Sussex LWV will host a forum featuring candidates Nikki Miller (R) and Alonna Berry (D), who are running in the special election for the state Representative District #20 seat being vacated by Rep. Stell Parker Selby. Bios of the candidates and the moderator are provided below. District 20 includes Belltown, Harbeson, Lewes, Milton, and Pinetown. In addition to the live forum at Milton Elementary School, the event will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel, here: https://youtube.com/live/2WGvnyHMSiQ?feature=share. You can sign up in advance to be notified when the livestream begins.

The election date is Tuesday August 5, with early voting on July 24, 28, 29, and 30. 

Bios are presented in alphabetical order. 

Alonna Berry (D) is a lifelong public servant and community leader running for the Delaware House of Representatives in District 20. A Sussex County resident, she lives in Lewes with her husband and two sons. Alonna has held key leadership roles in state government, including as Director of Community and Family Services and Senior Policy Advisor in Governor Carney’s office, where she worked to advance equity in health, education, and family services. She was also Delaware’s first Statewide Trauma-Informed Care Coordinator. 

Currently, Alonna serves as Executive Director of the Delaware Center for Justice, leading statewide efforts in criminal justice reform. She is the founder of the Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence and serves on numerous nonprofit boards. Alonna is a doctoral candidate at Wilmington University and a proud graduate of Syracuse University, where she now serves as Alumni Association President and a member of the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Nikki Miller (R) is a proud Delaware native and graduate of Lake Forest High School. Nikki earned a Bachelor's degree from Delaware State University in 2004, followed by a Master's in Applied Technology with a certification in building administration. She holds a Doctorate of Education in district leadership from Wilmington University. With over two decades serving in public education, Nikki began her career in the classroom as a Social Studies teacher and instructional coach. She then was humbled to be named as assistant principal, and soon after principal, at Cape Henlopen High School, where she served in that role from 2015 to 2022. Today, Nikki is the Supervisor of Instruction for the Seaford School District, overseeing curriculum and instruction across all six schools.

Nikki is also a proud mother to her teenage son, who attends Cape Henlopen High School. She enjoys traveling, running, reading, and spending time with loved ones. Nikki’s passion for public service is a driving motivation for her, and she is humbled by this opportunity to serve the people of RD20.

Dr. Marlene A. Saunders (moderator) is a retired but active social worker. After 29 years as a member of the faculty at Delaware State University in the Department of Social Work, she retired in 2014. At that time, she was the department's Chair. From 2014-2016, she was employed by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) as Executive Director of Delaware Chapter.

In 2021, she co-founded Let The Truth Be Told, a quarterly newsletter written for and by African Americans. Contributors include ordinary people with something to say about the Black Experience in America, as well as students, educators, historians, authors, and others representing various occupations and stations in society. In 2022, NASW designated her a NASW Social Work Pioneer®.

Dr. Saunders is also a contributor to the digital Viking Gazette Top Stories and Viking Gazette Teacher’s Guides that, together, are a resource for instructional reading and local current events, published weekly by Cape Gazette and Hoart Beckerman. Articles selected by Dr. Saunders and the Teacher’s Guides she composes provide resources for students and teachers that are directly related to HB198, the law that requires Delaware charter and public schools to teach Black history to students in grades K-12.

Dr. Saunders is a member of Antioch A.M.E Church in Frankford, DE; a Governor's appointee to the Delaware State Board of Trustees; and a 50+ year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.®, Georgetown Chapter. She holds a BA in Sociology and an MSW, and earned her Doctorate in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Work [now School of Social Policy & Practice] in 2001.