How to (Not) Kill Your Community

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Pam Eaton and Secretary Anne Canby about the unique transportation challenges of northern and southern Delaware, climate change, and moving past a highway-only mindset. Secretary Anne Canby is a transportation policy expert who pioneered women's leadership in state transportation agencies. She served as the first female Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation from 1981 to 1982 and the first female Secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation from 1993 to 2001. Over her career, Canby advocated for multimodal transportation systems, including the introduction of EZPass toll collection, expanded regional rail services, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and context-sensitive design principles in Delaware, shifting departmental focus from highway-centric to broader, sustainable options that minimized environmental impacts. Pam Eaton is a seasoned transportation planning executive with more than 35 years of experience advancing sustainable mobility, transit, and infrastructure improvement. Her work integrates transportation and land use planning to deliver multimodal, long-range strategies that balance public facilities, environmental stewardship, and community priorities. Pam has also delivered testimony before U.S. Congressional Committees following Hurricane Katrina, founded the Rhode Island Flood Mitigation Association chapter, and authored Rhode Island's first public coastal access guide.

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with the Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Delaware Lauren Camp Gates about focusing resources on people with disabilities and how nonprofits can be more intentional about engaging people with disabilities and their families. Lauren Camp Gates is the Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Delaware, where she began as a volunteer in 2012. In addition to her executive leadership, Lauren serves as the youngest-ever National Board President of Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action, collaborating with more than 100 Down syndrome organizations nationwide. She also served as a policy associate with the National Down Syndrome Congress and is the founder of Down to Box, a national nonprofit with 13 locations providing inclusive fitness and boxing programs. In recognition of her impact and leadership, she was named a 40 Under 40 honoree by Delaware Business Times in 2021. She has an MPA from the University of Delaware.

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with the founder of Hook PR & Marketing Patricia Rivera about communication bias, Hispanic entrepreneurs, the Arsht-Cannon Fund, and finding your "why." Patricia Rivera is the founder of Hook PR & Marketing, where she leads a team of multicultural communicators to develop campaigns that honor the depth and diversity of humankind and support organizations focused on social good. She began her career as a storyteller and print journalist, working at The New York Times, The News Journal and The Dallas Morning News. Her awards include 2018 Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year Award from New Castle County Chamber of Commerce; 2019 Delaware Minority-Owned Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration; and 2020 Delaware Today Women in Business honoree.

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with LGBTQ+ activists Lisa Goodman and Drew Fennell about anti-discrimination laws, marriage equality, and being, at different points, "the most out person in Delaware." Lisa B. Goodman is a lawyer and founder of the Delaware lobbying firm 302 Strategies, where she has represented scores of clients in Dover over many years. She holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from Widener University School of Law, and earlier earned degrees from the University of Delaware and West Chester University. She has been active in legal advocacy, serving as president of Equality Delaware, an organization that championed Delaware's civil-union and anti-discrimination laws. Drew Fennell is an attorney, strategic advisor, and longtime civil rights and public service leader. She holds a B.A. from the University of Delaware and a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law. Her many positions include executive director of the ACLU of Delaware, executive director of the Delaware Criminal Justice Council, chief of staff to Governor Jack Markell, senior VP at Christiana Care, and most recently, executive vice president at Social Contract.

Season two of How to (Not) Kill Your Community drops this April. Join Stuart Comstock-Gay, President and CEO of the Delaware Community Foundation for eight new episodes. Hear from experts such as Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, former Delaware Department of Transportation Secretary Anne Canby, and Sussex County Habitat for Humanity CEO Kevin Gilmore. We go deeper with discussions about the role of religion in democracy, the importance of entrepreneurship, and declining volunteerism. Help us tackle the essential question: How do we NOT kill our community?

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Delaware librarians Jill DiPaolo and Jamar Rahming about the vital role libraries play in sustaining our democracy. Jamar Rahming serves as the Executive Director of the Wilmington Public Library in Delaware. Under his leadership, the library has become a vibrant community hub, hosting notable figures such as Angela Davis, LeVar Burton, and Dolly Parton. In recognition of its exceptional service, the library received the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Services. Rahming's dedication to community engagement and inclusivity earned him the 2025 "I Love My Librarian" award. With a career spanning two decades across eight states, including a fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution, Rahming continues to champion the transformative power of libraries. Jill DiPaolo is the Director of the Lewes Public Library. Before assuming her current role, she served as Director of both the Selbyville and Milton Public Libraries and held leadership positions in outreach and technology services at the Sussex County Department of Libraries. In 2022, DiPaolo spearheaded the inaugural Sussex County Scripps National Spelling Bee. She was also instrumental in securing technology grants from the Gates Foundation to enhance library services statewide. Residing in Lewes with her husband, Mike, and their two children, DiPaolo maintains strong ties to the community she serves.

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay sits down with Mariah Ghant of Delaware Shakespeare and Patti Grimes of the Freeman Arts Pavilion to explore how the arts create space for connection across difference. Mariah Ghant is the Producing Artistic Director of Delaware Shakespeare. Before she assumed the position in 2024, she served as the Artistic Associate and Literary Manager at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia. An accomplished actress, Mariah portrayed Hippolyta/Titania in Delaware Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Marc Antony in Julius Caesar, and took on the title role in Macbeth. She has also been a member of Delaware Shakespeare's Artistic Squad, contributing to the organization's creative initiatives in a variety of ways including being a teaching artist, developing new events, and directing short programs. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Mariah is an alumna of Vassar College. Patti Grimes is the Executive Director of the Freeman Arts Pavilion and the Carl M. Freeman Foundation. Under her leadership, the Freeman Arts Pavilion has welcomed over a million visitors since 2008. She also oversees the Carl M. Freeman Foundation, which has granted over $60 million to nonprofit organizations. Grimes serves as Vice Chair for Delaware Technical Community College and serves as a Board Member for Leadership Delaware. With over four decades at the Carl M. Freeman Companies, she continues to foster community engagement and cultural growth in the region.

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with the Equitable Hiring Initiative (EHI) co-founders Jac Rivers and Christopher S. Gunter about why businesses cannot afford to ignore local talent. Jac Rivers is a Vice President and Program Officer at JPMorgan Chase, leading the firm's strategic philanthropic investments in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Southern New Jersey. With a background in law, public policy, and government administration, she focuses on innovative approaches to racial equity and wealth creation for Black and Latino communities. Before joining JPMorgan Chase, Jac served as Chief of Staff in the Managing Director's Office for the City of Philadelphia, overseeing five operating departments. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law and holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Sociology from Lehigh University. Christopher S. Gunter is the Community Impact & Investment Philanthropy Lead at Capital One's Wilmington office, where he directs the foundation's philanthropic investments across the Delaware Valley and Midwest regions. His work emphasizes enhancing socio-economic mobility through innovative programs, inclusive products, and impactful philanthropy. He is also a certified diversity professional, with research interests in areas such as racially-based police targeting and the re-entry process of African-American males post-corrections. Christopher holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Public Administration from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science in Administration of Justice, focusing on criminal behavior, from Wilmington University.

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Dogfish Head co-founder Mariah Calagione about the value of philanthropy for both businesses and the communities they serve. Mariah Calagione is the co-founder of Dogfish Head Brewery and recently retired as the Social Impact Leader at the Boston Beer Company. Raised in Milford, Delaware, she met her husband, Sam Calagione, during high school, and together they established Dogfish Head in 1995. Mariah's early roles encompassed marketing, public relations, and social media, eventually focusing on philanthropic initiatives through the Beer & Benevolence program. She has served on various boards, including The Nature Conservancy and the University of Delaware, (and oh yeah, the Delaware Community Foundation). Mariah and Sam have two adult children and continue to contribute actively to both their business and local community.

In the first season of How to (Not) Kill Your Community from the Delaware Community Foundation, President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay seeks answers from experts on how to build and maintain thriving communities for the long-haul.

Ashley Christopher was working in the Wilmington mayor's office when she was tasked with developing an idea to engage Wilmington's underserved communities. She thought education was the path forward and the idea for HBCU Week came forth. Now the CEO of HBCU Week Foundation, Christopher and the organization have offered thousands of scholarships totaling millions of dollars to students looking to continue their education. She also touches on what it means to be in the HBCU community (as a two-time HBCU alum) and how the institutions can impact young people.

The influences in one's life can be either positive or negative... For Adam Kramer, he had a lot of negative influences growing up, which led to a life of drug dealing and jail time. After getting out, and getting on the straight path, Kramer, a former felon, teamed up with a former FBI agent to try to bring some positive influences into the lives of young kids in Delaware through the Green Beret Project. He sits down with host Stuart Comstock-Gay to go through it all: his upbringing, his jail time and his path back to being a positive influence in kids' lives.

Darryl Chambers, also known as "Wolfie" and "The Mayor of Wilmington," has been fighting the inequities in Wilmington to try and make the city better for all of its citizens. In this episode, Wolfie talks about why he started the Center for Structural Equity, the inequities that he sees, such as education, healthcare and employment in Wilmington and across Delaware, and what communities and their people have to do to combat such inequities. Learn more about the Center for Structural Equity.