Vincenza Carrieri-Russo

For more than 20 years, Vincenza Carrieri-Russo has dedicated to herself to Success Won’t Wait, which she co-founded as an 18-year-old high school senior in 2002. For over two decades, she has passionately promoted literacy and facilitated the collection and distribution of well over 1 million books to communities, schools, and organizations in need across the US and internationally.

This dedication to literacy has garnered her numerous prestigious awards, including the State of Delaware Jefferson Award, the Daily Points of Light Award as the Nation’s Volunteer of the Day, the Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award, and more. She has also been honored with the National Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for outstanding community service. Notably, July 15th is celebrated as “Vincenza Carrieri-Russo Day” in Newark, Delaware, showcasing the impact of her remarkable contributions.

She is also the co-founder of the Vincenza & Margherita Italian-American Bistro in Wilmington, Delaware. The restaurant, which opened in 2014, is the brainchild of Vincenza and younger sister Margherita, both 3rd generation restaurateurs. The V&M Bistro has garnered hundreds of glowing reviews and was selected for impressive recognition including Best of Delaware Awards for Best Italian Cuisine, Best Specialty Cocktails, Best Boozy Ice Cream, Best Homemade Pasta and Best Sicilian Pizza, among others.

Beverly Stewart, M.Ed.

Through hard work, perseverance and a true dedication to education, Beverly Stewart, M.Ed. turned what was once a fledgling, 1-person tutoring service into the largest, most comprehensive provider of educational services in Delaware and the surrounding tri-state area. Her successful business model and swift rise have been documented in Entrepreneur magazine, the Philadelphia Business Journal, and in the nationally released how-to book for aspiring entrepreneurs, The Educational Entrepreneur: Making a Difference.

After selling Back to Basics in 2018, Beverly now offers her expertise to budding or seasoned entrepreneurs directly through her educational consulting company. Her 30+ years of business experience are invaluable when guiding others to navigate their path.

Since 1985, her efforts in both education and business have been recognized with more 15 state and national awards, from the John Maxwell Transitional Leadership Top 100 Award, to the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce Superstars in Business Award, to the Delaware Small Business Administration (SBA) Entrepreneurial Success Award and Small Businessperson of the Year Award, to the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. Beverly has also been inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame of Delaware Women.

And, her knowledge, education and experience make her a leader in numerous organizations in addition to Success Won’t Wait, including The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce’s Superstars in Education Selection Committee, Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year Selection Committee, Board Member of Leon N. Weiner Education Foundation, Founding Member of the Wilmington Women in Business Fresh Start Scholarship Foundation, Inc. and currently Director Emeritus, Former Advisory Board Member of SBTDC and Former Board Member of NCCCC (New Castle County Chamber of Commerce).

Margherita Carrieri-Russo

A mainstay of the Success Won’t Wait Board, Margherita Carrieri-Russo began her involvement with the organization when she was just in junior high! As a motivated 8^th grader, she hosted her first book drive and never looked back. Since then, she has been involved in hundreds of events which have yielded over 1 million books for programs around the state, across the country, and even internationally.

Success Won’t Wait relies not only on Margherita’s impressive work ethic, but also on her business acumen. Margherita is one of the driving forces behind the V&M Bistro, which she co-founded with older sister Vincenza. She also co-owns Ice Cream Delight in Wilmington, Delaware and is the creator of the iconic Delaware favorite “Boozy Ice Cream.” During the pandemic, Margherita was a driving force to help pass legislation in the state of Delaware, signed by the Governor, allowing the sale of alcohol-infused ice cream for take-out.

In 2015, her business vision was recognized state-wide when she was named the top Woman in Business for Delaware. And in 2019, she was featured on the cover of PMQ Pizza Magazine, a national restaurant publication.  

Susan Conforte McNeill

Success Won’t Wait co-founder Susan Conforte McNeill’s dedication to the organization is unparalleled, and since the group’s start in 2002, she has spent countless hours organizing book drives, coordinating and delivering donations for schools, after school programs, and non-profits, as well as personally sorting, cleaning, and repairing hundreds of thousands of books.

In addition to her work with the literacy non-profit, she is an author, entrepreneur, and marketing communications professional with more than 30 years of experience in public relations, internal and external communications, social media, content marketing, and tradeshow/event planning.

In 2009, she developed the site, Susan Said… WHAT?!, which is the real woman’s guide to living a life filled with attainable style. The site has featured such instantly recognizable names as Dooney & Bourke, Ross Simmons, Berkshire Hosiery, and Sam & Libby, among thousands of others. Susan Said… WHAT?! was named one of the Top 50 Beauty Blogs in the World by RebateZone.