A Delaware native, Dee grew up and lived most of her life near Rockland, adjacent to Brandywine Creek State Park. Spending hours as a child exploring the park’s fields, woods and creeks – on foot and on horseback - instilled a deep-rooted passion for conservation. As an equestrian, watching farm after farm be developed seemingly without planning for transportation and other impacts, motivated her to get involved in conservation, land use, and historic preservation, and instilled her passion to make a difference. She has been deeply committed to public and community service for decades in the nonprofit realm and now serving on County Council.
Dee is a graduate of Wilmington Friends School and Swarthmore College. Following the Quaker adage, “let your life speak,” Dee and her husband permanently protected the open space of their property through conservation easements now held by the state and placed their historic home under New Castle County historic zoning.
For almost twenty years, Dee served as Executive Director of both Preservation Delaware and then S.A.V.E., a land use, conservation planning and smart transportation advocacy organization based in Chester County, Pennsylvania. A Certified Fundraising Professional (CFRE), Dee was an independent consultant in fundraising and nonprofit management with a focus on conservation, including stints as the Interim Development Director for the French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust and as the Grants Manager for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.
In Brandywine Hundred, Dee was instrumental in spearheading New Castle County’s revitalization of the Woodley Park playground near Talleyville adjacent to Naamans Little League, and more recently led the launch of the Brandywine Hundred Historical Society.
Dee’s work as an environmental advocate made her aware of the need for increased transparency and ethics in government, leading to a stint as Program Director for Common Cause Delaware, 2012-2015. Common Cause seeks policy changes to address money in politics including Citizens United, and reforms aimed at increasing fair voting policies, same day registration, no excuse absentee balloting, and increased transparency in Delaware’s government.
Since being elected to New Castle County Council in 2018 representing District 2, Dee has led passage of significant policy changes with a focus on historic preservation, conservation, energy issues and other environmental measures. This includes passage of a comprehensive update of the County's preservation code (2020), legislation requiring all new residential units be "Electric Vehicle (EV) Ready" (2021), code changes requiring all new large commercial buildings be constructed with "solar ready roofs" (2021), a requirement to make all new streetlights LED (2021), a new law boosting protections along all of the County's designated Byways (2022), establishment of a New Castle County Open Space Advisory Board together with increased funding commitment in the County budget for conservation, and established the New Castle County Public Arts Commission (2023).
In 2010 Dee co-founded and continues to lead Plastic Free Delaware (PFD) (aka Zero Waste First State), which aims to reduce single-use plastic pollution and foster a culture of zero waste and circularity in Delaware communities through educational programs, awareness building and outreach, and policy initiatives. Plastic Free Delaware has been instrumental in the passage of key statewide legislation including bans on single-use plastic bags and balloon releases, and restrictions on the use of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS, or aka Styrofoam). Through Plastic Free Delaware, Dee witnessed the power of youth advocacy and launched YES!, the Delaware Youth Environmental Summit, now in its sixth year. In 2024, YES! was attended by more than 500 Delaware high school students from more than 34 high schools. In early 2024, PFD launched Delaware's first community composting site at the Talley Day Park in partnership with New Castle County Departments of Public Works and Community Services.
