DELAWARE - Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced several changes to leadership in the Delaware Department of Justice on Monday.
Elmer Setting will become the next Chief of Staff for the department following the departure of former Chief of staff A.J. Roop in July, who moved on to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. Setting, a seasoned leader with a background in law enforcement, will oversee the operations and management of the Department of Justice. His experience includes working as the Deputy State Court Administrator and the Acting State Court Administrator, where he demonstrated the ability to manage security and operations across the six Delaware courts. He was the chief of the New Castle County Police Department from 2012 to 2017. While he was there, the department was one of the first in the state to implement body cameras. He also had a role in starting the Hero Help program, which is a collaboration between police and supporting agencies to provide addiction treatment.
Sussex County's chief prosecutor, David Hume, has moved into a senior role as Sussex County's lead appeals prosecutor and as an advisor to homicide deputies statewide. His successor will be Kathleen Dickerson, a current associate at Morris James LLP in the firm's labor, employment and education practice. Before that, Dickerson worked for the Department of Justice for 19 years and was head of the Special Victims Unit, where she prosecuted homicides, arson and crimes against children.
Kelly Singleton, a nine-year veteran of the DOJ, will lead the department's family division. This division oversees violations committed by kids as well as protects children in vulnerable situations and enforces child support orders. Singleton began her career as a summer law clerk and later served in multiple roles across the criminal and family divisions.
The equity and inclusion administrator, a new role in the Department of Justice, will be filled by Brandi Neal. Neal will be responsible for developing and maintaining diversity recruitment efforts and managing departmentwide training programs. She most recently worked for six years with Wilmington's Christiana Cultural Arts Center.
Mark Denney, the director of the Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust, will be departing after 16 years with the Department of Justice to work in the private sector. Denney has been recognized as one of Delaware's most influential legal professionals. He expanded the division's civil rights and hate crime jurisdiction and oversaw more than 20 public corruption prosecutions, including the first corruption trial against a statewide elected official: former State Auditor Kathy McGuiness in 2022. The department says it is conducting extensive internal and external recruitment efforts to find his successor.