DE BEST Deployment Ready & Coffee Meetings
Purpose: To build leadership familiarity with volunteers, strengthen team cohesion, boost deployment preparedness, and ensure completion of volunteer requirements.
Meeting Dates & Participants
July 10, 2025 - New Castle, DE
Time: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM (2.5 hours)
- Celeste Peart
- Kalea Rosario
- Marianne Baker
- Cecilia Chandlee
- Jennifer Saylor
- Trevor Alleyne
- Gloria Fong
- Skylar Washington (+1)
July 15, 2025 - Dover, DE
Time: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM (2.5 hours)
- Celeste Peart
- Kalea Rosario
- Eileen Tucker
- Jennifer Saylor
- Bessie Sudler
- Steven Artz
- Stephanie Steckel
July 22, 2025 - Lewes, DE (Hybrid Meeting)
Time: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM (2.5 hours)
- Celeste Peart
- Patricia Gottdiener
- Anthony Policastro
- Janice James-Webb
Meeting Highlights
- Introductions and Sharing: Volunteers and leadership shared backgrounds, DE BEST experiences, deployment activities, and occupational roles to foster team bonding and understanding.
- Program Updates: A Table Top Exercise (TTX) with Nemours is awaiting approval, involving volunteer role-play survivors of varied ages and abilities to simulate disaster response scenarios.
- Volunteer Engagement: Emphasis on completing deployment readiness requirements to build confidence and preparedness.
- Hybrid Format: The Lewes meeting offered both in-person and remote participation to accommodate all volunteers and this month's "DE BEST Committee Meeting".
Staffing Update
- Farewell to Skylar Washington, who has moved to another department at the University of Delaware.
- Kalea Rosario will temporarily increase hours to support the program until a decision is made regarding the vacant position.
