DelawareBio and UDel make joint hire to boost biotech innovation

Tech education and biotechnology take center stage for this month’s Power Moves.

Code Differently launched a new venture with time-tested talent and DelawareBio appointed a lead for its new partnership with the University of Delaware.

There are also updates in finance, healthcare, education, publishing and cybersecurity.

Read on for all the details on these Power Moves below the chart detailing the top tech skills in Delaware. 

Code Differently announces the Industry Engineer program

Tech workforce development company Code Differently of Wilmington launched a new business line called the Industry Engineer. It’ll be led by Terrance Bowman, a leader in technology workforce development, DEI and talent acquisition with more than 20 years of experience. 

“The Industry Engineer allows us to take our training programs further by combining classroom learning with on-the-job applied learning through real-world projects,” said Code Differently CEO Stephanie Eldridge, in a press release.

The addition of Bowman follows Code Differently’s additions of Estelle Reddick, a recently retired technology executive from JPMorgan Chase, and Anthony Mays, a software engineer with experience working for Google. Reddick joined as a professional development consultant in September, and May was brought on in March as a course instructor. 

The hirings are all a part of a restructuring of Code Differently’s workforce development programs, which aim to help people from marginalized communities gain the skills they need to land higher-paying jobs. 

“By increasing income potential, we can also improve access to better healthcare,

education and essential resources,” said Bowman. “It’s about driving lasting economic and social transformation for our communities in a profound way.”

DelawareBio and UD expand university-business collaboration

The University of Delaware and DelawareBio, an organization representing Delaware’s life science industry, jointly appointed Nicole Merli to a new role designed to foster biotech ecosystem growth.

Merli, formerly director of strategic alliances and communications at Virginia biotech company LumaCyte, will lead efforts to support the translation of university research into new technologies, products and opportunities. That’ll happen via connections between faculty, students, entrepreneurs, investors and businesses.

“Our industry collaborations help guide the work of our researchers toward translation and use by society, while also shaping our academic programs in ways that better prepare our students for future careers,” said Miguel Garcia-Diaz, vice president for research, scholarship and innovation at UD, in a press release.

The director of university and industry relations role was created and will be jointly funded through a partnership between the University of Delaware and Delaware Bio, enabled through funding support from the National Science Foundation’s inaugural Accelerating Research Translation program.

More Power Moves:  

• WSFS Bank promoted Terry Kistler to senior vice president and regional manager of the Southern Delaware region. Kistler began his career at WSFS 14 years ago as a personal banker at the company’s Lewes Banking Office.
• Thomas Schwaab has been named the new Bank of America-endowed medical director of ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute and leader of the Cancer Service Line.
• ChristianaCare spinout CorriXR Therapeutics, Inc., a biotherapeutics company, appointed Jill Castilla, president and CEO of Citizens Bank of Edmond, to its board of directors.
• First State Educate (FSF) has expanded its spelling bee program by partnering with the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Through this partnership, FSE will become a regional partner and the statewide sponsor for the State of Delaware. 
• Wilmington Alliance has a new partnership with the Delaware Contemporary Museum to launch the “Full Circle” dual residency program at the Art-O-Mat, designed to amplify the professional growth of local underrepresented artists and foster deeper community engagement. 
• Matt Sullivan, former Short Order Production executive, was appointed as director of operations for the Local Journalism Initiative Delaware, parent company of Spotlight Delaware.

• Cybersecurity Marketers Society, cofounded in Newark, Delaware, has passed another milestone as cofounder Maria Velasquez officially joins full-time.