The State of Delaware Department of Finance recently began collaborating with The Precisionists (TPI), a Wilmington, Del.-based organization focused on employment for adults with disabilities. The pilot program, about to celebrate its first anniversary, uses the talents of a team of autistic adults from TPI’s workforce to tackle critical business needs within the Department of Finance’s Division of Revenue (DOR).

“When properly assessed and trained, people with autism are extremely high-performing employees working in critical and challenging jobs such as administrative business functions, including scanning documents and data entry, software testing, website QA, and data analytics,” said Ernie Dianastasis, CEO of The Precisionists. “When you consider that more than 80 percent of people with autism in the country are either unemployed or underemployed, we are making a true difference in engaging a significant, untapped labor force. We are thrilled to partner on this project with the State of Delaware Department of Finance, which continues to demonstrate leadership and commitment to the community.”

TPI identified, assessed, and trained its employees participating in the pilot program. Since January 2020, a TPI team consisting of several data analysts and a project lead have been fully integrated with the Delaware DOR team in Wilmington to support DOR’s Personal Income Tax Returns Processing and Business License Processing functions. For personal income tax returns, TPI team members receive, resolve, and process exceptions to tax return filings. For business licenses, TPI team members receive new applications and renewals for data entry into the system and processing.

“The Precisionists has created an innovative model focused on helping organizations excel by bringing the talents and strengths of people with diverse abilities into the workforce,” said Rick Geisenberger, Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Finance. “Our Department is thrilled to be part of this effort that aligns so well with our values under the leadership of Governor Carney, and strengthens our ability to continuously improve the services we provide to our customers and the State’s taxpayers.”

“The work being done by the TPI Associates has provided needed support and continuous improvement to the Division of Revenue. The resources they have provided have enabled us to better manage our day-to-day operations. The employees from The Precisionists are reliable contributors to our team,” said Jennifer Hudson, Director of the Division of Revenue.

Those participating in the pilot go through a comprehensive four-week training program. As part of the pilot program, the State of Delaware hopes to identify additional opportunities to expand this employment model to other parts of the business, further supporting The Precisionists’ goal of employing 10,000 people with diverse abilities in the United States by 2025.

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About the State of Delaware Department of Finance and Division of Revenue
The Delaware Department of Finance’s mission is to promote Delaware’s fiscal health fairly and efficiently by forecasting, generating, collecting, and accounting for funds critical to essential government services.
As the primary revenue collector for the State, the mission of the Division of Revenue is to serve the State of Delaware by administering tax laws in a fair, secure, and efficient manner that creates the highest possible level of satisfaction for taxpayers and stakeholders and provides revenues that support quality public services.

To learn more, visit https://finance.delaware.gov/about-finance/ and https://revenue.delaware.gov.

About The Precisionists, Inc. (TPI)
The Precisionists, Inc. (TPI), a Benefits Corporation, is a national company focused on providing industry best practices for delivering administrative and technology services by building teams, which include individuals with disabilities. This approach enables The Precisionists to meet each customer’s specific needs and to deliver projects with the highest degree of productivity. The Precisionists is dedicated to creating jobs for individuals with disabilities in all the markets it serves. The Precisionists, Inc. is headquartered in Wilmington, DE. Learn more at www.theprecisionists.com. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter.

Contact:
Patricia Pfarrer
The Precisionists, Inc.
302-588-2353
Patti.Pfarrer@theprecisionists.com

Leslie A. Poland
Community Relations Coordinator
Delaware Department of Finance
302.577.8522
leslie.poland@delaware.gov

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor Carney on Friday announced the State of Delaware will host Government Efficiency & Accountability Review (GEAR) public meetings in each county as part of an ongoing review of state regulations. Governor Carney and members of his cabinet will host the meetings, and accept public comment on ways to improve state government and the delivery of state services.

The Delaware Departments of Labor; Health and Social Services; Education; Natural Resources and Environmental Control; and Transportation will be among the agencies participating. State of Delaware constituent relations staff also will be available to assist Delawareans with questions or concerns. 

“Since taking office, I have talked to Delawareans about our commitment to operating our state government as efficiently and effectively as possible – so we can focus on investing taxpayer dollars where they are needed most,” said Governor Carney. “These GEAR public meetings are another chance for us to hear directly from Delawareans on how we can improve our state government – and strengthen our work around education, public health, workforce training, and social service delivery. Members of our GEAR team have done important work to identify statewide improvements, and we are going on the road to hear directly from Delawareans about their priorities.”

Governor Carney established GEAR by Executive Order in February 2017 to identify ways for state government to operate more efficiently, and improve the delivery of state services for Delaware families.

A review of state regulations is required every four years by the Regulatory Flexibility Act. The following executive branch agencies of the State of Delaware are accepting public comments: 

• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Education
• Department of Finance
• Department of Health and Social Services
• Department of Human Resources
• Department of Labor
• Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Department of Safety and Homeland Security
• Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families
• Department of State
• Department of Transportation
• Office of Management and Budget

Members of the public who would like to provide comments regarding state rules and regulations can submit comments online, by email, or by mail:

• • Online at: https://gear.delaware.gov/public-comment/ 
  • Email to: reg_review@delaware.gov
  • Mail comments to:

                       GEAR – Attn: James Myran
                       Carvel State Office Building
                       820 North French Street, 8th Floor, Office 813
                       Wilmington, Delaware 19801

 

Kent County – GEAR Town Hall

WHAT:          Governor John Carney and state agencies will host a GEAR Town Hall to accept public comment on which state regulations should be modified or eliminated.

WHO:             Governor John Carney

                        Secretary Rick Geisenberger, Delaware Department of Finance

                        James Myran, Executive Director, Government Efficiency & Accountability Review (GEAR)

                        Members of Governor Carney’s Cabinet

                        State Senator Trey Paradee

                        State Representative Bill Bush

                        State Representative Lyndon Yearick

                        Representatives from State of Delaware Agencies

WHEN:          Thursday, March 19, 2020

                        6:00 p.m.

WHERE:        Wilmington University, Dover Campus

                        Building A Auditorium

                        3282 N DuPont Highway

                        Dover, DE 19901

 

 

Sussex County – GEAR Town Hall

WHAT:          Governor John Carney and state agencies will host a GEAR Town Hall to accept public comment on which state regulations should be modified or eliminated.

WHO:             Governor John Carney

                        Secretary Rick Geisenberger, Delaware Department of Finance

                        James Myran, Executive Director, Government Efficiency & Accountability Review (GEAR)

                        Members of Governor Carney’s Cabinet

                        State Senator Brian Pettyjohn

                        State Senator David Wilson

                        State Senator Gerald Hocker

                        State Representative Ruth Briggs King

                        State Representative Daniel Short

                        State Representative Ronald Gray

                        State Representative Tim Dukes

                        State Representative Stephen Smyk

                        Representatives from State of Delaware Agencies

WHEN:          Tuesday, March 24, 2020

                        6:30 p.m.

WHERE:       Delaware Technical & Community College

                        Owens Campus – Arts and Science Center Theater

                        21179 College Drive

                        Georgetown, DE 19947

 

 

New Castle County – GEAR Town Hall

WHAT:          Governor John Carney and state agencies will host a GEAR Town Hall to accept public comment on which state regulations should be modified or eliminated.

WHO:             Governor John Carney

                        Secretary Rick Geisenberger, Delaware Department of Finance

                        James Myran, Executive Director, Government Efficiency & Accountability Review (GEAR)

                        Members of Governor Carney’s Cabinet

                        State Senator Darius Brown

                        State Representative Kendra Johnson

                        Representatives from State of Delaware Agencies

WHEN:          Monday, March 30, 2020

                        6:00 p.m.

WHERE:       Route 9 Library & Innovation Center

                        Black Box Theater and Multipurpose Room A

                        3022 New Castle Avenue

                        New Caste, DE 19720

 

 

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State Escheator and Office of Unclaimed Property Director Brenda Mayrack this week announced that Delaware’s Office of Unclaimed Property will be moving its website to unclaimedproperty.delaware.gov. By federal policy, U.S. government-related domain names (“.gov”) are only available to official governmental organizations in the United States. Originally launched in October of 2015, delaware.findyourunclaimedproperty.com has provided the public with easy access to the state’s searchable unclaimed property database, and allowed visitors to submit and check claim status online. The basic website and all of its functionality will remain the same, and visitors to the old address will be automatically redirected to unclaimedproperty.delaware.gov in the short term.

“Given the high number of unclaimed property scams we see across the country, we want to increase confidence among owners trying to recover property held here in Delaware,” said Director Mayrack. “With the new domain, users will be able to immediately recognize that they are using an official state website.”

Additionally, the site now offers enhanced property searching. Potential claimants may perform their own searches online anytime, or they may submit a request for an enhanced search to be completed by Delaware’s Unclaimed Property staff.

Unclaimed Property holders, which include banks, insurance companies and other business entities, should note that they must now file all reports via the website – the Office of Unclaimed Property no longer accepts filings on paper or other digital media. Holders (inclusive of most business entities, except banking organizations and insurance companies) who must comply with the state’s approaching March 1, 2019 spring reporting deadline should note the new website to ensure timely filing of their reports. All holders must report by uploading a National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA)-compliant file or by using the Manual Online Reporting option. Manual Online Reporting allows holders with only a few properties to enter the property and report details online, and avoid the expense of creating a NAUPA-compliant file. For technical assistance with reporting, please see the Updated Holder Reporting guidelines available online, or contact Delaware’s Holder Reporting Unit at: escheat.holderquestions@delaware.gov or 302-577-8782, option #2.

The Delaware State Lottery today announced the appointment of Helene M. Keeley to the position of Deputy Director, effective November 12, 2018. As Deputy Director, Ms. Keeley will be responsible for overseeing a number of functions within the Lottery office; including finance, human resources, technology and security.

Ms. Keeley is well known in the Delaware Lottery and national gaming communities having served for 22 years as a member of the Delaware General Assembly and and a long-standing member and current Vice-Chair of the House Gaming and Pari-mutuel Committee. She is an active leader of the National Conference of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS), the nation’s only organization for state lawmakers focused solely on public policy related to gaming. She served as the past President of NCLGS from 2014-2016 and more recently as Vice President of its Executive Committee and member of its Committees on Pari-Mutuels and State-Federal Relations.

“Helene has been a strong booster of Delaware’s casino and horseracing industries and a great advocate for maintaining a sound regulatory environment that enables gaming to remain an important contributor to our State’s economy and revenues,” said Secretary of Finance Rick Geisenberger. “The Delaware Lottery Office will be well served by her industry knowledge and more than 30 years of experience managing and driving improvements in the administration of diverse organizations.”

Prior to joining the Lottery next month, Ms. Keeley will have spent 14 years at the Department of Labor where she currently manages daily operations for the Business Services Unit of the Division of Employment and Training. Her prior experience also includes 16 years with Rosenbluth International where she rose to the position of Global Implementation Manager, overseeing the creation and launch of multiple worldwide office locations. These positions have provided her with a wealth of experience in policy and procedures, human resources, technology and security issues, as well as with managing multi-million dollar budgets.

“For many years, Helene Keeley has been an important partner in helping our agency provide a safe and sound regulatory environment for public gaming in Delaware and indeed the nation,” said Lottery Director Vernon Kirk, “so I’m pleased and excited to have her join the great management team we have here at the State Lottery Office.”

The Delaware Lottery strives to create a fun and exciting gaming environment while maximizing General Fund revenues that pay for vital state services. The Lottery Office is responsible for administration and oversight of all Delaware Lottery products including instant and draw games, video lottery and table games, sports betting, keno and iGaming. Since 1975, the Delaware Lottery has contributed more than $5.2 billion to the State’s General Fund including $212 million in fiscal year 2018.

Secretary of Finance Rick Geisenberger is pleased to announce the appointment of Jane L. Cole, CPA, as the new Director of Delaware’s Division of Accounting. The appointment became effective Monday, May 15th.

Ms. Cole most recently served as the State’s Manager of Financial Reporting and Internal Control, overseeing the creation of Delaware’s award-winning Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), which ensures the completeness and accuracy of work submitted to the State’s auditors. She was also responsible for implementation of all new Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) pronouncements; ensuring the State’s financial reporting adheres to the highest-quality standards. Her responsibilities included overseeing the staff responsible for reviewing the internal control policies for all State organizations.

The Division of Accounting provides financial and technical accounting services and support to state organizations, establishes the State’s internal control structure, and promotes consistent, reliable, and transparent financial information to the public. “Jane is an accomplished financial professional and manager, and she possesses a wealth of expertise in governmental accounting standards and systems,” said Secretary Geisenberger. “I am pleased that she will be overseeing the very capable staff of our Accounting Division and working with agencies throughout State government to boost efficiency, internal controls, and transparency in our accounting and management of revenues and expenditures.”

Before joining State government in 2013, Ms. Cole had 20 years of private sector experience in public accounting and financial management – most recently as Senior Manager of Accounting and Audit at Herbein + Company, Inc., a leading regional CPA firm headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania. There she oversaw audits for scores of governmental and non-profit organizations, as well as 990 tax compliance for the firm’s tax-exempt clientele. Her responsibilities included supervision and training of audit staff and clients in governmental accounting standards, regulations, and compliance matters.

Ms. Cole holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work, an Accounting Certificate, and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1999. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of Government Accountants, and the Government Financial Officers Association. From 2004 to 2013, she served as a member and then Chair of the Not-for-Profit Committee of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.