Greater Lewes Foundation elects two new board members

Two leading Lewes community members have been elected to the board of the Greater Lewes Foundation, whose mission is “to maintain and improve the quality of life in the Greater Lewes region.”

Hugh Leahy served as senior vice president of the Delaware Community Foundation from 2005 until his retirement earlier this year. In that capacity, Leahy oversaw DCF activities in Kent and Sussex counties, helping Southern Delaware families, businesses and nonprofits achieve their charitable goals.

Earlier in his career, Leahy spent 35 years in the financial services industry. He worked with Wilmington Trust from 1991-2003, serving as a member of the senior management committee and responsible for all bank retail operations.

Hugh has a degree in economics and served as a medic in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era. He and his wife Kathleen have lived full-time in Lewes since his retirement from Wilmington Trust in 2003.

Peter Issel has dual degrees in finance, from Lehigh University in 1964, and English from Towson University in 2003. He was active in commercial real estate development in Maryland for 30 years. Issel helped develop a number of industrial parks, the largest of which became Hunt Valley, Md. and later developed and managed multi-story office buildings in Annapolis, Towson and Columbia, Md.

Peter and his wife Diane became full-time residents of Lewes in 2009 and were soon active in local affairs, with Peter serving on the Friends of the Canalfront Park board and leading the Lewes Historical Society’s Family Boat Building program. He has also been involved in the formation of the Lewes Bocce Court program and serves on the Development and Facilities Committees of the LHS.

“Both Hugh and Peter are proven community leaders who will be great assets to our board,” said GLF Chair Joe Stewart. “Their unique backgrounds in philanthropy, finance, business and construction add depth to a truly outstanding group of directors.”

“I would also like to commend our departing board members, Dr. Greg Bahtiarian, Rob Gibbs and Wayne Holden,” Stewart said, “each of whom made a lasting and significant contribution to the GLF.” Stewart said Rob Gibbs will continue serving as the volunteer general counsel of the GLF.