Coalition of local officials, organizations is an initiative of Keep DE Litter Free campaign

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney joined Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, Wilmington City Council President Hanifa Shabazz, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, members of the General Assembly and advocates to announce the Delaware Anti-Litter Alliance – a coalition of local leaders committed to reducing litter in Delaware.

The coalition is an initiative of the Keep DE Litter Free campaign that Governor Carney announced last month in Rehoboth Beach. Towns, cities, and organizations that joined the Alliance have pledged to encourage their residents and members to not litter, to pursue anti-litter policies, and to hold at least one litter cleanup each year – with the goal of reducing litter in Delaware over time.

“Litter threatens our natural resources, our communities, and our economy,” said Governor Carney. “I’m proud to stand with mayors, county executives, legislators and advocacy organizations statewide to encourage Delawareans and visitors to not litter, to protect our outdoor spaces, and respect our state’s unique natural heritage. We share a collective goal to reduce litter in our state over time. Together, we are committed to keeping Delaware a beautiful place to live, work, and raise a family.”

“Wilmington is pleased to join with our partner cities and towns throughout Delaware in support of Governor Carney’s anti-litter efforts,” said Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, who launched Wilmington’s Beautiful City Initiative in 2017. “We can support each other as part of the new alliance and within a reasonable amount of time lay claim to Delaware being the cleanest and most beautiful state in the nation.”

“This statewide campaign is so timely and complements our efforts to beautify Wilmington,” said City Council President Hanifa Shabazz. “The campaign also aligns with the implementation of City Council’s Strategic Plan for a beautiful and clean city. We are engaging civic groups to encourage educational initiatives about how removing litter instills community pride among our children and people of all ages. Thank you Governor for this initiative, and we are happy to be supportive.”

“Litter is more than just an eyesore; it pollutes our streets and can end up doing damage to infrastructure, costing state and local governments money for cleanup and repairs,” said State Representative Nnamdi Chukwuocha, who represents the 1st District in the City of Wilmington. “I’m proud to be joining the Anti-Litter Alliance to help protect our environment and keep our state clean and healthy.”

“As a community it is important to take these vital steps on improving our environment now and for years to come,” said Dover Mayor Robin R. Christiansen. “Little steps can leave a big imprint. Our hope is that every town encourages their constituents to take those steps. Secure your trash and recycling cans, keep a bag for litter in your car, make use of recycling bins and reusable bags and participate in a community cleanup day. If we all do our part, we will all reap the benefits.”

“Throwing trash along a roadway or in a park or dumping it on a vacant lot hurts our environment, imposes cleanup costs on the government and disproportionately impacts our neighborhoods that are most in need,” said New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. “New Castle County is proud to join and support the Governor’s anti-littering alliance. Our success will depend on the choices made by individuals across our state, so let’s work together as a team to make Delaware pristine!”

“I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to Governor Carney and everybody that helped launch the statewide Anti-Litter campaign,” said Rehoboth Beach Mayor Paul Kuhns. “Not only is a clean city so important for the people that live and work here, but it’s also crucial for our tourism industry. Visitors to our state contributed $3.3 billion to our tourism economy. I am proud of the efforts to keep the City of Rehoboth Beach clean. We have dedicated staff that works day and night to keep our streets, neighborhoods, and beach clear of litter. This campaign is so important to keep your neighborhood clean and your city healthy – for your family, for the environment, for the economy, for the community, and future generations.”

“Sussex County is proud to join the Keep DE Litter Free campaign, which gives a boost to some of the collective cleanup efforts that are already underway here in the county,” said Sussex County Administrator Todd F. Lawson. “From our incentive-based complaint program through CrimeStoppers to the recent partnership with the State correction and transportation departments to organize special cleanups for trash trouble spots, the new awareness campaign will really drive home the message that it takes everyone – municipalities, counties, the state, organizations, businesses, and the general public – to tackle this problem once and for all.”

“Our business community, residents and civic leaders have been dismayed by the increase in litter in recent years and have taken matters into their own hands – literally – by organizing weekly litter pick up patrols downtown and neighborhood cleanup projects,” said Milford Mayor Archie Campbell. “We are proud to be an inaugural member of the Delaware Anti-Litter Alliance so we can unite to take this effort to the next level.”

“Greenwood is involved in the Governor’s Litter Alliance because we really want to see no litter along our highways,” said Greenwood Town Manager Hal Godwin. “Delaware should not look like we have no place to properly dispose of our trash, but all along our highways. Let’s clean it up!”

“We’re proud to join the Delaware Anti-Litter Alliance to raise awareness of the litter issue in Delaware and to beautify our Town,” said Cheswold Town Administrator Sam Callender.

Visit de.gov/litterfree to support the campaign and to view a full list of Alliance partners.

Last month, in partnership with Keep Delaware Beautiful, Governor Carney launched the statewide campaign, Keep DE Litter Free, to encourage Delawareans to not litter, to protect our public spaces, and respect our state’s unique natural heritage. The Governor is partnering with mayors, county executives, and advocacy organizations statewide to spread that message through the Delaware Anti-Litter Alliance – an initiative of the campaign.

A 2018 study from the State of Delaware and Keep Delaware Beautiful identified more than 6,000 pieces of trash for every mile of roadway surveyed. Cigarette butts, plastic bags, fast food wrappers, cans, and bottles accounted for a significant portion of the roadway waste.

“We agree that litter is a real problem throughout our state,” said Julie Miro Wenger, Executive Director of Keep Delaware Beautiful. “We also agree that everyone needs to play a part in taking care of our natural resources and our communities. Littering is a personal action and we need to change behavior.  There is no barrier for all residents to participate in taking pride in our community by committing to not litter. Everyone can commit to helping create a more beautiful Delaware.”

“Litter has detrimental impacts to wildlife and mars our beautiful natural areas,” said Brenna Goggin, Director of Advocacy for the Delaware Nature Society. “Delaware Nature Society is proud to join Governor Carney in his efforts to reduce litter along our roadways, floating in our waterways, and blocking our stormwater drains.”

Take the pledge and join the effort to Keep DE Litter Free!

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Appointments will bring new perspective, ideas to board

WILMINGTON, Del. — Governor John Carney has appointed a former State Teacher of the Year and a rising high school senior to serve on the State Board of Education.

Lea Wainwright, Delaware’s 2014 State Teacher of the Year, and Dorcas Olatunji, a Charter School of Wilmington student, will serve on the board until July 1, 2020.

“Educators and Delaware students should always have a seat at the table when we make big decisions that affect schools in our state,” said Governor John Carney. “That’s why I am pleased to announce these two appointments to the State Board of Education. Lea and Dorcas will bring valuable experience and perspective to the board, and I want to thank both for their willingness to serve.”

The new non-voting seats were approved by the General Assembly last year with the passage of House Bill 455. Beginning this year, the Governor will annually appoint to the board an 11th or 12th grade student and a former State Teacher of the Year who also is a current educator.

Wainwright is a French teacher at Appoquinimink School District’s Everett Meredith Middle School. She earned her undergraduate degree in French from the University of Delaware. She earned a Masters of Education in educational technology and a Doctor of Education in leadership and innovation from Wilmington University.

Olatunji ha extensive volunteering and extracurricular experience, including involvement in the YMCA National Advocacy Program and Youth in Government (YIG), in which she served as a YIG Youth Leadership Committee member. Among other work, she helped develop a carpool app to help youth find rides to volunteering and activities. She also spearheaded the “Prejudgment Project” to “find ways to turn inevitable negative first impressions into positive ways that would bring people together.”

Olatunji was selected from a competitive and diverse pool of applicants representing all three counties in the state as well as traditional, vocational technical and charter schools.

“We are excited to welcome Dorcas Olatunji and Lea Wainwright to the State Board of Education. Both members will provide a valuable perspective on policies and programs impacting students and educators and we look forward to their contributions,” said Whitney Sweeney, President of the State Board of Education.

The board’s regular monthly meetings are open to the public, typically scheduled for the third Thursday evening of the month. The Board rotates its meetings to be held in all three counties.

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Photo of Lea Wainwright is available here.
Photo of Dorcas Olatunji is available here.

Event held during the celebration of Public Service Recognition Week, May 5-11, 2019

DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney, Cabinet members, and the business community on Thursday celebrated Public Service Recognition Week by applauding the extraordinary work of Delaware’s public servants and recognizing state employees that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to their work. Awards presented to employees include Team Excellence, Excellence & Commitment in State Service, and Heroism.

New to this year’s ceremony was the presentation of the GEAR-P3 Innovation and Efficiency Award. This award, made possible through the Government Efficiency and Accountability Review (GEAR) launched by Governor Carney in 2017 and a Public-Private Partnership (P3) between the State of Delaware and the Delaware business community, recognizes State employees with the highest levels of performance excellence. Founding sponsors of the GEAR-P3 Award include Bank of America, Delmarva Power, The Precisionists, and WSFS Bank.

“I encourage all Delawareans to join me in thanking our State employees for their dedication and commitment to public service,” said Governor Carney. “I’m thrilled to join with the State’s business community this year in giving special recognition to employee teams that implement innovative, cost saving initiatives that yield sustainable results for our citizens. Thank you to our founding sponsors for partnering with the State to honor these employees.”

Governor’s Team Excellence Awards

This awards category includes the GEAR-P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award; Champions Award; and Commitment Award. The Governor’s Team Excellence Awards, presented annually to a team of six to 20 state employees, encourages teamwork by recognizing groups of state employees for their efforts to use continuous quality improvement tools to excel in leadership, team dynamics and communication to produce superior customer service and tangible results.

GEAR-P3 Innovation & Efficiency Award

This top award is a cooperative initiative between the State of Delaware and the business community.  It honors teams that not only use continuous quality tools to achieve outstanding outcomes but also develop innovative designs and process, establish best practices, and produce verifiable results that are sustainable, scalable, and adaptable to other areas of government. These teams serve as clear role models for other organizations. Recipients of this year’s award are:

• iVote Security Remediation Team, Department of Technology and Information and the Department of Elections
• Delaware Drug Monitoring Initiative Team, Department of Health and Social Services and Department of Safety and Homeland Security/Delaware State Police

Champions Award

This award recognizes teams that demonstrate a superior knowledge of continuous quality improvement techniques, produced tangible results, and increased efficiencies, customer satisfaction, or cost savings. Recipients of this year’s award are:

• Criminal History Unit Team, Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
• Southern Health Services 3rd Annual Drive-Thru Influenza POD Leadership Planning Team, Department of Health and Social Services

Commitment Award

This award recognizes teams that demonstrate a commitment to developing and applying quality improvement tools and techniques and achieving results that lead to continuous improvement in their organization. Recipients of this year’s award are:

• Transit Mobile App and Fare System Modernization Team, Department of Transportation/Delaware Transit Corporation

• Rehoboth Outfall Permitting Project Team, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Jury Improvement Innovation Team, Superior Court, Judicial Information Center and the Department of Technology and Information

Excellence and Commitment in State Service Award

This award, established in 1990, is given to five State of Delaware employees, or groups of employees, who exemplify the highest standards of excellence and commitment in state service. Recipients of the 2019 award are:

• Kesha Braunskill, Department of Agriculture
• Kenneth P. Creedon, Superior Court
• James Dowling, Department of Health and Social Services
• Christopher Gore, Robert Greybill and William Kirsch, Department of Transportation
• Ivelisse Torres, Department of Health and Social Services

Delaware Award for Heroism

Established in 2013, this award recognizes state employees for acts of heroism and courage. The 2019 recipients are:

• Robby Brown, Department of Transportation
• Genevieve Haller, Kelly Katz, and Robby Brown, Department of Transportation
• Chelsea Chillas, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Chantel Collie, Department of Health and Social Services
• Richard Nichols and Robert Stevens, Department of Transportation
• Department of Correction, Sussex Correctional Institute employees:
  Joseph Adkins, Richard Donahue, Scott Illian, Travis Lowe, Charles Moorefield, Zachary Pettyjohn, Adam Smith, Joshua Wall, and Scott Workman
• Department of Correction, Baylor Women’s Correctional Institute employees:
  Marlowe Rhock, Hodle Dorcin, De’Quan Hickson, Mali Lebron, Kelly Lewis, Denise Massey, Ryan Stanard, and Syrita Williams

“State employees are incredibly driven and committed to serving the people of Delaware,” said Saundra Ross Johnson, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Human Resources. “It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to recognize those who have gone above and beyond their usual level of excellence.”

Detailed information about the award recipients can be found on the State of Delaware’s Employee Recognition webpage: https://dhr.delaware.gov/training/award/

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First Lady also announces first Compassionate Champion Award winners  

DOVER, Del. – At a kickoff event for Trauma Awareness Month in Delaware, First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney today announced the launch of a new, growing statewide partnership for trauma-informed care to help elevate stories of the work of leaders in trauma-informed practices and approaches across the state called Trauma Informed Delaware. The goal of the statewide public-private-nonprofit coalition is to coordinate a sustainable system that advances resilience through community-based awareness, trauma prevention, and early intervention.

“Trauma-informed care is a pre-requisite to any effective strength-based strategy,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “Progress starts when a critical mass of people learn and listen, when we recognize – down to our bone marrow – that these are our children, our veterans, our neighbors, and that we are all in this building-the-future business together. Thank you to the all of the people who have been leading trauma-informed work for many years, and to everyone who will be participating in Trauma Awareness Month events.”

“Trauma-informed care is real,” said Tony Allen, Executive Vice President and Provost at Delaware State University, which hosted Wednesday’s kickoff event. “When it is present, it goes to the very heart of practitioners knowing both their clients and themselves, and having a clear belief in the power of Ubuntu – I am because WE are. That is not a warm and fuzzy principle or an interesting catch phrase. It is a guiding principle for anyone of us – teachers, social workers, therapists, law enforcement officers, health care professionals — who work with fellow citizens who face unending challenges that place their mental, physical or spiritual health in peril. At Delaware State University, we are committed to building a cadre of healing professionals across any number of disciplines that understand Ubuntu and put it into practice in everything they do for their profession and their community.”

“Our educators know first-hand that factors outside of the classroom impact how their students learn inside of the classroom, we have been hearing this for years. The creation of this statewide partnership and Trauma Awareness Month are an important first step towards making Delaware trauma-informed,” said Stephanie Ingram, President of the Delaware State Education Association. “We are thankful to have the support of Governor Carney and Secretary Bunting in facing these challenges and helping our students find pathways to resilience.”

Trauma Informed Delaware at www.traumainformedde.org will support streamlined requests for trainings, host collaborative convening opportunities, promote partners and events from across the state, and offer those supports and other forms of assistance through promotion of and advocacy for:

• Access to quality behavioral and integrated health care.
• Strength-based services for youth and adults.
• Education for providers and the community.

Wednesday’s kickoff event was coordinated by Governor Carney’s Family Services Cabinet Council, which was charged with promoting Trauma Awareness Month as part of the Governor’s Executive Order 24. The Council also created an online calendar to share information with state employees, community partners, and members of the public on educational and professional development opportunities related to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and building resilience.

“At the Children’s Department, we know that many of our clients come to us with a history of trauma,” said Josette Manning, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and their Families. “We also know that our staff, tasked with helping the most vulnerable children, also suffer trauma. Today, we all came together as a community to learn how we can become more trauma informed to better serve our children and families and how to take care of each other as we do it. We are looking forward to a month of activities focused on building resilience both inside and outside of our Department.”

“During the past year, more than 1,000 Department of Health and Social Services employees with the greatest level of direct client contact have been trained in a trauma-informed approach,” said Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, and a board-certified family physician. “We are building a workforce that understands what trauma is, how it affects people across their lifespans, and the most effective ways that we can assess and meet our clients’ needs. Having a trauma-informed workforce is a critical step in supporting and promoting recovery for our clients who have experienced trauma so they can build resilience and learn to thrive in their communities.”

“Toxic stress in childhood can have a profound and lasting impact on the lifelong health and well-being of a child, well into adulthood. Early intervention is key to reducing this risk,” said Lee Pachter, DO, Medical Director, General Pediatrics at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. “Nemours is pleased to be part of a state-wide initiative bringing together experts in the field to help give our kids the resources they need to mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).”

During the day-long symposium at Delaware State University, the First Lady also announced the Compassionate Champion Award winners and presented a proclamation from Governor Carney. The honorees are:

• Stephanie Sklodowski from Christiana Care and Christiana School District’s Newark High School Wellness Center.

• Wilmington University College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Psychology Department.

• Renée Beaman, Director of the Division of State Service Centers in the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS).

• Division of State Services Centers in DHSS.

• Georgetown Police Department.

• Shue-Medill Middle School.

• Smyrna School District.

• Mount Pleasant Elementary School.

• Wendy Turner from Brandywine School District.

• Ryan Palmer from Caesar Rodney School District.

• Collaborative Partnership to promote trauma-informed care approaches, including United Way of Delaware, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Education and the Wilmington Community Advisory Council.

The symposium featured an interactive panel moderated by DHSS Secretary Walker and breakout sessions on the neuroscience of stress, navigating trauma with boys of color, mindfulness and a screening of the film, “Broken Places.” Keynote speakers Heather Forbes, LCSW and author of “Help for Billy,” talked about understanding challenging and difficult behaviors, and Dr. Abdul-Malik Muhammad, Ed.D, a trauma-informed care leader in Delaware, addressed the collective power to heal.

The event was sponsored by the Delaware State Education Association, made possible through a grant from National Education Association, and co-sponsored by Trauma Matters Delaware, Nemours, Wilmington University and Delaware State University.

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WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Monday released the following statement on the latest estimates from the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council (DEFAC):

“We continue to show strong revenue growth, which is a positive sign for Delaware’s economy and our state budget. But, as we’ve said all along, much of this revenue is coming from one-time sources and volatile revenue streams like the corporate income tax. Delawareans expect us to responsibly manage their money in good and bad times. We should not use one-time revenue to fund ongoing expenses. That’s why we will continue to talk to legislators about dedicating one-time revenue to one-time expenses like infrastructure projects and open space preservation – while putting money away to prevent spending cuts the next time our revenue picture trends downward.”

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Learn more about Governor Carney’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal.