Jill DiPaolo and Jamar Rahming: (Don't) Bury the Libraries
How to (Not) Kill Your Community
Release Date: 06/09/2025
Secretary Anne Canby and Pam Eaton: (Don’t) Miss the Bus
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...
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Corie Priest: (Don’t) Throw Away the Key
How to (Not) Kill Your Community
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 someone it had previously prosecuted. A nationally respected voice in reentry and criminal justice reform, Priest began his professional journey at the Wilmington HOPE Commission Achievement Center...
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Lauren Camp Gates: (Don’t) Count Out People with Disabilities
How to (Not) Kill Your Community
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...
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Rabbi Yair Robinson and Father Jeffrey Ross: (Don’t) Write Off Religion
How to (Not) Kill Your Community
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 served since 2009. Originally from Massachusetts, Yair graduated from Oberlin College in 1998. He earned his Masters and Rabbinic Ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion,...
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Patricia Rivera: (Don’t) Neglect Entrepreneurs
How to (Not) Kill Your Community
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...
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Kevin Gilmore: (Don’t) Let Volunteerism Fade
How to (Not) Kill Your Community
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 leading regional nonprofit, expanding home construction, repair programs, and homeownership support services. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Elon University in 1996 and later...
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Lisa Goodman and Drew Fennell: (Don’t) Exclude the LGBTQ+ Community
How to (Not) Kill Your Community
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...
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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester: (Don’t) Lose Sight of Joy
How to (Not) Kill Your Community
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 Congress. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, she has a strong public service background, including roles in state government and as CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban...
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How to (Not) Kill Your Community Season 2 Trailer
How to (Not) Kill Your Community
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?
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Eric Klinenberg: (Don't) Abandon Social Infrastructure
How to (Not) Kill Your Community
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 for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (Crown, 2018), Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living...
info_outlineIn 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.