists placed by Report for America into newsrooms across the country, in response to the growing crisis in local, independent news. Reynolds, a reporter who has covered rural communities in New York and Vermont, will focus on the rural communities of Kent and western Sussex. 

• Olivia Marble comes to Spotlight Delaware from Lehigh Valley Public Media, where she covered residential and industrial development in the booming suburbs of the region. As Spotlight Delaware’s land use reporter, she will help readers understand the complex systems driving development across the state, as well as the impact of this growth.

Since its launch in January 2024, Spotlight Delaware has grown to a team of 17, with a total news team of nine full-time reporters and editors covering the state. 

 Beebe names chief surgeon

 Beebe Healthcare, Lewes,   appointed John Zapas as the new Surgeon in Chief for the healthcare system.

Dr. Zapas'  background includes serving as Medical Director of Surgical Specialists at Frederick Health Medical Group in Maryland and as an attending physician and Chief of Surgical Oncology at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center's Cancer Institute. He is an  advocate for minimally invasive surgery and performs nearly all of his procedures using the Da Vinci  Robotic Surgical System.

Bataille joins TidalHealth

Joycelyne Bataille, a board-certified nurse midwife and board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner, has joined TidalHealth, Seaford

 After completing her Bachelor of Science from Duke University, Bataille traveled to Haiti to serve for several years. She returned to the U.S. and earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore.

 She later completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice, specializing in midwifery and women’s health, from Georgetown University School of Nursing in Washington, D.C.