WILMINGTON—Today, Governor-elect Matt Meyer announced the nominations of Yvonne Anders Gordon as Secretary of Human Resources, Gregory Lane as the Chief Information Officer for the State of Delaware, and Terra Taylor as the Commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction (DOC). Governor-elect Meyer also announced that CJ Bell will serve as Director for the Delaware Division of Small Business.

Governor-elect Meyer’s selections of Bell, Anders Gordon, Lane, and Taylor underscore his dedication to appointing highly qualified leaders who share his vision for a more innovative, transparent, and inclusive Delaware. These nominees will focus on improving government efficiency, engaging with our communities in new ways, and building a state government that works for all Delawareans.

Bell is the immediate past Director of Economic Development for New Castle County, where he created transformative programs, including Building Better Communities, the county’s comprehensive approach to public safety for at-risk areas, the Commercial Corridor Program, and the Grow NCC Fund.

“CJ is a millennial economic leader who has a unique understanding of the issues facing Delaware entrepreneurs,” said Governor-elect Meyer. “He has been an effective advocate for small business owners across New Castle County, and I’m excited to have him as a champion for innovation at the state level.”  

With a career rooted in public service, Anders Gordon is the immediate past Acting General Manager of the New Castle County Department of Public Works. She also served as a former Deputy Secretary of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security, where she worked to enhance the operating functions of the DMV, DEMA, State and Capitol Police, Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement, and Highway Safety. 

“Yvonne is a model public servant whose dedication to improving the working lives of Delawareans has been the hallmark of her career,” said Governor-elect Meyer. “I’m excited to have Yvonne in my cabinet to help us build a more inclusive, efficient, and transparent state government and ensure the rights of all state employees are protected.” 

Lane has been the state’s Chief Information Officer since June 2023 and previously held high-level information technology roles with DuPont.

“Greg’s proven expertise in technology and digital transformation is clear, and I’m excited to nominate him to continue as Chief Information Officer,” said Governor-elect Meyer. “We are eager to revolutionize government services to 2025 technology, and Greg is the leader to get that done.”

Taylor is the current Commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction, first joining the department 27 years ago.

“Terra has dedicated her career to keeping Delawareans safe, and she understands how important it is to protect the rights of all residents,” said Governor-elect Meyer. “Our Department of Correction must correct, not just punish, and Terra is the right leader to decrease recidivism rates, increase access to mental health services, and create new opportunities for some of our most vulnerable Delawareans.”

To learn more about Delaware Governor-elect Matt Meyer and his transition team, please visit https://transition.delaware.gov/

Biographies

C.J. Bell, Appointee, Director of the Division of Small Business

CJ currently serves as Director of Economic Development for New Castle County. In this role, CJ focuses his effort on supporting existing small businesses and fostering its innovation ecosystem. He oversees key initiatives for New Castle County, such as Building Better Communities, the county’s comprehensive approach to public safety for at-risk areas, the Commercial Corridor Program, and the Grow NCC Fund.

Bell has a unique passion for increasing the young professional presence in the state of Delaware. This passion is fulfilled by a 501(c)(3) organization, The Connect, a grassroots organization he founded geared towards supporting millennial/young professional retention in the state of Delaware.

Bell was born in Prince George County, MD, and raised in Washington, D.C. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 2017. After graduation, CJ held multiple roles at both the federal and state levels under U.S. Senator Tom Carper and Governor John Carney.

Yvonne Anders Gordon, Nominee, Secretary of Human Resources

Yvonne is the immediate past Acting General Manager of the 380 employees in the New Castle County Department of Public Works. She is a public servant and an expert in organizational efficiency. Gordon has garnered an array of leadership and management experience in both New Castle County and the State of Delaware.

While at Public Works as an Executive Assistant for Organizational Excellence and Assistant to the General Manager, she effectively implemented the countywide nepotism policy, facilitated effective labor relation strategies, established a Public Works New Employee Orientation, and expanded operational efficiencies. Additionally, Gordon partnered in organizing the first Public Works Job Fair, which yielded over 600 diverse applicants, resulting in a 40% reduction in key vacancies. She was instrumental in the development of the recent Small Business Enterprise Program designed to assist with expanding supplier diversity in Public Works’ construction contracts.

Gordon also served as New Castle County’s Chief of Administrative Services where she introduced the GovDeals online auction platform as New Castle County faced the dilemma of how to dispose of surplus and obsolete assets efficiently. As a Former Deputy Secretary of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Gordon enhanced the operating functions of the DMV, DEMA, State and Capitol Police, Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement and Highway Safety.

Gordon earned her Doctor of Education-Leadership, Administration and Policy from the University of Delaware, Certification in Strategic Leadership for State Government Executives from Duke University, MBA in Finance and Banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Gordon currently serves on the Executive Board for the African American Heritage Institute and is a founding Board Member of the Kuumba Academy Charter School. She served on the Delaware Courts-Office of Disciplinary Counsel’s Preliminary Review Board and the Board on Professional Responsibility. Yvonne also chaired the Education and Research Committee of the Delaware Women’s Workforce Council. She is a proud member of the Northern Delaware Chapter of the NC A&T Alumni, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Pearls of Hope Foundation, and The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew.

Gregory Lane, Nominee, Chief Information Officer for the State of Delaware

Gregory (Greg) Lane has served as the Chief Information Officer for the State of Delaware since June 2023. He is responsible for ensuring the state utilizes innovative technologies to deliver secure, reliable, interoperable, and cost-effective solutions that enable state agencies and organizations to successfully fulfill their missions.

Greg has over 35 years of IT experience in the private sector and 6+ years as Chief Technology Officer at the Delaware Department of Technology and Information. He is skilled in strategic planning, driving innovation, leading both technology and business process transformation, as well as global IT operations. Greg was the CIO of Chemours, a $6B+ chemicals spinoff from DuPont. Prior to that, he was the CIO of DuPont’s Crop Protection agricultural unit and held IT leadership positions at DuPont in areas including Technology Architecture, Applications, Infrastructure, Regulatory Affairs, and Supply Chain.

He has extensive experience building and leading global organizations and has demonstrated success in leading and managing change. He has also provided strategic guidance to startup technology firms.

Greg is a native of Delaware and holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Delaware.

Terra Taylor, Nominee, Commissioner, Delaware Department of Correction

Terra Taylor has served as Delaware’s Department of Correction Commissioner since July 2023. She leads the state’s largest law enforcement agency, which has nearly 2,000 Correctional Officers, Probation and Parole Officers, and several hundred other professional staff members. In this position, and in her prior role as Deputy Commissioner, Taylor has focused on recruiting, retaining, and supporting a highly trained and diverse workforce and investing in new rehabilitation, training, and reentry programs and partnerships. 

Commissioner Taylor has dedicated her entire 27-year professional career to the Department of Correction, joining the Department in 1997 as a Home Confinement support employee and college intern. In 1999, she completed Academy training and became a Probation and Parole Officer, specializing in domestic violence and sex offender supervision, after which she rose through the ranks. In 2017, Taylor joined the Department’s central leadership team as Statewide Probation and Parole Director, where she drove the implementation of new initiatives to enhance community outreach and education, improve internal and external communication, and invest in equipment to improve safety and performance.  She was named Deputy Chief of the Bureau of Community Correction in 2019. She was promoted to Chief of Community Correction in 2021, where she drove forward implementation of the evidence-based Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS) intervention model of probation supervision, opened Delaware’s first statewide Community Correction Treatment Center, and navigated the response to the COVID pandemic.

ABOUT DELAWARE GOVERNOR-ELECT MATT MEYER
Governor-elect Matt Meyer is a former public school math teacher and small business owner who has served as New Castle County Executive since 2017. As the leader of Delaware’s largest local government, Matt has proven that government can still work for the people– delivering real results for real people and making real progress for Delaware’s working families. Gov-elect Meyer will bring that same result-driven leadership across our state by creating an effective government that reflects our values and priorities. 

From Wilmington to Kenya and Iraq: Growing up in Delaware, Matt attended schools in the Brandywine School District, followed by Wilmington Friends School, and then studied Computer Science & Political Science at Brown University. He then moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he learned Swahili and created Ecosandals, a recycled footwear company that sold environmentally friendly footwear to customers in 17 countries on five continents.  Matt subsequently spent 12 months in Mosul, Iraq, as a diplomat embedded with the United States Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

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