TEDCO Announces FY24 Board of Directors

TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, held its annual election for the board of directors’ executive officers, reaffirming another term for Chair Omar Muhammad of Morgan State University (MSU).

“I’m excited to continue serving on the board of directors. Our work has focused on supporting TEDCO’s mission of creating an enhanced, diverse and inclusive ecosystem throughout the state, and we look forward to continuing this mission through the various resources and programs TEDCO has to offer,” said Omar Muhammad, chair of the board. “In particular, I am excited to move forward with the Cultivate Maryland initiative, a major project that will support the growth of a diverse innovation economy thereby increasing Maryland’s competitiveness as an innovation economy and supporting larger retention and attraction of trained workers.”

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“Our board continues to bring invaluable experience and perspectives to TEDCO,” said Troy LeMaile-Stovall, TEDCO CEO. “We thank last year’s executive officers for the service and dedication they offered. To returning members, we cannot wait to continue working with you—together, I know we can achieve a more diverse and sustainable innovation ecosystem in Maryland.”

TEDCO is managed by a 19-member Board of Directors, 14 of whom are appointed by the Governor, two appointed by the President of the Maryland Senate; and two appointed by the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates – each to staggered 4-year terms. The 19th member is the Maryland Secretary of Commerce, who serves ex officio.  Each member appointed by the Governor is confirmed by the Senate.

TEDCO’s full board of directors are: Chair, Omar S. Muhammad, MSU; Vice Chair, Ellen Flowers-Fields, College of Southern Maryland; Secretary, Kathie Callahan Brady, FITCI; Treasurer, Jeffrey Rhoda; Assistant Treasurer, Eben Smith, Three|E Consulting Group; Rondall Allen, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; John Bohanan, Cornerstone Government Affairs; Clifford Coppersmith, Chesapeake College; Kevin Anderson, Maryland Department of Commerce; Matthew Lee, FASTech; Myra Norton, Arena Analytics; Amita Shukla, Vitamita; Chung Hei Sing, Applied Derivative Research; David Tohn, BTS Software Solutions; Robert Wells, Baker Donelson; and Thomas Bundy III, Lawrence & Bundy.

Omar S. Muhammad serves as the director and EN-TRE-PRE-NEUR for the EDAC at Morgan State University (MSU) and has been actively involved in entrepreneurship since the age of 12, served as a vice president for a non-profit organization where he operated a $4 million small business loan fund within Baltimore’s Empowerment Zone, provided small business counseling and entrepreneurial training for women and other budding and existing entrepreneurs.

Ellen Flowers-Fields has more than 25 years of experience in workforce development and human capital management and is currently serves as associate vice president for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at the College of Southern Maryland. In this position, she is responsible for overseeing all areas of the non-credit economic and community development programming including the Center for Trades and Energy Training, Maryland Center for Environmental Training, the Workforce Center, the SBDC, the Non-Profit Institute, the Transportation Center and adult basic education.

Kathie Callahan Brady has been president and CEO of Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI) since 2016. Prior to this position, Callahan Brady founded four successful companies in various industries and has over 30 years’ executive-level experience in IT, real estate and business development, which she draws upon to help others achieve success.

Jeffrey Rhoda has spent more than 40 years in the technology industry with IBM in areas including sales, marketing, channels, and ibm.com. Prior to retiring in June 2019, Rhoda was the general manager, of the Greater China Group located in Beijing and responsible for IBM’s business in China. He has extensive global experience having lived in Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Seoul and Beijing in addition to his native country, the United States of America.

Eben Smith is president of Three E Consulting Group with two decades of business management experience in both the public and private sector with key emphasis in supplier diversity, strategic sourcing, economic development, community engagement and contracting and procurement. Over the last 20 years he has worked closely with other regional, state and local leaders to create jobs, grow the economy and create capacity in the minority business community.

Rondall Allen, Ph.D, is the chief academic policymaker at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). Allen has over 30 years of experience in the profession of pharmacy and has practiced in a variety of settings to include community pharmacy, acute care, ambulatory care, and the pharmaceutical industry. As a clinician, he developed and implemented two outpatient anticoagulation clinics in which he managed patients with deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary emboli, atrial fibrillation and other clotting disorders.

Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson is Founder & CEO of Cardinal Atlantic Holdings (CAH), an economic and community development firm targeting scaled social impact and investment in urban centers. With specializations in real estate and education technology, CAH advises funds, corporations and governments on economic and community development strategies and projects.

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Former Delegate John L. Bohanan, Jr. joined Cornerstone Government Affairs in October 2015. He served on the staff of U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for 22 years and as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for St. Mary’s County from 1999 until 2015. For 21 years, John was principally responsible for interfacing with the Congressional District’s two largest military installations – Patuxent River Naval Air Station and Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Thomas Bundy III is TEDCO’s newest Board member. A partner at Lawrence & Bundy, he regularly represents Fortune 500 companies across the country in numerous trials, arbitrations and alternative forms of dispute resolution. While his practice is commercial in nature, Bundy focuses on traditional employment issues such as: civil rights litigation, including discrimination and harassment; wage and hour disputes; whistleblower claims; trade secret protections; Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation; Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Dodd-Frank compliance; and employment due diligence and audits.

Clifford Coppersmith, a military veteran and former intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, is now in his fifth year as the president of Chesapeake College where he focuses on the mission to provide liberal arts transfer and workforce training programs for the region.

Chung Hei Sing is the CEO of Applied Derivative Research, an impact-oriented research platform leveraging technology to preserve and grow wealth in a way that positively impacts society. Passionate about impact, he is an advisor to AARP, an aging-focused nonprofit, and board member to Corporate Esports Association, an esports for charity and HR-solutions focused organization.

Matthew Lee founded FASTech Inc. a business offering a wide range of services including custom application and database design, network engineering and desktop support, web technologies, digital audiovisual technologies, and cybersecurity. Prior to this, Lee served as an electronics engineer at the Army Research Laboratory where he managed custom hybrid products.

Myra Norton is the president & CEO of Arena, a technology company that helps organizations vitalize, stabilize, and diversify their workforces to improve organizational performance and impact. She serves as Immediate Past Chair on the Executive Committee of TEDCO.

Amita Shukla is the founder and CEO of Vitamita, which focuses on developing transformative ideas for human well-being, and the author of Enduring Edge: Transforming How We Think, Create and Change. Prior to Vitamita, she spent close to nine years at the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA) where she evaluated and invested in healthcare innovations. Before NEA, she helped found and lead several startups. Shukla was first appointed to the TEDCO board in 2010 and is currently its longest-serving member.

David Tohn is a retired Army Colonel with over 24 years’ leadership experience in tactical and strategic intelligence, command, operations, strategic planning and, as a plank-holder in Army full-spectrum cyber operations, policy, planning, and capabilities development; currently, Tohn serves as the CEO of BTS Software Solutions.

Robert Wells is a shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Baltimore office where he represents clients in health care regulatory and corporate matters. He handles complex legal and operational matters, such as the development and implementation of corporate compliance programs that involve the integration of corporate governance, business operations, risk management, and compliance; and the challenging regulatory issues governing pharmaceutical and medical device companies.