Board of Directors
Ravi Ammigan
Vice Provost for Global Engagement - University of Delaware
Dr. Ravi Ammigan serves as Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Senior International Officer at the University of Delaware (UD). With 25 years of experience in the field of international higher education, he currently leads his institution’s internationalization strategy and global engagement initiatives for students, faculty, and staff. He oversees the Center for Global Programs and Services, which houses the operations of Study Abroad, International Student and Scholar Services, and Global Outreach and Partnerships, and works in close collaboration with partner units on campus and in the local community to broaden the University’s international portfolio and global collective impact.
Dr. Ammigan holds a faculty appointment as Associate Professor in UD's School of Education, where his main research focuses on the academic, social, and cultural experiences of students in higher education. He has published extensively on this particular topic and is a regular speaker at conferences internationally. His latest books include Supporting International Students in U.S. Higher Education: A Theory-Based Approach (2024) and Internationalisation in Higher Education: Responding to New Opportunities and Challenges (2023).
Vice Provost for Global Engagement - University of Delaware
Dr. Ravi Ammigan serves as Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Senior International Officer at the University of Delaware (UD). With 25 years of experience in the field of international higher education, he currently leads his institution’s internationalization strategy and global engagement initiatives for students, faculty, and staff. He oversees the Center for Global Programs and Services, which houses the operations of Study Abroad, International Student and Scholar Services, and Global Outreach and Partnerships, and works in close collaboration with partner units on campus and in the local community to broaden the University’s international portfolio and global collective impact.
Dr. Ammigan holds a faculty appointment as Associate Professor in UD's School of Education, where his main research focuses on the academic, social, and cultural experiences of students in higher education. He has published extensively on this particular topic and is a regular speaker at conferences internationally. His latest books include Supporting International Students in U.S. Higher Education: A Theory-Based Approach (2024) and Internationalisation in Higher Education: Responding to New Opportunities and Challenges (2023).
Stephanie L. Chapman, CPA - Treasurer
Director, Tax & Small Business / International Services - Belfint, Lyons & Shuman
With the support of the firm’s International Services team, Stephanie specializes in providing United States tax compliance and advisory services for foreign entities and U.S. expatriates. Stephanie works with foreign business owners and their advisors to establish their tax residency, develop banking and legal relationships, and remain ahead of their various U.S. tax exposures. Expatriates benefit from Stephanie’s experience in minimizing tax liabilities through the benefits of treaties and incentives. Stephanie is also responsible for identifying training opportunities for staff as it relates to the International Services division, as well as niche business development and growth.
Stephanie has been published in local trade magazines including Delaware Banker. She has been invited to speak at the IRS Small Practitioner’s Annual Tax Forum; the Delaware Tax Institute; the PrimeGlobal World, North American and Latin American National Tax Conferences; as well as private speaking engagements in the U.K. and Germany to entrepreneurs on expanding to the U.S. market.
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Director, Tax & Small Business / International Services - Belfint, Lyons & Shuman
With the support of the firm’s International Services team, Stephanie specializes in providing United States tax compliance and advisory services for foreign entities and U.S. expatriates. Stephanie works with foreign business owners and their advisors to establish their tax residency, develop banking and legal relationships, and remain ahead of their various U.S. tax exposures. Expatriates benefit from Stephanie’s experience in minimizing tax liabilities through the benefits of treaties and incentives. Stephanie is also responsible for identifying training opportunities for staff as it relates to the International Services division, as well as niche business development and growth.
Stephanie has been published in local trade magazines including Delaware Banker. She has been invited to speak at the IRS Small Practitioner’s Annual Tax Forum; the Delaware Tax Institute; the PrimeGlobal World, North American and Latin American National Tax Conferences; as well as private speaking engagements in the U.K. and Germany to entrepreneurs on expanding to the U.S. market.
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Janet H. Dougherty
Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking Executive - Fulton Bank
Janet Dougherty joined Fulton Bank in 2008. She and her team of Commercial Relationship Managers, located in New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland, assist business owners and company financial officers eliminate cash flow uncertainty through multiple banking products and services. Janet is an expert with commercial mortgages, including the SBA 504 loan program, working capital lines of credit and international banking. Janet has a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus in Finance from the University of Delaware and a Bachelor of Science in Public Communications from Syracuse University. She is active in the community; currently the Board President of Delaware Community Development Corporation and a member of the Christiana Rotary.
Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking Executive - Fulton Bank
Janet Dougherty joined Fulton Bank in 2008. She and her team of Commercial Relationship Managers, located in New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland, assist business owners and company financial officers eliminate cash flow uncertainty through multiple banking products and services. Janet is an expert with commercial mortgages, including the SBA 504 loan program, working capital lines of credit and international banking. Janet has a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus in Finance from the University of Delaware and a Bachelor of Science in Public Communications from Syracuse University. She is active in the community; currently the Board President of Delaware Community Development Corporation and a member of the Christiana Rotary.
Carmen Facciolo
Partner - NAI Emory Hill Real Estate Services, Inc.
Carmen Facciolo, who became an Emory Hill partner in 1983, is the Director of NAI Emory Hill and President of Emory Hill Real Estate Services, Inc. and Vice President of Emory Hill & Company, the construction division.
Carmen’s extensive knowledge of the sales and leasing of industrial and commercial real estate and his experience in construction and development are supported by his previous positions with the Jackson Cross Company and Facciolo Construction. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Board of Directors of the Commercial-Industrial Realty Council, and member of the Board of Directors for the Mary Campbell Center, where he also serves on the golf committee for the prestigious annual Charmie Welch Open golf fundraiser.
Carmen is a graduate of Widener University where he earned both a BA in Political Science with a Minor in Business and MBA degree. He is a licensed real estate agent and broker of record in Delaware and New Jersey.
Partner - NAI Emory Hill Real Estate Services, Inc.
Carmen Facciolo, who became an Emory Hill partner in 1983, is the Director of NAI Emory Hill and President of Emory Hill Real Estate Services, Inc. and Vice President of Emory Hill & Company, the construction division.
Carmen’s extensive knowledge of the sales and leasing of industrial and commercial real estate and his experience in construction and development are supported by his previous positions with the Jackson Cross Company and Facciolo Construction. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Board of Directors of the Commercial-Industrial Realty Council, and member of the Board of Directors for the Mary Campbell Center, where he also serves on the golf committee for the prestigious annual Charmie Welch Open golf fundraiser.
Carmen is a graduate of Widener University where he earned both a BA in Political Science with a Minor in Business and MBA degree. He is a licensed real estate agent and broker of record in Delaware and New Jersey.
JC Fernandez-Seoane
Director of Foreign Exchange - WSFS Bank
JC is WSFS Director of Foreign Exchange. He has 30 years’ experience in helping customers manage financial risks. His main goal at the bank is to design and deliver foreign exchange risk management solutions to customers with international exposures. Before joining WSFS, JC worked for several international banks, first in Europe (London, Paris and Madrid), and later in New York City. He also teaches risk management and international finance at several US universities.
JC holds a master’s degree in international economics from Sciences-Po in Paris, an Executive MBA from the London Business School, and a master’s degree in extension studies from Harvard University.
Director of Foreign Exchange - WSFS Bank
JC is WSFS Director of Foreign Exchange. He has 30 years’ experience in helping customers manage financial risks. His main goal at the bank is to design and deliver foreign exchange risk management solutions to customers with international exposures. Before joining WSFS, JC worked for several international banks, first in Europe (London, Paris and Madrid), and later in New York City. He also teaches risk management and international finance at several US universities.
JC holds a master’s degree in international economics from Sciences-Po in Paris, an Executive MBA from the London Business School, and a master’s degree in extension studies from Harvard University.
Ken Grant
Senior Director, Public Affairs & Advocacy - Convergence Public Affairs, LLC.
Ken Grant has more than 30 years of experience in media, government relations, and marketing, as well as several experiences with trade missions to Brazil, UAE, India, China, Japan, and South Korea. He's been named as a Small Business Media Advocate by the Small Business Administration, an Entrepreneurial Advocate by the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, and the Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council has named him the recipient of the Excellence in Public Service Award. Ken is an active member of the Rotary Club of Wilmington and was part of the committee that organized a fundraising effort to provide nearly $300,000 in humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine.
Ken and his wife, Kristin, live in Newark, where Kristin tutors international students through the University of Delaware's English Language Institute.
Senior Director, Public Affairs & Advocacy - Convergence Public Affairs, LLC.
Ken Grant has more than 30 years of experience in media, government relations, and marketing, as well as several experiences with trade missions to Brazil, UAE, India, China, Japan, and South Korea. He's been named as a Small Business Media Advocate by the Small Business Administration, an Entrepreneurial Advocate by the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, and the Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council has named him the recipient of the Excellence in Public Service Award. Ken is an active member of the Rotary Club of Wilmington and was part of the committee that organized a fundraising effort to provide nearly $300,000 in humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine.
Ken and his wife, Kristin, live in Newark, where Kristin tutors international students through the University of Delaware's English Language Institute.
Kyra L. Hoffner
State Senator - Senate Majority Caucus (D)
Sen. Kyra Hoffner represents the 14th Senate District, which stretches from the Appoquinimink River to the Leipsic River and includes Townsend, Smyrna, Clayton, Cheswold, and Leipsic.
The daughter of a New York City police officer and a community advocate, Hoffner was raised on Long Island where she and her husband started their family. In 2001, Hoffner and her family moved to Delaware where she worked in the mortgage industry until her retirement in 2008.
Hoffner entered public service as an advocate and volunteer coordinator for the Delaware Advocacy Network and a lobbyist for the League of Women Voters. As a member of the LWV, she co-chaired the People Powered Fair Maps Redistricting Team, a partnership between more than a dozen organizations that held workshops across Delaware in 2021 to help educate the public and advocate for a fair and transparent redistricting process.
She is also a proud member of NORML, the NAACP, Network Delaware, the Sierra Club, Delaware United, Planned Parenthood, Delaware Stonewall, IAMME and the ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice.
Sen. Hoffner was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2022 after winning a five-way primary and a close general election contest to succeed Sen. Bruce Ennis, who retired after four decades in the General Assembly.
She currently serves as chair of the Senate Legislative Oversight & Sunset Committee, chair of the Senate Corrections & Public Safety Committee, vice chair of the Senate Agriculture committee, and a member of the Elections & Government Affairs, Judiciary, Housing & Land Use, and Veterans Affairs committees.
Sen. Hoffner and her husband Gerald live outside of Leipsic, where they raised their children Geena and James.
State Senator - Senate Majority Caucus (D)
Sen. Kyra Hoffner represents the 14th Senate District, which stretches from the Appoquinimink River to the Leipsic River and includes Townsend, Smyrna, Clayton, Cheswold, and Leipsic.
The daughter of a New York City police officer and a community advocate, Hoffner was raised on Long Island where she and her husband started their family. In 2001, Hoffner and her family moved to Delaware where she worked in the mortgage industry until her retirement in 2008.
Hoffner entered public service as an advocate and volunteer coordinator for the Delaware Advocacy Network and a lobbyist for the League of Women Voters. As a member of the LWV, she co-chaired the People Powered Fair Maps Redistricting Team, a partnership between more than a dozen organizations that held workshops across Delaware in 2021 to help educate the public and advocate for a fair and transparent redistricting process.
She is also a proud member of NORML, the NAACP, Network Delaware, the Sierra Club, Delaware United, Planned Parenthood, Delaware Stonewall, IAMME and the ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice.
Sen. Hoffner was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2022 after winning a five-way primary and a close general election contest to succeed Sen. Bruce Ennis, who retired after four decades in the General Assembly.
She currently serves as chair of the Senate Legislative Oversight & Sunset Committee, chair of the Senate Corrections & Public Safety Committee, vice chair of the Senate Agriculture committee, and a member of the Elections & Government Affairs, Judiciary, Housing & Land Use, and Veterans Affairs committees.
Sen. Hoffner and her husband Gerald live outside of Leipsic, where they raised their children Geena and James.
Ayanna Khan-Flowers
Founder & President/CEO - Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce
Ayanna Khan is a visionary leader and entrepreneur who has made significant contributions to the economic empowerment and growth of the Black business community in Delaware. With a strong commitment to fostering economic inclusivity and promoting diversity in the business world, she serves as the esteemed president, and CEO of the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce (DEBCC).
Preceding her founding of the DEBCC, Ayanna’s background extended to finance, having worked for a major communication and technology Dow 30 company for 10 years before her launch of Khan Consulting LLC in 2015, a small business consulting firm. Throughout her career Ayanna gained invaluable experience and insights into the challenges faced by Black-owned businesses. Read more!
Founder & President/CEO - Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce
Ayanna Khan is a visionary leader and entrepreneur who has made significant contributions to the economic empowerment and growth of the Black business community in Delaware. With a strong commitment to fostering economic inclusivity and promoting diversity in the business world, she serves as the esteemed president, and CEO of the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce (DEBCC).
Preceding her founding of the DEBCC, Ayanna’s background extended to finance, having worked for a major communication and technology Dow 30 company for 10 years before her launch of Khan Consulting LLC in 2015, a small business consulting firm. Throughout her career Ayanna gained invaluable experience and insights into the challenges faced by Black-owned businesses. Read more!
Anabel Panayotti
President / CEO - Port to Port International Corp.
ANABEL Panayotti is the founder of Port to Port International Corp., an award winning NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operation Common Carrier), International Freight Forwarder and Terminal Operator specializing in the export and ocean transport of vehicles, trucks, construction and forestry equipment and containerized cargoes to Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Asia and other worldwide markets.
Founded in 1998 as a Delaware corporation, Port to Port International is now one of the nation’s largest shippers of used vehicles and a growing shipper of new and used construction machinery to Central America.
Since 1998 she has led the expansion of the company through Strategic Planning and Logistics, Management, Sales, Accounting, Vessel Chartering and Development of New Markets. Read more!
President / CEO - Port to Port International Corp.
ANABEL Panayotti is the founder of Port to Port International Corp., an award winning NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operation Common Carrier), International Freight Forwarder and Terminal Operator specializing in the export and ocean transport of vehicles, trucks, construction and forestry equipment and containerized cargoes to Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Asia and other worldwide markets.
Founded in 1998 as a Delaware corporation, Port to Port International is now one of the nation’s largest shippers of used vehicles and a growing shipper of new and used construction machinery to Central America.
Since 1998 she has led the expansion of the company through Strategic Planning and Logistics, Management, Sales, Accounting, Vessel Chartering and Development of New Markets. Read more!
Bryan W. Shupe
State Representative (R)
State Rep. Bryan Shupe has earned a reputation as an experienced leader and entrepreneur in the community where he was born and raised.
Growing up in Milford, Rep. Shupe is a graduate of Milford High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Delaware.
Returning to Milford in the years that followed, Bryan started the city’s first community-focused internet media outlet, Milford Live. Shortly afterward, he met his wife Sherry and together they opened a second business in downtown Milford, FurBaby Boutique & Doggie Daycare.
Bryan came to the House of Representatives as an adept public servant having served as a Milford Councilman and the city’s Mayor. Over his four-year tenure in the latter post, Rep. Shupe was a key contributor to several successful economic development efforts, including the creation of the new Bayhealth Sussex Campus, the expansion of Nemours Pediatric Hospital to Sussex County, and the redevelopment of the former Milford Hospital property on Clark Avenue.
In addition to his responsibilities to the 36th Representative District, Rep. Shupe is member of the Delaware Boys & Girls Club Board of Trustees, a member of the Milton Theatre Board of Directors and serves as a volunteer for the Milford School District and Downtown Milford Inc.
At Legislative Hall, Rep. Shupe has quickly become a voice for positive change, advocating for programs to provide high school students with alternative paths to successful careers, and increasing the availability of skilled nurses and primary care physicians in Delaware.
State Representative (R)
State Rep. Bryan Shupe has earned a reputation as an experienced leader and entrepreneur in the community where he was born and raised.
Growing up in Milford, Rep. Shupe is a graduate of Milford High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Delaware.
Returning to Milford in the years that followed, Bryan started the city’s first community-focused internet media outlet, Milford Live. Shortly afterward, he met his wife Sherry and together they opened a second business in downtown Milford, FurBaby Boutique & Doggie Daycare.
Bryan came to the House of Representatives as an adept public servant having served as a Milford Councilman and the city’s Mayor. Over his four-year tenure in the latter post, Rep. Shupe was a key contributor to several successful economic development efforts, including the creation of the new Bayhealth Sussex Campus, the expansion of Nemours Pediatric Hospital to Sussex County, and the redevelopment of the former Milford Hospital property on Clark Avenue.
In addition to his responsibilities to the 36th Representative District, Rep. Shupe is member of the Delaware Boys & Girls Club Board of Trustees, a member of the Milton Theatre Board of Directors and serves as a volunteer for the Milford School District and Downtown Milford Inc.
At Legislative Hall, Rep. Shupe has quickly become a voice for positive change, advocating for programs to provide high school students with alternative paths to successful careers, and increasing the availability of skilled nurses and primary care physicians in Delaware.
Rafael X. Zahralddin - Secretary
Partner - Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP
Rafael X. Zahralddin-Aravena is a partner in the Wilmington office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Corporate, Bankruptcy, Complex Business & Commercial Litigation, Digital Asset, and Ukraine Conflict Response Practices. He is a skilled business lawyer and litigator with significant experience advising clients in corporate and commercial litigation, insolvency, distressed M&A, compliance, corporate law and entity formation, corporate governance, commercial transactions, cyber law, regulatory actions, and cross-border issues.
Rafael represents clients in all aspects of bankruptcy and restructuring and has extensive experience in international commercial law issues, including cross-border insolvency, federal bankruptcy court matters, assignments for the benefits of creditors, and receiverships. Rafael’s international law experience, particularly in international commercial transactions, brings a unique and nuanced approach to business issues both inside and outside of distressed situations. Read more!
Partner - Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP
Rafael X. Zahralddin-Aravena is a partner in the Wilmington office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Corporate, Bankruptcy, Complex Business & Commercial Litigation, Digital Asset, and Ukraine Conflict Response Practices. He is a skilled business lawyer and litigator with significant experience advising clients in corporate and commercial litigation, insolvency, distressed M&A, compliance, corporate law and entity formation, corporate governance, commercial transactions, cyber law, regulatory actions, and cross-border issues.
Rafael represents clients in all aspects of bankruptcy and restructuring and has extensive experience in international commercial law issues, including cross-border insolvency, federal bankruptcy court matters, assignments for the benefits of creditors, and receiverships. Rafael’s international law experience, particularly in international commercial transactions, brings a unique and nuanced approach to business issues both inside and outside of distressed situations. Read more!
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