Delaware Power Moves: Edtech cofounder pivots to sports, state Chamber of Commerce adds new governors

This month’s Power Moves features two coding education champions for Delaware who have made a major impact on the City of Wilmington and the state as a whole — and it looks like they’re not stopping anytime soon. It also features more appointments in sustainability, education, healthcare and a little bit of banking:

Tariq Hook joins Hx Innovations team, retires from tech ed

Tariq Hook, cofounder of Code Differently, longtime Wilmington tech instructor and one of the first winners of a Delaware Technical.ly Award (then called a Delaware Innovation Award) announced his retirement from teaching on LinkedIn this month.

Tariq Hook accepts a 2017 Delaware Innovation Award. (Technical.ly/Dominique Nichole)

“After 10 incredible years of building coding bootcamps focused on diversity and inclusion, I’m filled with gratitude. It’s been a journey of opening doors and shaping futures in the tech world. I’m proud of the community we’ve built and the careers I’ve had a hand in starting, influencing, and improving,” Hook posted. “‘10’ is not just a number—it’s a milestone. It marks a moment of change and the start of a new journey. With a heart full of thanks, I’m retiring from my role as a teacher and from the school I helped to found.”

That post came on the heels of Hook’s announcement that he would be starting a new position as Senior Staff Software Engineer at Hx Innovations, a sports health tech startup based out of the Chase Field House in Wilmington.

“Excited to be joining Von Homer, Ph.D in building applications around his research and innovations,” Hook posted.

Burton reps tech on DSCC Board of Governors

Zip Code Wilmington Executive Director Desa Burton is among seven new members of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s (DSCC) board of governors. Burton, who was previously a lieutenant commander in the US Navy, joined Zip Code Wilmington in 2017 and spearheaded its scholarship program for veterans before stepping into the executive director role in 2019.

Desa Burton. (Courtesy Desa Burton)

She and Zip Code Wilmington have been an impactful force on the tech pipeline in Delaware and the region since then.

The DSCC has added other new members to its boards of directors and governors for 2024.

Also joining DSCC’s governing board are:

• Terry Glebocki, Delaware Park Casino
• Cathy Kanefsky, Food Bank of Delaware
• Melissa Kenny, ShopRites of Delaware
• Robert McGuckin, Verizon
• Chip Rankin, MilliCare Floor & Textile Care
• Mike Tatoian, Dover Motor Speedway

The DSCC also has two new directors:

• W. Douglas Mokoid, Delmarva Power
• David A. Tam, Beebe Healthcare

“On behalf of the Delaware State Chamber and its Board, we welcome these representatives from member organizations to our Board of Directors and Board of Governors,” Board Chair Marie Holliday said in a press release. “Their voices and heightened involvement with the State Chamber will help us continue to fulfill our mission of connecting people to solve problems.”

More power moves:

• Cora Castle, founder and president of Omnipotential Energy Partners and sustainability advocate, has been appointed to the executive committee of the Delaware chapter of the Sierra Club
• Col. Joseph A. Cooke Jr., the Delaware Army National Guard’s deputy chief of staff for personnel, has been confirmed by the State Senate to serve a three-year term on the board of trustees for Delaware Technical Community College.
• Fabiana Otero has joined Goodwill of Delaware & Delaware County in the organization’s newly created manager of sustainability role.
• At ChristianaCare, Salvatore J. “Chip” Rossi Jr. and Paula Swain have been appointed to the ChristianaCare Health System board of directors; and Barbara Albani, Morgan Miller and Rita Landgraf were named to the ChristianaCare Health Services board of directors.
• Newark’s Chris Narayan, the assistant vice president, senior operations manager at Bank of America (BofA), has been selected for BofA’s 2023 Global Volunteer Award.