The MEDA Professional Development Committee assists members in pursuit of their educational goals. The committee delivers courses enabling members to become Certified Economic Developers (CEcD) and other courses enhancing professional skills. This committee also oversees the delivery of three IEDC courses in Maryland every year, mentors potential certification candidates, and works to include other courses throughout the year.
The Chair of the Professional Development Committee also serves on the Lofton Scholarship Selection Committee.
Committee members serve a one-year term beginning in May after the MEDA Annual Conference.
Laurie (Boyer) Babb is a Director of Economic Development on the Business Development team at the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC). She focuses on business retention/expansion projects, real estate/site selection and efforts to recruit corporate headquarters. She also manages the ACE Loan Fund program which provides loans to small, minority, and woman-owned businesses.
Ms. Babb previously served as the Economic Development Manager for the Business Advancement Team in the Office of the County Executive, Montgomery County Government where she was responsible for the management and oversight of the County’s economic development financial incentive programs and the administration of contracts with third party vendors providing economic development services on behalf of the County. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she developed policies and procedures and implemented over $40 million in emergency grant programs established to directly assist local businesses.
Previously, Laurie served as the Executive Director of Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI), and as Executive Director for the Frederick County Office of Economic Development. In May 2006, she earned her professional Economic Development Certification (CEcD) from the International Economic Development Council. She has 20+ years of economic development experience.
Ms. Babb is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery Class of 2014 and Leadership Frederick County Class of 1997, currently serves as a Past President of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) and is co-chair of the MEDA Professional Development Committee, on the Leadership Committee of NAIOP DC-MD, and on the Sponsorship Committee of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) MD Suburban.
Ms. Babb has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Spanish from Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA and a Master’s degree in Communication Studies from West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV.
Economic and Tourism Development Director, Kent County, Maryland
With a strong foundation in business and leadership, Jamie Williams brings a strategic focus to driving economic growth and enhancing tourism in Kent County. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a minor in Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship, and earned a Master Certificate in High-Performance Leadership from the National Association of Counties (NACo) Professional Development Academy in 2020.
A graduate of Shore Leadership (Class of 2021), Ms. Williams currently serves on the Board of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA), where she co-chairs the Professional Development Committee. She is also an active member of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). In addition to her professional commitments, Ms. Williams serves as Treasurer of the Chestertown Rotary Club and Secretary of the Queen Anne’s County Alumni Association.
Her prior experience includes leadership roles such as Assistant Plant Manager and Customer Service Manager for a millwork distributor, as well as Office Manager for a land surveying firm, positions that have contributed to her well-rounded perspective and hands-on approach to business and economic development.
Jim Chandler is a certified Economic Development (CEcD) professional specializing in the management of local urban revitalization, community and economic development efforts including capital improvement projects and programs with Federal, State and local funding.
Jim currently serves as Assistant Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Economic Development in Prince George’s County, Maryland. In this role, Jim leads the County’s real estate development efforts including TOD focused development of the Blue Line Corridor, New Carrolton and the County’s remaining designated growth areas. Prior to his current role, Jim served 16-years as Assistant City Administrator and Director of Community & Economic Development with the City of Hyattsville, Maryland.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimjchandler/
Sharon Disque is the Economic Development Manager for the City of Gaithersburg, Maryland. She has more than 30 years of experience in economic development, including business park development, real estate sales and leasing, corporate site selection, community strategic planning, marketing and market analysis, and downtown redevelopment. Before joining the City of Gaithersburg, Sharon ran a community development corporation, provided real estate consulting services for clients in Maryland and West Virginia, and was Regional Director of Industrial Development for CSX Transportation. She began her career with the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission. Sharon earned a Master’s in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Virginia. She is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD).
Since 2015, Tamar has served on the Regional Growth and Retention team of the Maryland Department of Commerce, the state’s economic development agency. Based in Frederick, Tamar works with businesses across industries and in all stages of the business life cycle to connect them with state and ecosystem resources, develop business opportunities, and address challenges. Prior to joining Commerce, she served as a local government affairs director for the Maryland Association of REALTORS® and led the federal public policy operations at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Tamar holds the Certified Economic Developer designation from the International Economic Development Council. She earned her BA from Washington University in St. Louis and an MPA from The University of Texas at Austin, where she was a Lyndon Baines Johnson Scholar.
With over 25 years of service in state and local economic development agencies, Larry has experience in economic development strategy, legislative policy, entrepreneurship, and community development.
Major areas of expertise include:
Economic development strategy
Business attraction and retention
Entrepreneurship
Small business financing
Business incentives
Disaster response and recovery
Legislative policy
Major accomplishments include facilitating strategic plans that led to the creation of over 30,000 new jobs, $2B in capital investment, and impacting over 12 million sq ft of industrial, office, and retail space. Other accomplishments include launching the Maryland Innovation Center (a 60,000 sq ft incubator, co-working, and collaboration space), leading the business recovery of Ellicott City after the 2016 and 2018 floods, and implementing a small business loan fund that has invested over $18M in over 100 businesses creating almost 900 new jobs.
He was awarded a Governor’s Citation for his role in the Ellicott City flood recovery and received two National Association of Counties (NACO) awards (2021, 2023) for innovative and effective business programs.
He currently leads an economic development practice focused on strategic planning and executive leadership and is a consultant to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economic Development Administration.
Larry is a Past President of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) and currently serves on the Public Policy Committee and the Professional Development Committee.
He is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Loyola University – Maryland and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland.
Roger Venezia has been an economic developer for 40 years. He serves as Director of Operations & Special Projects for the Division of Business and Industry Sector Development at the Maryland Department of Commerce. In this capacity he serves as chief administrative officer of the agency’s largest division. He has been with Commerce since 2000.
Mr. Venezia has held marketing, research, and managerial positions for three different county economic development offices in Maryland. He served as Director of the Cecil County Office of Economic Development during which time he led the effort to develop the county’s first economic development strategic plan. He also served as Research Manager for PECO Energy Company of Philadelphia, one of the country’s largest electric utilities.
Mr. Venezia earned his Certified Economic Developer designation in 1988. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a second major in Economics from the University of Delaware.
