2021 MEDA Winter Conference

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

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 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 Retired Racehorse Project, an award-winning national nonprofit that is 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,” by “Putting Communities First.” His strategy is to engage communities from every sector and to practice transparency and data-driven policymaking.

Born on February 8, 1963 in Boksburg, South Africa, Gavin was raised in Perth, Australia by his single mother, Pauline. He attended Belmont City College located in Australia’s southwest coastal area near the Indian Ocean. Gavin worked his way across the world after departing Perth in 1984 after he dropped anchor in Spa Creek in 1992 with only $200 in his pocket, fell in love with Annapolis for its unique blend of history, maritime culture, and small-town friendliness, and fell in love again when he met future wife, Annapolis local Julie Williams. They married in 1997 and together they are now raising two children, Dash & Miles.

From his first job as a server at Middleton Tavern, Gavin showed the vision and entrepreneurial spirit for which he is so well known. He quickly learned the basics of business, raised capital, and navigated bureaucracy to open Annapolis’ first coffee shop, The Moon, in 1993.

In time, Gavin began to see potential in West Street – then considered the “wrong part of town,” where drug deals and prostitution were common. He opened pan-Asian restaurant, Tsunami, in 2000. A diverse group of residents, passionate about their community, responded to his vision and Tsunami soon became “the place” to be. Tsunami’s success encouraged Gavin to establish new restaurants, including Lemongrass and Metropolitan in 2005 and Sailor Oyster Bar in 2016. All of his business ventures are located on West Street in Annapolis.

But becoming a successful businessman was just the beginning for Gavin. His dedication to West Street and its communities inspired Gavin to help create the Sunday Arts Festivals, followed by the Annapolis Fringe Festival, the Chocolate Binge Festival, the Annapolis Color Run, West Street Holiday Light Canopy, and the wildly popular Dining Under the Stars.

Gavin is committed to preserving the historic character of Annapolis with leadership and vision to ensure it remains a dynamic, living city. This is why he challenged and defeated the City’s plan to demolish 100-year-old homes on West Street to make way for an 800-car garage. This area is now the West Village Precinct – a flourishing hub for local businesses, residents, and visitors.

Gavin knows that community connections are at the heart of West Street’s transformation. He has served on the boards of Friends of St. Johns College, Visit Annapolis and Anne Arundel County’s Citizens Advisory Board, and the West Street Business Association. Gavin also is a member of the Anne Arundel County Chapter of the NAACP and a founder of the Annapolis Arts District. He is longtime champion of public art and supporter of local musicians.

Elected Mayor of Annapolis in November 2017, Gavin is committed to bringing together business owners, community leaders, and residents to develop innovative ideas and economic opportunities for Main Street, Maryland Ave, West Annapolis and all parts of the city. These include 21st century transit solutions, a more transparent development process, strong community policing, and greater focus on the needs of the local community.

Gavin imagines an inclusive city, full of opportunities for all citizens as part of his One Annapolis vision. He is committed to our shared community and our shared future. His vision is for a vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive Annapolis with infrastructure, services, and events that make it a wonderful place to work and live for all.

Kelly M. Schulz brings a wealth of knowledge to the Maryland Department of Commerce from her years of experience working in the government, in the private sector and as a small business owner. She had previously served as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor since her confirmation in February 2015 and is also a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates.

At Labor, she was responsible for managing an agency with nearly 2,000 employees and an operating budget of more than $375 million. Under her leadership, Maryland’s apprenticeship program grew to its highest level since 2008, with more than 10,000 apprentices statewide. The Department’s Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) Maryland program received national recognition for both innovation and effectiveness and was named one of the Top 25 programs in the 2018 Innovations in American Government Award competition.

A former member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing Frederick County, she served on the Economic Matters Committee from 2011- 2015. In addition to local issues, then Delegate Schulz took special interest in legislation relating to banks and other financial institutions, business, occupations and professions, economic development, labor and employment, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation.

Prior to embarking on a career of public service, Secretary Schulz sold real estate, worked as a program manager for a defense contractor and was a part-owner of a cyber security firm. She has received several awards including the Outstanding Recent Alumna Award from Hood College in 2011, and is proud to participate as a member in many local community organizations including the Libertytown-Unionville Lions Club and the Walkersville Volunteer Fire Company. Kelly is also a past Board member of the Frederick County Habitat for Humanity.

Secretary Schulz obtained her Associates degree from Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York and later obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland.

A native of Warren, Michigan, Kelly currently lives in Frederick County, Maryland with her husband John Nowell and has two sons, Brandon and Bradley.

Stephen Rice serves as the Economic Development Manager for the City of Annapolis, Maryland. In this role, Stephen leads the economic development division within the Department of Planning and Zoning. He manages economic development projects, facilitates revitalization efforts and helps to recruit and retain businesses in the city. Stephen also advocates for policies that ensure that Annapolis continues to be a great place to start, grow or expand a business.

Previously, Stephen worked for American Communities Trust in Baltimore as Director of Community Development. In this role he worked with New Markets Tax Credits to revitalize challenged communities across the country. Stephen also served as Vice President of Business Development for the Howard County Economic Development Authority after a long tenure at the Greater Baltimore Urban League where he led the economic development team.

Stephen is very active in his community and has served on several local boards and commissions. Currently he serves as a Commissioner for the Enterprise Road Corridor Development Review District Commission in Prince George’s County. He is also very active with the Urban Land Institute’s Washington, D.C. Chapter and the Lambda Alpha International (Land Economics Society) Baltimore Chapter.

Stephen was raised in Columbia, Maryland and is a proud graduate of Wilde Lake High School. He then completed his undergraduate education at Morehouse College where he studied Economics. Stephen later completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Vanderbilt University and his Master in Public Administration (MPA) degree at Harvard University.

Stephen enjoys reading, traveling and playing golf in his spare time. When not enjoying the wonders of Annapolis, Stephen can be found taking in the splendid views at National Harbour in Maryland.

Ben Birge is the President/CEO of the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation. Previously, he served as the Chief Administrative for Anne Arundel County.

Ben has spent his career in the public policy arena at all levels of government with particular focus on budgeting, program management and analysis. He managed Prince George’s CountyStat, a team responsible for providing analysis and oversight to ensure county services are operating in an efficient, productive and cost-effective manner.

He has spent time on Capitol Hill and in the Maryland State House as a higher education advocate. As an analyst for the Maryland Legislature, he created numerous databases and workflow improvements.

Ben’s civic activities have involved Anne Arundel County libraries and public schools as well as the Boy Scouts. Originally from Los Angeles, he has lived in Anne Arundel County since 1991.

Sean Looney is Vice President, State Government Affairs for Comcast NBCUniversal. He represents the nation’s leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services before the General Assembly, Governor’s Office and state agencies in Maryland and Delaware. Sean joined Comcast in December, 2003 after retiring from a 19-year career at Verizon, Bell Atlantic and New Jersey Bell. He has served as the Treasurer of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA), Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Maryland Leadership Workshops (MLW), and on the Board of Directors and Legislative Committee of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. Sean has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, where he also was Chair of Maryland Hall’s Arts Alive Gala for several years He has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Leadership Maryland (LMD), and graduated from LMD’s Class of 1996. He has also served as President of the Maryland Government Relations Association (MGRA), on the Advisory Committee for Maryland Business for Responsive Government (MBRG), President of the Board of Directors for the Maryland Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), President of the Smithsonian Institution’s Young Benefactors, and on the Catholic Charities of Baltimore Development Committee. He has done volunteer work for various organizations in the area since moving to MD in 1990, including the Travis Manion Foundation, Annapolis Lighthouse Shelter and St. Anne’s Infant and Maternity Home in Washington, DC. Sean was honored with the 2008 CASA Light for Children Award and was Leadership Maryland’s State Leader of the Year in 2003. He lives with his wife and two children in Annapolis, MD and Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ. Sean received a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ.

Tom Ballentine has more than 30 years of experience in land use and construction-related policy development and is currently the Vice President for Policy for the Maryland Chapters of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. (NAIOP)

Tom has represented NAIOP’s member companies before the Maryland General Assembly since 2009 and has submitted testimony at more than 700 bill hearings and work sessions on industry related legislation ranging from planning and zoning to land development, air and water quality, construction codes, asset management and tax law. Mr. Ballentine also represents the industry before state and local regulatory agencies and has been appointed to represent commercial real estate on the Mitigation Workgroup of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission, as well as the Maryland Water Quality Trading Advisory Committee

Mr. Ballentine has managed projects recognized by eight national awards of excellence, most recently for the use of GIS mapping in policy analysis, legislative reform of Maryland’s commercial mortgage tax laws, and previously a National Smart Growth Achievement Award for work that institutionalized the use of land supply and demand analysis in land use plans.

Tom is a full member of the Urban Land Institute and a graduate of The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. He and his family are residents of Roland Park in Baltimore, Maryland.

Nicole Christian is the president & CEO of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce in western Maryland. The Garrett County Chamber also serves as the Destination Marketing Organization for the County and manages the state certified Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area. Nicole is a Certified Chamber Executive (CCE), one of only 450 in the country, and is a 25-year veteran of the chamber industry. She is also a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management (IOM). She has held senior level/CEO positions at three other Chambers and helped lead her Chamber of Commerce in Davenport, Iowa to the coveted designation of 2008 Chamber of the Year by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE).

Throughout her career, Nicole has worked with many diverse populations from small businesses to international companies and from small rural communities to large metro areas. She has a special affinity for entrepreneurs and has helped many reach gazelle status. Much of her career has required a concentration on government affairs, which she enjoys immensely but her work in Florida and Garrett County have had a significant focus on tourism which has become a real passion for her.

Over the past 25 years she has earned many awards and accolades for her work in the Chamber profession and for her community service. In 2017, Nicole was named the Maryland Chamber Executive of the Year by the Maryland Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (MACCE). In 2005, Nicole was designated as one of the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Forty Under 40, recognition of the top young professionals under the age of 40 in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Nicole is an active member of ACCE and is the immediate past president for the Maryland Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and serves on the Board of the Maryland Tourism Coalition. Nicole is a past ACCE board member and is also very active with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce serving on the Council on Small Business. She is often asked to speak about chamber and tourism related topics and is frequently a strategic planning facilitator for chambers throughout the country.

Nicole has a BA from the University of Kentucky where she studied Political Science and Advertising. She is a native of Ft. Thomas, Kentucky and an avid Kentucky Wildcats basketball fan but has called Garrett County, Maryland home for the last 10 years.

Donald C. Fry has been the president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC), the central Maryland region’s most prominent organization of business and civic leaders, since November 2002.

The GBC serves as a knowledgeable and highly credible business voice in the Baltimore region, Annapolis and Washington, D.C., on policy issues and competitive challenges facing Maryland. Its mission is to apply private-sector leadership to strengthening the business climate and quality of life in the region and state.

Fry served as GBC executive vice president from 1999 to 2002. From 1980 to 1999 Fry was engaged in a private law practice in Harford County. During this time he also served in the Maryland General Assembly. He is one of only a handful of legislators to have served on each of the major budget committees of the General Assembly.

Serving in the Senate of Maryland from 1997 to 1998, Fry was a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee. As a member of the House of Delegates from 1991 to 1997 Fry served on the Ways and Means Committee and on the Appropriations Committee.

Fry is a 1979 graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law. He earned a B.S. in political science from Frostburg State College.

Jack McDougle is a champion of innovation-friendly and collaborative cultures; working with business, government and nonprofit organizations for more than 20 years to develop and implement breakthrough ideas that create sustainable competitive advantage. He focuses teams to thrive in complex environments, think with a global perspective and flexibly adapt to change while generating creative, viable approaches to challenging situations.
Jack founded Blutre Strategies in 2009 as a personal initiative to drive innovation and improve quality of life through economic capacity building, both in the U.S. and globally. One of his projects included serving as Senior Vice President at the Council on Competitiveness where he engaged more than 150 CEO’s, university presidents and labor leaders to formulate and lead a National Manufacturing Initiative – convening key thought leaders across the U.S. to construct strategies and programs enhancing U.S. manufacturing, increasing exports and creating jobs. This bipartisan public policy agenda was shared with officials and business leaders throughout the country.
Prior to Blutre, Jack served as Deputy Undersecretary for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce where he successfully helped lead turn-around efforts for the $2 billion 2010 Census Automation Program. As Deputy Assistant Secretary for Industry Analysis, he worked collaboratively with government agencies and the private sector to minimize the negative impacts of proposed regulations to the aerospace, energy, manufacturing, and construction industries. Jack also led global strategy and communications planning to advance U.S. export programs; directed analyses leading to Congressional approval of various trade agreements and supported trade missions ranging from Azerbaijan and Kuwait to China and India. While at the U.S. Department of State, Jack helped build and lead components of the U.S. hosted G8 Summit at Sea Island, GA.
In the private sector, at People’s United Bank, Jack was chosen by the CEO to implement a strategic business process, integrated with human resources and financial planning, which resulted in increased sales, customer retention, and profitability. He formulated new organizational change and talent performance concepts to enrich corporate culture and broaden decision-making parameters.
Jack regularly discusses economic, business, manufacturing, and trade issues with senior government and industry officials as well as presenting at various meetings and events. He’s been featured on PBS NewsHour and in numerous print publications. Jack earned his M.B.A. in strategy and finance at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Christine A. Ross joined the Maryland Chamber of Commerce as President/CEO in July 2016. Ms. Ross previously served as CEO of the Greater Bonita Springs Chamber transforming the 1,000-member organization through difficult times and winning the coveted five-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for effectiveness and impact. She advocated for regulatory changes to improve the region’s competitive business climate, and worked to ensure quality workforce and education reform, progressive infrastructure planning for transportation, and technology.
Ross also led a wide range of economic development activities such as long range broadband planning for a five county area of 1.2 million residents as well as a a state-wide strategic update for the Enterprise Florida 2014-17 economic development plan.
She was voted Chamber Executive of the Year by the Florida Association of Chambers of Commerce Executives and her Chamber was recognized as Florida’s Chamber of the Year in 2014. That same year she earned her Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) status, only 500 chamber executives in the US have earned this designation.
Prior to her service at the Bonita Springs Area Chamber, Ross served in similar positions at the Falmouth, MA and Williamstown, MA chambers for a total of nine years. She also worked as the Program Director of the Berkshire Visitors Bureau and as Marketing Director at the Pittsfield, MA Tourism Council prior to her Chamber experience.
Ross has several Maryland connections including earning an MBA and a Master’s in Marketing from the University of Maryland University College. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. Ross is married and has three grown children, two of whom are in graduate school in the Washington, D.C. area.

Michael Sanderson is the Executive Director at the Maryland Association of Counties, and leads the local jurisdictions who deliver front line services to all Marylanders. He has worked with MACo for more than 25 years, and is a leading voice on intergovernmental and fiscal issues. With Maryland’s counties in the lead role on both public health and safety issues, MACo will play a critical role with the top issues facing us in 2021.

Pamela J. Ruff has served as Executive Director of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) since 2000. MEDA is a statewide membership organization of nearly 500 public and private professionals dedicated to job growth and retention in Maryland. As Executive Director, Ms. Ruff is responsible for all aspects of management at MEDA and for their 501c3 entity, The MEDA Foundation, Inc.

Ms. Ruff has an extensive background in economic development marketing that began in 1981 when she joined the Baltimore Briefing Center (BBC) where she served in a number of capacities. The BBC expanded from a regional to a statewide focus and became the Maryland Communications Center (MCC) where Ms. Ruff served as Deputy Director. Both centers operated as the primary marketing support service for Maryland’s economic development professionals in both the public and private sectors.

As Executive Director of The Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) Ms. Ruff has been responsible for the business operation of a statewide association providing programming, professional development and networking opportunities to nearly 500 public and private sector members throughout Maryland. She has built a portfolio of work that includes programs and partnerships bringing together regional, state, local, and private sector interests at all levels of economic development. Developing programs on topics as diverse as manufacturing, technology, community development, workforce development, environmental issues, and business development shows her proven understanding of the general and broad-based effort known as economic development. At MEDA, Ms. Ruff also oversees the delivery of economic development professional development courses that instruct knowledge and skills to the organization’s community of members.

Ms. Ruff is a Past President of Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna and a former director of the Havre de Grace Economic Development Advisory Board. She was a member of the Maryland Board, an advisory board to Maryland Life magazine. She Chairs the Membership Committee and serves on the Program Committee at Leadership Maryland.

Ms. Ruff earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Mass Communications from Towson State University and her Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University. She is a 1998 graduate of Leadership Maryland and a 2006 graduate of the Harford Leadership Academy.

Ms. Ruff is a resident of Baltimore City.

Heather Gramm joined the Maryland Department of Commerce as Senior Director of Strategic Industries and Entrepreneurship in June 2019. In this role, she oversees the development and implementation of the state’s efforts to grow the strategic industries of biohealth and life sciences, cybersecurity and aerospace, manufacturing, energy and agriculture. In addition, she oversees Commerce’s strategic initiatives for entrepreneurship, small business, and workforce development.

Prior to this role, she served as Deputy Director for the Frederick County Office of Economic Development overseeing the county’s business development efforts, including business attraction, retention and expansion, small and minority business development strategies, as well as industry-sector development in the county’s targeted sectors.

Heather has more than 17 years of experience in municipal, county and state economic development in a variety of roles including business development, community development and downtown revitalization. She earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Hood College and the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) certification through IEDC. She serves as President of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) Board of Directors.

Mr. Griffin has served as Director of Economic Development for the City of Frederick, Maryland since 2002. An urban planner and economic developer with 25 years of experience, Richard has worked at the city, county, and regional level in Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina and Washington.

During his tenure in Frederick he has overseen several million in public and private revitalization including the design and development of award-winning Carroll Creek Park and million’s in renovations and new infill development delivering jobs tax base in downtown.

His previous assignments include serving as the executive director of the Downtown Frederick Partnership, Program Manager of Comprehensive Planning for Loudoun County, Virginia and Senior Regional Planner for the Appalachian Council of Governments , and on the district staff of US Representative James McClure Clarke (11th NC)..

Mr. Griffin holds degrees from Western Carolina University and Clemson University. He serves on the Board for the Downtown Frederick Partnership, the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. and others.

Ebony Stocks
Executive Vice President
Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation

Biography

Ebony Stocks is the Executive Vice President with the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation, an organization that provides business services that help attract, retain, and expand businesses in the County. She previously administered the County’s premier $50 million economic development tool, the Economic Development Incentive Fund which leveraged over $1 billion in capital investment and created over 13,000 jobs. Ms. Stocks is a Certified Economic Development Finance professional who has managed several financing and incentive programs. Ms. Stocks has worked in commercial lending providing non-traditional financing to rapidly growing small businesses. Ms. Stocks has a Master’s degree in Real Estate Development and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Rhonda Ray currently serves as the Managing Director, Office of Policy, Research and Government Affairs with the Maryland Department of Commerce. In this role she oversees and directs a team responsible for research, government affairs, policy and program development, and performance measurement. She has an in-depth knowledge of State government and extensive experience in public policy, advocacy and organizational development.

Rhonda began her career at the Maryland Department of Commerce in 1996. After working as a Legislative Liaison Assistant for a little more than a year, Rhonda was appointed Director of the Office of Legislative Liaison in 1997 and has led various iterations of the unit for more than 20 years. She has been a key member of the Department’s leadership team for two decades and has provided organizational development and strategic planning advice for a number of Secretaries.

Prior to joining Commerce, Rhonda was the Director of Public Policy for the Maryland Food Committee. She led the policy and political strategy team for a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating food insecurity and welfare dependence. Rhonda also served for two years as a Governor’s Policy Fellow, appointed by Governor William Donald Schaefer, and worked with the State’s Minority Business Enterprise Program at the Maryland Department of Transportation and at Commerce’s predecessor agency, the Maryland Department of Economic and Employment Development. Her academic research has focused on job creation and economic development.

Past volunteer experience includes serving on the boards of Women Entrepreneurs of Baltimore and Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity. She is a proud member of Leadership Maryland, class of 2014. Rhonda currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the Maryland Economic Development Association and co-chairs the Public Policy Committee.

A strong and enthusiastic supporter of public administration and public service, Rhonda continues to mentor undergraduate and graduate students who, like her, have accepted the calling of public service and wish to pursue a career in public policy and government. She has had a lifelong commitment to education and teaching and spent several years as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in the political science department leading an upper level course in Public Administration and Policy.

Outside of work, Rhonda has an intense love for the performing and visual arts and spends her free time traveling, cooking and reading.