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 Jerse...

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Director of Community Engagement for the Delaware Department of Justice Corie Priest about recidivism rates, mental health, and meaningful engagement with justice systems. Corie Priest is the Director of Community Engagement for the Delaware Department of Justice, a pioneering role he began in April 2019 — marking the first time the Department hired...

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...

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Rabbi Yair Robinson of Congregation Beth Emeth and Father Jeffrey Ross of Saint Peter's Episcopal Church about what we as Americans can learn from religious communities about strengthening our democracy and the role of doubt in a life of faith. Rabbi Yair Robinson is the spiritual leader and senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Emeth, where he has serv...

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...

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with CEO of Sussex County Habitat for Humanity Kevin Gilmore about declining volunteerism nationally, building houses in your own community, and becoming a better person by helping others. Kevin Gilmore serves as CEO of Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. As the affiliate's first paid employee beginning in 2004, Gilmore has overseen its growth into a lea...

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 la...

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester about the pursuit of joy through service, the hard work of love, and the power of prayer. Lisa Blunt Rochester was sworn in as the junior U.S. Senator from Delaware in 2025, previously serving as Delaware's at-large U.S. Representative from 2017-2025. She is the first woman and first Black person to represent Delaware in...

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 r...

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Eric Klinenberg, author of 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed , about what the COVID-19 pandemic revealed about our reliance on social infrastructure.  Eric Klinenberg is Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science and Director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. He is the author of Palaces fo...

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 Pa...

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with State Senator Russ Huxtable on how affordable housing impacts the health of a community, from hospital wait times to the service industry. Senator Russ Huxtable has been serving Delaware's 6th District, which includes Milton, Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, and Dewey Beach, since his election in 2022. A native Delawarean, he has over two decades of experienc...

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 i...

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Margie López Waite about the role newcomers and immigrants play in strengthening our economic and social ties. Margie López Waite is the CEO and co-founder of Las Américas ASPIRA Academy, Delaware's first dual-language charter school. She transitioned to education after a 16-year career at MBNA/Bank of America. She earned a master's degree in second...

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, pu...

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with former Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee about the economic value of strong local agriculture, the role of immigration in farming, and the importance of balancing development with the needs of farming communities. Ed Kee is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on vegetable science who has dedicated his career to Delaware agricul...

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 t...

In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Congresswoman Sarah McBride on why we shouldn't just accept that some people are outsiders, or worse, our enemies. Sarah McBride is the U.S. Representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district. Before winning her seat in 2024, she served as a Delaware State Senator, where she championed LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare access, and paid family lea...

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. 

Markevis Gideon uses the word "intentionality" to describe the work he does at NERDiT NOW. The organization is intentional about giving back and working to bridge the digital and wealth divides in the community. Gideon also discusses how his "life changed because of one computer" and the necessity of computers in today's modern times. Learn more about NERDiT NOW .

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...

Dr. Rama Peri moved around the medical field when she first arrived in Delaware with her family, working at a local hospital, in private practice and even at a school. However, she wanted to balance her family life with her professional life while also working in the community, so she started The Rosa Health Center in 2015. In this episode, host Stuart Comstock-Gay talks with Dr. Peri about her pa...

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...

India Colon-Diaz is the vice president of Nuestras Raices Delaware (NR Delaware), an organization dedicated to cultural inclusion,  building  positive connections, distributing resources, and  encouraging social growth. She sits down with host Stuart Comstock-Gay to discuss her upbringing in Wilmington and the changes she's seen in the Hispanic community. They also take a deep dive into NR Delawar...

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...