2026 MEDA Winter Conference

Allison Akers is the Director of Marketing and Communications for Anne Arundel based systems integrator Vision Technologies. In this role, Allison is responsible for overseeing overall marketing direction, brand management, corporate communications, and strategic growth of the company.

Allison deeply believes in giving back. Allison serves on the MEDA Board of Directors and serves as the co-chair of the MEDA Young Leaders Group. Allison also serves as Past President of the Public Relations Society of America-Chesapeake Chapter Board, is the chair of Vision Technologies’ Charity Committee as well as a committee member of the Women’s Network Employee Resource Group, is a member of Fort Meade Alliance Rising Stars, and recently finished serving on the University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business Alumni Chapter Board.

Allison is passionate about economic development and celebrating successful business growth in Maryland, developed through her prior work as Marketing and Outreach Manager for Anne Arundel Economic Development. Prior work also includes Marketing and Communications Specialist for the Maryland State Judiciary, time in grassroots marketing and events management for the MD, DC, VA region for Road Runner Sports, and a brief stint in the music marketing industry. She graduated from West Virginia University in May 2022 with an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications and holds a B.S. in Marketing from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. She is a proud Terp through and through.

Member of House of Delegates since January 14, 2014. Minority Leader, 2021-. Member, Ways and Means Committee, 2015- (election law subcommittee, 2015-17; finance resources subcommittee, 2015-19; revenues subcommittee, 2017-; racing & gaming subcommittee, 2020-); Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review, 2019-; Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, 2021-; Legislative Policy Committee, 2021-; Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, 2021-; Spending Affordability Committee, 2021-; Legislative Redistricting Advisory Commission, 2021-; Consent Calendars Committee, 2021-; House Cannabis Referendum and Legalization Work Group, 2021-. Chief Deputy Minority Whip, 2017-18. Member, Tax Credit Evaluation Committee, 2017-21; Work Group to Address Police Reform and Accountability in Maryland, 2020. House Chair, Allegany County Delegation, 2016-. Member, Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, 2014-.
Member, Maryland Redistricting Reform Commission, 2015-18; Tri-County Council for Western Maryland, 2015-; Local [Video Lottery] Development Council, Allegany County, 2015-; Task Force to Study Tax Sales in Maryland, 2017-18. Chair, Task Force on the Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority, 2018-19, 2020-. Co-Chair, Task Force on the Economic Future of Western Maryland, 2020-22. Member, Task Force to Study the Maryland Orphans’ Courts, 2021.

Born in Allegany County, Maryland, November 3, 1971. Attended Bishop Walsh High School, Cumberland, Maryland; George Mason University, B.A. (political science), with honors; University of Maryland School of Law, J.D., with honors. Admitted to Maryland Bar, 1996. Attorney. Managing Partner, Buckel, Levasseur & Pillai, LLC. Member, Maryland State Bar Association. Member, Allegany County Republican Central Committee, 2006-14. Member, LaVale Lions Club. Associate member, Lodge no. 40, Frostburg, Fraternal Order of Police. Member, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Cumberland, Maryland.

The Honorable Harry Coker Jr was appointed by Governor Moore as Maryland’s Secretary of Commerce on February 5, 2025. At Commerce, the state’s primary economic development agency, Coker is focused on working collaboratively to help Maryland “Win the Decade” by developing and sustaining an equitable, robust and competitive economy.

Secretary Coker is a retired Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) senior executive, former National Security Agency (NSA) senior executive and career Naval Officer. He was previously America’s National Cyber Director, serving in the White House from 2023 – 2025.

While serving as Executive Director of the NSA, he directly supported the Director and Deputy Director in the strategic and day-to-day leadership of the Agency. During his service with the CIA, Coker was assigned to leadership positions in the Directorate of Digital Innovation; the Directorate of Science & Technology; and the Director’s Area.

Coker’s service to the nation has been recognized with the awarding of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Presidential Rank Award, the NSA Director’s Distinguished Service Medal, the Intelligence Community EEOD Outstanding Leadership Award, and CIA’s Don Cryer Award for Diversity & Inclusion leadership.

Outside of the government, Coker has served as the President of the Central Intelligence Retirees Association (CIRA) and on the Boards of Directors of the US Naval Academy Foundation; the US Navy Memorial; and Dog Tag, Inc. He also served as an Operating Partner with C5 Capital; an Outside Director for JSI Telecom, Inc; on the Strategic Advisory Committee for Octasic, Inc.; on the Editorial Board of Studies in Intelligence; and on the Advisory Boards of Zeeam Government Solutions; and Historic Ships in Baltimore. Coker also served as a Senior Fellow with Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security.

A long-time resident of Clinton, MD, Coker currently resides in Baltimore. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School, and Georgetown University Law Center.

A lifelong Maryland resident, Bill made Baltimore City his home when he joined Teach for America and taught U.S. History and Government to ninth and tenth graders. The inequities of the public education system in Baltimore City led Bill to engage more deeply within the community and run for the Maryland Senate in 2010.

Bill is serving his third term as the State Senator for Maryland’s 46th Legislative District, which includes neighborhoods in South Baltimore, Downtown near and around the Inner Harbor, and Southeast Baltimore. In January of 2020, Bill was unanimously elected to serve as President of the Maryland Senate, making him the second youngest Senate President in state history.

Described as a “high-energy and collaborative presiding officer” by Maryland Matters, and an empowering and engaging leader by his colleagues in the State Senate, Bill has successfully led passage of legislation that supports educational equity, thriving neighborhoods, working families, and economic success for all Marylanders.

Bill is married to fellow Teach for America alum, Lea Ferguson. They live in Patterson Park with their son, Caleb, and daughter, Cora.

Member of Senate since October 1, 2013. Member, Finance Committee, 2015- (health subcommittee, 2015-18; energy & public utilities subcommittee, 2019-). Member, Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Biotechnology, 2014-; Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, 2015-; Joint Committee on Unemployment Insurance Oversight, 2015-; Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review, 2019-; Joint Covid-19 Response Legislative Work Group, 2020-. Member, Judicial Proceedings Committee, 2013-15; Joint Committee on Access to Mental Health Services, 2014; Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee, 2014; Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission, 2015-16. Minority Whip, 2015-20. Member, Executive Nominations Committee, 2015-20; Legislative Policy Committee, 2015-20; Rules Committee, 2016-20; Marijuana Legalization Work Group, 2019. Chair, Kent County Delegation, 2013-; Queen Anne’s County Delegation, 2013-; Caroline County Delegation, 2015-.
Member, Maryland Offshore Wind Business Development Advisory Committee, 2013-; Governor-elect’s Transition Team, 2014-15. Board of Directors, Upper Shore Regional Council, 2014- (council member, 2011-). Member, Task Force on the Maryland Clean Energy Center, 2016-17; Work Group on Rural Health Care Delivery, 2016-17; Strategic Energy Investment Advisory Board, 2016-; Oyster Advisory Commission, 2016-. Alternate member, Southern States Energy Board, 2019-.

Member of House of Delegates, representing District 36, Caroline, Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne’s Counties, January 12, 2011 to October 1, 2013. Deputy Minority Whip, 2013. Member, Economic Matters Committee, 2011-13 (banking, economic development, science & technology subcommittee, 2011-13; unemployment insurance subcommittee, 2011-13); Business Climate Work Group, 2013. House Chair, Queen Anne’s County Delegation, 2011-13. Member, Maryland Veterans Caucus, 2012-13.

Member, Bainbridge Development Advisory Board, 2011-; Mid-Shore Regional Council, 2011-; Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, 2011-.

Member, Economic Development Commission, Queen Anne’s County, 2002-06.

Assistant Secretary of Planning, 2003-04. Assistant Secretary, Department of Natural Resources, 2004-06.

Born in Washington, DC, May 2, 1964. Attended Bowie High School, Bowie, Maryland; James Madison University; Catholic University of America, B.C.E. (civil engineering), 1987; George Washington University, M.B.A., 2002. Vice-President, Jones Lang LaSalle, a commercial real estate services company, 2006-. Vice-President, Trammell Crow Company, 1999-2003. President, Queen Anne’s County Republican Club, 2002-04. Chair, Queen Anne’s County Tricentennial Celebration Committee, 2004. Youth football coach, 2006-09. Delegate, Republican Party National Convention, 2012. Past member, Board of Directors, Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc.. Member, Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church, Centreville, Maryland. Married.

Mary Kane is a proven leader in state, federal and global organizations and joined the
Maryland Chamber of Commerce as President & CEO in October 2021. Kane leads the 6500-
member organization in Annapolis that advocates for Maryland businesses by advancing
inclusive partnerships for a Maryland where all businesses and their communities thrive.
Kane has a rich professional history, most recently at the U.S. Department of State as Director
of the National Museum of American Diplomacy (NMAD). NMAD is the first museum in the
nation dedicated to telling the story of American diplomacy through interactive exhibits and
thought-provoking education programs.
Kane also served as the President and CEO of Sister Cities International, a citizen diplomacy
network founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote global peace through mutual
respect, understanding and cooperation.
Prior to leading Sister Cities International, Kane was an Executive Director at the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce and an Assistant States’ Attorney in Montgomery County, Maryland.
In 2005, Kane was appointed by Governor Robert Ehrlich to be the Secretary of State for
Maryland. In this position she led the Governor’s Subcabinet on International Affairs and
started the Maryland Safe at Home program to protect victims of domestic violence.
Kane received her J.D. from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law and
earned her B.S. in Business and Finance from Mt. St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, MD, where
she served as the first woman Chair of the Board of Trustees. Kane has three grown children
and lives with her husband in Annapolis, MD.

Theresa Kuhns serves as Chief Executive Officer of The Maryland Municipal League (MML), a professional association serving Maryland’s cities, towns and special taxing districts. The League represents 160 local governments and serves as the voice for the 2 million Marylanders who call a municipality home. As CEO, Kuhns is responsible for leading the executive operations and day-to-day management of the association and its affiliate groups and has the honor to lead the 15 member staff team in its practice areas of advocacy, public policy, leadership development and member experience.

In addition to her executive role, Kuhns also serves as President of the Maryland Municipal Insurance Agency; Board of Trustee for the Local Government Insurance Trust and Board of Trustee for the NLC Mutual Insurance Company. Kuhns currently serves on the National League of Cities and American Planning Association joint effort, Housing Supply Accelerator National Committee. She also serves on the boards of Sustainable Maryland and the University of Maryland Academy for Local Excellence in Government. Kuhns was honored to co-chair a transition team for Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman.

Her 20+ years public affairs background includes her tenure with the United States Chamber of Commerce, Maryland Realtors and Greater Washington Board of Trade and Aristotle International. Prior to her current role, Kuhns served on the Calvert County Economic Development Authority; United Way of Southern Maryland Board of Directors and the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce Business Advisory Group. Additionally, Kuhns also served on the National Association of Realtors Government Affairs Advisory Committee. She is a proud graduate of Leadership Southern Maryland Class of 2019, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Executive Leadership Program 2005 and Kutztown University of Pennsylvania 2001. Kuhns and her family reside in Huntingtown, MD.

Mayor Litttmann was sworn into office on Monday, December 1, 2025. Per Annapolis City Code, the Mayor serves a four-year term.

Jack McDougle is the president and chief executive officer of
the Greater Washington Board of Trade, a business
organization that has served the District of Columbia, Northern
Virginia, and suburban Maryland for more than 130 years.

Jack has worked with business, government, and nonprofits for
more than 30 years to enhance competitive advantage. Before
joining the Board of Trade, he worked on economic capacity
building projects in the U.S., Central Asia, and India. Jack led
the National Manufacturing and Innovation Initiative at the
Council on Competitiveness. He also served as Deputy Undersecretary for Economic
Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Industry Analysis at the U.S. Department of
Commerce. At the U.S. Department of State, he led components of the U.S.-hosted G8
Summit at Sea Island.

In the private sector, Jack was Vice President for Strategic Management at People’s
United Bank.

Jack regularly discusses economic, business, manufacturing, and trade issues with
senior government and industry officials as well as presenting at various meetings and
events. Jack earned his M.B.A. in strategy and finance at Northeastern University in
Boston, Massachusetts.

Aruna K. Miller is the 10th Lieutenant Governor of the state of Maryland. She is the second woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor and the first woman of color and immigrant elected to statewide office in Maryland.

Born in Andhra Pradesh, India, Miller and her family immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old. The daughter of a mechanical engineer, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Miller has devoted her life to public service and removing systemic barriers to opportunity.

As a civil and transportation engineer in Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation, Miller worked to improve the safety of the public and alleviate traffic by creating equitable access to transportation throughout the county. For 25 years, she oversaw programs that advanced access to schools and employment centers, and made community facilities safe for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and people with differing abilities.

From 2010 to 2018, she represented District 15 in the Maryland House of Delegates, where she worked with her constituents to create legislation to invest in STEM education, streamline the regulatory process for small businesses, and was a champion for working families, survivors of domestic abuse, and the environment.

Miller served on the Ways and Means Committee and its Revenue, Transportation, and Education Subcommittees. Additionally, in her second term, she served on the Appropriations Committee, where she served as chair of the Oversight of Personnel Subcommittee, vice chair of the Transportation and Environment Subcommittee, and vice chair of the Capital Budget Subcommittee.

For over 30 years, she has lived in Montgomery County with her husband David, where they raised three daughters.

As Lieutenant Governor, her policy profile includes matters relating to transportation, mental health, and STEM equity.

She serves as chair of the Governor’s Work Zone Safety Work Group, dedicated to making highway work zones safer and protecting the lives of workers, motorists, and law enforcement.

The Lieutenant Governor also chairs Maryland’s first Council on Interfaith Outreach, which convenes faith leaders from across religions and across the state of Maryland to bridge divides, increase religious tolerance, end hate, and better serve all communities.

Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk has dedicated her career to advancing equity, justice, and opportunity for all Marylanders. She proudly represents Legislative District 21, encompassing Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties, and currently serves as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates—the first Latina to hold this position in state history.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Joseline immigrated to the United States as a child with her single mother and sister. She became the first in her family to graduate from college and later earned her Juris Doctor. Guided by a deep commitment to fairness and accountability, she began her legal career advocating for death row inmates in Alabama and migrant farm workers in Ohio, before serving as both a public defender and a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Speaker Peña-Melnyk’s public service journey began on the College Park City Council, followed by a successful grassroots campaign for the Maryland House of Delegates. During her tenure in the General Assembly, she went on to serve as Chair of the Health and Government Operations Committee. Over the course of her legislative career, she has passed more than 100 bills into law and led major initiatives addressing civil rights, consumer protection, government accountability, and economic equity. Her leadership reflects a steadfast commitment to inclusive governance and to building a stronger, more just Maryland for all.

Ms. Pironis serves as the Executive Director of Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (VAAAC), the nonprofit, destination marketing and management organization. She serves on the Anne Arundel County Local Workforce Development Board, is the treasurer of Maryland Association of Destination Marketing Organizations, and the chair of the Maryland State Library Board. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and a Masters of Science degree in nonprofit and association management from the University of Maryland.

Steuart Pittman, Jr. was elected Anne Arundel County Executive after his first campaign for public office in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

Born and raised on his family farm in Davidsonville, Steuart graduated from the University of Chicago and then went on to work as a community organizer in Chicago and Des Moines, Iowa. In that role, he built neighborhood organizations, confronted environmental hazards, and attracted private investment to blighted communities.

Once back home, Steuart coordinated national programs for the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) before starting his own business as a farmer and horse trainer. He is best known in the horse industry for creating the Retired Racehorse Project, an award-winning national nonprofit responsible for transitioning thousands of racehorses into second careers.

Steuart’s philosophy of government is both conservative and progressive. As a farmer, he worked hard against onerous regulations that had no public benefit and promoted policies to make the industry commercially viable. As a Director of the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District, he pushed for compliance with erosion and sediment control standards to protect local waterways.

As County Executive, Steuart has pledged to make Anne Arundel County “The Best Place – For All,” by “Putting Communities First.” His strategy is to engage communities from every sector and to practice transparency and data-driven policymaking.

Michael Sanderson has served and advocated for local governments for nearly 30 years. He leads MACo, the state’s association of county governments, who deliver front-line services to every Maryland resident. He works actively in policy advocacy, helps to develop top-shelf conferences and events, and co-hosts the Conduit Street Podcast covering policy and politics from a local perspective.

Having spent most of his professional life working in the tech industry, Adam Strott has a passion for exploring the intersection between economic development and innovation. Adam is a native of Annapolis and graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, MD.

Adam attended Stevenson University in Owings Mills, Maryland, earning a B.S. in Film. After graduating in 2012, he worked in Baltimore for a tech startup, later moving to São Paulo, Brazil where he earned he earned his M.B.A. in International Business at Fundação Instituto de Administração (FIA) in 2016. After working for LatAm based tech companies, Adam relocated to Miami in 2018 wherein he participated in a full-time International Studies M.A. at the University of Miami, focusing on sustainable economic development, all the while also working full-time as a software delivery and localization specialist for a tech firm in the aviation space. Adam speaks fluent Portuguese and Spanish, lives in Cumberland with his wife and young son.

As TEDCO’s Chief Development & Marketing Officer, Tammi Thomas is responsible for the overall strategic direction, execution and management of TEDCO’s marketing and fundraising strategies. Her leadership is instrumental towards the organization’s success in identifying, investing in, and growing Maryland-based technology and life science-based start-ups. Tammi is an award-winning communicator with more than 30 years of experience in marketing, technology, economic development, higher education, and entrepreneurship. Among other awards, she recently received the Distinguished Women Award from the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland (2024) and was named one of I-95 Business’ Influential Women (2025).

She serves on the World Trade Center Institute’s CEO Council, Maryland Momentum Fund Advisory Board and President of MEDA’s Board of Directors.

Tammi earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Alabama State University and an MBA from the University of Baltimore. She takes great pride in her daughter, Sydney, who’s a nuclear engineer serving on a guided missile submarine. Go Navy!

Mark Anthony Thomas is the President & CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, the first since the organization’s merger with the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore (EAGB). Mark has served in public leadership roles in Pittsburgh, New York, and Los Angeles shaping economic development strategies and partnerships. Before entering the public sector, Mark worked in the media sector, shaping content and investigative journalism on social impact development, and effective governance. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia (BA), Columbia (MPA), and MIT (MBA) and has served on several boards supporting college access, creative arts, and civic innovation.

Lori C. Valentine is the Vice President of Policy and Public Relations for the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), leading the organization’s business marketing and communications arm as well as its legislative teams. She is an experienced policy and public relations professional with years of experience in the public sector on the state and local levels serving as legislative directors for several state agencies, including the Maryland Department of Commerce (formerly DBED) and Prince George’s County government under former County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III.
Prior to taking on her roles in Prince George’s County, Valentine gained valuable experience in legislative policy and negotiating after being tapped to serve as a legislative officer for Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich. On a mission to support Prince George’s County’s efforts to attract, retain and support the existing business community, she is focused on improving local entrepreneurs’ access to County programs and resources. Her team continuously creates stimulating communications and marketing collaterals that increase the visibility of the EDC programs and services, taking businesses to the next level of growth.
Lori can also be credited with contributions towards the passage of numerous pieces of legislation that support the business community’s ability to develop and expand in Maryland and Prince George’s County, supporting the County’s efforts to rebrand with its Experience, Expand, Explore campaign, coordinating County Executive Angela Alsobrooks record-breaking inaugural State of the Economy address, and creating diverse, interactive and informative programming to support the County’s business community.
Valentine is a proud native of Chicago, Illinois, a Juris Doctorate graduate of the Howard University School of Law, a MEDA Board Member, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.