MEDA 2017 Summer Conference

Mike Thielke is the executive director of the Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC) which serves the startup and entrepreneurial needs of eight counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In his role, Thielke provides leadership in the advancement of innovation entrepreneurship, and commercialization throughout the region and contributes to ensuring that the Eastern Shore is part of the greater statewide startup ecosystem. ESEC initiatives underway include ShoreVenture, a 10-week entrepreneurship training program; a $3 million revolving loan fund; hotDesks, a network of coworking spaces; DT2i, a 30-hour tech transfer/commercialization course offered at four regional community colleges; a $25,000 Eastern Shore Business Competition; Startup Weekends, and planned for 2015 Accelerate Delmarva, a 13-week accelerator program.

Starting his first business at the age of 23 in 1977, Thielke has been a lifelong entrepreneur. Born and raised in the Chicago area, he graduated with a B.A. in Russian Area Studies and International Economics from Knox College in central Illinois in 1975. For over twenty years, Thielke had a successful career in the international transportation and logistics industry, holding a series of positions ranging from founder/owner of a number of distribution and defense contracting businesses to senior management within Fortune 500 firms. Selling his last business in 1995, Thielke retreated to his home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and transitioned his entrepreneurial skills into the non-profit sector. His entry into nonprofit activity, and most rewarding life experience, began with the Schooner Sultana project in Chestertown, MD as the founding executive director responsible for creating the organization and capital campaign that constructed the factually-documented reproduction of the 1768 schooner now known as the Schoolship of the Chesapeake which provides experiential education on the Chesapeake Bay to school groups in colonial history and environmental science.

Darius Graham serves as Director of the Social Innovation Lab at Johns Hopkins University, a program accelerating emerging ventures and leaders that seek to change Baltimore and the world. A Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum, Darius has been recognized by Baltimore Business Journal as one of Baltimore’s 40 Under 40 and is a member of the Greater Baltimore Committee’s Leadership Class of 2016. He is an adjunct professor Goucher College where he teaches graduate courses on social entrepreneurship.

Darius is the founder of DC Social Innovation Project, a non-profit initiative that provided funding and pro bono assistance to help launch and grow innovative, grassroots community initiatives in Washington, DC. He currently serves on the Baltimore Museum of Industry’s Board of Trustees, the Community Resource Board for the Junior League of Baltimore, and served on the founding advisory board of Impact Hub Baltimore.

Darius was previously a Social Entrepreneur-In-Residence in the Center for Social Value Creation at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and a mayor-appointed commissioner on the District of Columbia Commission on National & Community Service. He is the author of the award-winning book, Being the Difference: True Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the World. Darius began his career as an associate in the corporate restructuring group at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. He received a B.A. summa cum laude from Florida A&M University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley – School of Law where he served as an editor of the California Law Review and as editor-in-chief of the Berkeley Journal of African-American Law & Policy.

As manager of the Technical Innovation Center, Janice works with TIC clients (tech startup companies) to develop them into sustainable companies that launch into the surrounding community, improving quality of life and creating jobs for local people. After spending several years at Owen Software, a tech startup near Washington, DC, Janice became the director of the tech incubator at Hagerstown Community College in 2013. The Technical Innovation Center was awarded a Governor’s Citation in November 2016 for its performance and service to the local community.
Janice also is a member of the Board of Directors of Maryland Economic Development Association and serves as Co-chair of the Program Committte. In her spare time, Janice visits impoverished areas with her husband, helping to educate, encourage and empower individuals in ways that create sustainable improvements to their lives. She currently serves as Stateside Liaison for Every Day Hope in Dominican Republic.
With a B.S. in Marketing from Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, in 2008 Janice launched her own firm, Janley Consulting, specializing in strategic consulting. She has co-authored four books about women empowerment.

Jen Meyer is the CEO of Betamore, an award-winning coworking, incubator and campus for technology and entrepreneurship. Jen is responsible for leading Betamore’s efforts in actively supporting, growing and launching technology-based startup companies and educating regional technology talent for 21st century jobs.

Established in 2012, Betamore is an award-winning coworking space, incubator and campus for technology and entrepreneurship. Betamore has been home to 120+ companies that have collectively raised more than $57M in venture capital and in 2016 contributed $26.3M to Baltimore City’s economy. In addition, the education offerings have served over 16,000 attendees and 180+ Academy graduates.

Jen’s background is in the technology and financial industries, with a focus on leadership, operations and building communities. Jen has been an adjunct professor in the Loyola University MBA program, serves on the boards of United Way of Central Maryland, Downtown Partnership, GBC Leadership, Bmore Kids, Stevenson University’s President’s Advisory Council, and was a previous board member for the Emerging Technology Center, Tech Advisory Board of Digital Harbor High School and Loyola Graduate Alumni.

Catherine Elizabeth Pugh was sworn in as the 50th Mayor of the City of Baltimore on December 6, 2016.

Mayor Pugh has been a public servant for more than 15 years. She served as a member of the Baltimore City Council, representing the 4th district (1999-2003). During her tenure as Council Member, Mayor Pugh served as: Chair of the Taxation Subcommittee on Economic Development, Vice-Chair of the Land Use & Planning Committee and member of the Urban Affairs Committee. In 2005 she was appointed to the Maryland General Assembly, House of Delegates, where she served for one year before running for her Senate seat in 2006. Her abilities to negotiate and her bipartisan approach catapulted her into various leadership positions in the Maryland Senate. She served as the Majority Leader, was Named Legislator of the Year (2010) by the City Paper, and passed over 150 pieces of legislation.

Mayor Pugh is the visionary, co-founder and Chair of the Baltimore Design School, a public school for sixth through twelfth graders, and a founder of the Baltimore Marathon, which is in its fifteenth year and has over a $30 million impact on the city. She also created the Fish out of Water Project, which has raised one million dollars to wire city schools and provided music instruments for children. Mayor Pugh has served on several boards, including the University of Maryland Medical Systems and the Council of State Governments.

Additionally, Mayor Pugh is a successful businesswoman, serving as President of CEPugh and Company, a marketing and public relations firm. She has worked as a banker, business developer, Dean and Director of Strayer Business College, Special Editor for the Baltimore Sun, and as a television and radio news reporter and talk show host. She is the author of Mind Garden: Where Thoughts Grow and Healthy Holly, a series of children’s books advocating exercise and healthy eating.

Mayor Pugh holds an MBA from Morgan State University and has received qualification from the University of California as an Economic Development Specialist. She has been recognized for her leadership and commitment to diversity and inclusion by numerous organization both local and nationally to include: The United State Small Business Advocate of the Year, The National Association of Securities Professionals Joyce Johnson Award, The NAACP Legislator of the Year, The Mental Health Associations Legislator of the Year, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s Living Legacy Award, to name a few.

Calvin G. Butler Jr. became chief executive officer of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) on March 1, 2014. Butler previously served as BGE’s senior vice president, regulatory and external affairs. In that role, he was responsible for executing the company’s strategic direction and cultivating relationships with government, regulatory, community and other key stakeholders. Butler also served as Exelon’s senior vice president of corporate affairs and held other leadership positions within Exelon and BGE’s sister company, ComEd (Chicago). Butler played a critical role in helping to successfully navigate company and stakeholder relations during the merger between Exelon and Constellation Energy.

Ken Ulman is the President of Margrave Strategies, an innovative strategic consulting firm that provides a comprehensive array of economic development, planning and visioning services to institutions, businesses and other groups throughout Maryland and the mid-Atlantic. The firm’s principal client is the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, where Ulman serves as Chief Strategy Officer for Economic Development and is responsible for leading the Greater College Park initiative. Ulman previously served two terms as Howard County Executive, where he
earned a reputation for an innovative approach to governing that positioned
Maryland’s sixthlargest
jurisdiction as a leader in education, healthcare,
environmental protection and economic development. Ken has won numerous awards over the years, including being named named a Tech Titan by Washingtonian Magazine, a Top 25 Doer, Dreamer and Driver by Government Technology Magazine and a Regional Visionary by the Greater Baltimore Committee.
Ken serves on a number of boards, including the Baltimore Museum of Art,
Living Classrooms Foundation, Betamore, Olney Theatre and Evergreen Advisors. He is a former president of the Maryland Association of Counties and former chair of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. Ken lives in Columbia, with his wife, Jaki (also a proud Terp), and their daughters Maddie and Lily.

Co-Founder,
Southern Maryland Innovation & Technology Initiative

Jimmy Rhee was appointed Special Secretary of Governor’s Office of Small, Minority, and Women’s Business Affairs by Governor Larry Hogan and began service to the State of Maryland in January, 2015. He is responsible for policy and oversight of the State’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Small Business Reserve (SBR) programs.

Mr. Rhee coordinates compliance activities with 70 participating procurement agencies while simultaneously working with Maryland’s business community to expand opportunities for small, minority- and women-owned firms seeking to perform as prime contractors and/or subcontractors on state-funded procurements.
In 2014, Mr. Rhee was a Strategic Advisor with The Livingston Group and a Partner with EIGC Holdings.

From 2010 through 2014 he served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia where he presided over international trade and investment activities with direct nexus to job creation. In that role he facilitated Virginia’s “Year of the Entrepreneur” program (in conjunction with the White House initiative Startup America) enabling small businesses to gain access to capital, information and technology. In addition, he advocated for minority business participation on various state procurement offerings and infrastructure projects such as the I95 express. He also worked with various governor-appointed advisory boards to recognize the importance of contributions from minority communities. He was the COO/CEO of Global Technology Systems Consortium, Inc. from 2003 through 2009.

With over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience in enterprise creation, growth and change management, Mr. Rhee has an extensive record of directing turn-around situations ranging from manufacturing to software companies. He has mentored various small business entities, helping them secure capital and illuminate their competitive edge.

Active in the community, Mr. Rhee serves as a board member for various organizations including Asians in Energy, Environment and Commerce, the George Mason University Diversity Advisory Committee and the Asian Information Technology Business CEO Organization.

Mr. Rhee is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University where he earned a Master’s in Science and a Master’s in Business Administration. He earned a Bachelor’s in Science from the University of Maryland and holds a Professional Certificate in Sustainable Energy Conversion & Storage from the Stanford University Professional Development Center and an Electronic Systems Design Certificate from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He is also a member and certified performance coach with the International Coach Federation. He lives in Clarksville, Maryland with his wife.

Secretary Mike Gill is a business leader with four decades of experience as an entrepreneur, a technology executive, an investment banker, and a public servant. ​He was tapped by Governor Larry Hogan to lead the Maryland Department of Commerce (formerly the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development)​ in January 2015. Prior to his appointment, Mike Gill led Evergreen Advisors, an investment bank, as chairman and principal. Previously, Gill founded Hoyt Capital, an investment and advisory firm serving start​ups and growth companies. Mr. Gill was also a founder of First Page, which was acquired by Metrocall; served as chairman of Curtis Engine, a Baltimore power generator company; and was chairman of Bluefire Security Technologies, a mobile cybersecurity developer, from 2006 to 2008. In 1984, Gill founded AMERICOM, a Baltimore-based provider of cellular products and services to businesses in the area. Under Gill’s leadership, AMERICOM expanded nationwide with more than 1,200 team members. In 2000, it was acquired by Solectron. He started his career with IBM and held a number of positions in sales and marketing. He then became Director of Data Systems in the mid-Atlantic region for Ernst & Young. Gill served on the University System of Maryland Board of Regents from 2004 to 2009, heading the audit committee and technology transfer and commercialization workgroup. His past and present board memberships also include the Calvert Hall Board of Trustees, Baltimore County Economic Development Commission, St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Bay National Bank, and Towson University of Board of Visitors. He is also a member of the President’s Advisory Board at Clemson University. Gill earned his B.S. in business administration from Towson University in 1974 after first attending Clemson University on a baseball scholarship. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Towson University in 1996.