Governor O'Malley Swears in Members of Maryland Economic Development Commission
O'Malley checks-in with small businesses in Annapolis for Ceremony
ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 18, 2009) – Governor Martin O’Malley today presided over the official swearing-in of the Maryland Economic Development Commission, re-launching the defunct Commission at a time when private economic investment is needed most. The Commission, which was first created in 1995 but has been inactive since 2006, is comprised of 25 members that will help shape Maryland’s business policy, regulation and legislation. As part of its mission, the Commission will develop a 10-year strategic plan for Maryland’s economy, solicit input from businesses from each region of the state and provide recommendations to the Governor on current and potential issues impacting Maryland’s businesses.
“The Maryland Economic Development Commission will play a vital role in charting a course for Maryland’s economic future,” said Governor O’Malley. “We are fortunate to have brought together some of Maryland’s greatest visionaries in science, education and business from every region of the State to undertake this important mission and I look forward to learning their recommendations for how we can best support Maryland’s business community.”
Commission members serve staggered three-year terms. Chairing the Commission will be Dr. Elias Zerhouni, who is currently Senior Advisor for Johns Hopkins Medicine and Senior Fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. From 2002 to 2008, Dr. Zerhouni was the Director of the National Institutes of Health, where he successfully led a series of reforms that were adopted by Congress in the NIH Reform Act of 2006.
“It’s an honor for me to lead this Commission of my fellow Marylanders dedicated to strengthening Maryland’s economy,” said Dr. Zerhouni. “I look forward to working with Governor O’Malley and my Commission members to develop a long-range strategic plan to build on Maryland’s unparalleled assets.”
Governor O’Malley recently launched a series of small business “check-in” roundtable discussions, where small business owners have an opportunity to meet informally with Governor O’Malley and members of the Administration to discuss relevant topics, including the impact of the national recession on local small businesses, the need for health care reform so employees of small businesses can have access to affordable, quality health care, and the many resources and services available to Maryland companies looking to grow.
Recently, Governor O’Malley announced the creation of the Small Business Task Force, which will be comprised of 15 small business owners from around Maryland. The Task Force will serve as the Governor’s sounding board on small business issues and will be tasked with providing recommendations to improve State services and resources available to Maryland small businesses, so that they may operate more efficiently and effectively.
The current and new board members are:
Timothy Adams, Founder and CEO
SA-Tech, Inc.
Deepak Bansal (current member)
Senior Information Technology Consultant
Richard Bernstein, President and CEO,
LWRC International, LL
Steve Dubin, CEO
Martek Biosciences Corp.
Susan Ganz, CEO
Lion Brothers, Inc.
Edwin Hale, Sr., Chairman and CEO
1st Mariner Bancorp
Timothy Hodge, Esq., Principal (current member)
Miles and Stockbridge
Kevin Johnson, CEO
Commercial Interiors
William “Britt” Kirwan, Ph.D., Chancellor
University System of Maryland
Aris Mardirossian, CEO (current member)
Technology Patents, LLC
Ricardo Martinez, Chairman and CEO
Project Enhancement Corp.
John McLaughlin, President and CEO
DAP Products, Inc.
Karen Myers, President
Wisp Resort Development, Inc.
Mountaineer Log and Siding Company
Sagar Patel, President
GE Mechanical Systems
Ronald Peterson, President/Vice President
Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System/Johns Hopkins Medicine
Dawn Deiter Rich, President/ Vice President
American Electronics, Inc./Deiter, Burris Associates, Inc.
Robert “Bob” Smelkinson, Chairman (Retired) (current member)
Smelkinson Sysco Food Services Inc.
Edward St. John, President
St. John Properties
Harold Stinger, Chairman
Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies
Walter (Butch) Tilley III, Executive Vice President (current member)
Home Paramount, Inc.
Alan Wilson, Chairman, President and CEO
McCormick & Company, Inc.
Ex- Officio Members
Christian Johansson, Secretary
MD Dept of Business and Economic Development
Harold Adams, Chairman Emeritus/ Chairman,
RTKL Associates, Inc., International Advisory Board
James C. Dinegar, President and CEO
Greater Washington Board of Trade
Donald C. Fry, President
Greater Baltimore Committee
Kevin F. Kelly, Vice President/Chairman
Van Skoyoc Associates/Federal Facilities Advisory Board
.
