2022 MEDA Fall Conference

Tina C. Williams-Koroma, Esq., CISSP, PMP, is a serial entrepreneur – Founder/CEO of TCecure, and most recently, Founder of CyDeploy (https://www.cydeploy.com). She is a Maryland licensed attorney and possesses a BS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), a MS in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a JD from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. This cybersecurity expert is extremely community-minded, having partnered with local institutions and contributed to several boards:

Angie Lienert, President & CEO

Angie Lienert began IntelliGenesis, LLC with a dedication to keeping our soldiers safe through the improved analysis and protection of the USA’s National Security Missions. Angie founded IntelliGenesis in 2007 and has since grown the company to more than 150 employees specializing in Machine Learning & Data Science, Cyber Services & Analytics, All-Source Analysis, and Mission Application Development. IntelliGenesis products and services are setting the standard in the Intelligence Community (IC) and helping to change the way government contracts are awarded to small businesses. As a business owner, Angie started the kind of company that she wanted to work for and continues to ensure it has that supportive atmosphere for every employee—one where employees work hard and enjoy coming to work, but also where their personal lives are valued.

Angie began her career as an Arabic Linguist in the USAF and gained professional experience within the Intelligence Community working as a Computational Linguist, Trainer, Business Developer and Program Manager. Under her leadership, the contracts and projects she led consistently grew in user base, team size, and revenue. Along the way, Angie also invested in her own education—achieving her AAS, BS, and MBA degrees, as well as gaining her PMP certification.

Today, Angie uses her influence to not only lead a successful and growing small business, but also to improve and to promote opportunities for other veterans and women in business. Over the years, she has served as a Founder and Board Liaison for the Women in Technology (WIT) group, been on the Board of Directors for both the DoD Woman Owned Small Business Consortium (WOSBC) and the Chesapeake Regional Tech Council (CRTC), and currently serves On the Early College Program Advisory Board. Angie hosts and promotes various events and mentorships for girls and women in the technology industry, and is a proud supporter of veterans’ charities, especially the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Association. IntelliGenesis has also created the Women supporting Women in STEM Scholarship which is awarded yearly to eleven graduating high school students planning to pursue a college education in STEM areas of study.

Angie has received a number of professional awards for her entrepreneurship and philanthropy efforts to include: The Baltimore Sun’s Top Leadership Award, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Maryland’s Most Influential People, Women in Technology – Leadership Award, to name a few. In addition, Angie has been featured on the cover of Inc. Magazine.

Kimberly Mentzell currently serves as the Director for Cybersecurity and Aerospace at the Maryland Department of Commerce. She has worked in the technology field for over twenty years as an educator and professional in cybersecurity, networking, Linux, and programming. She held positions as a cyber program manager, IT manager, network administrator, technology coordinator, programmer, and auditor. Her active certifications include CCNA-Cyber Operations, CCNA-Routing and Switching, A+, Network+, Security+, and CCAI. She continues to actively teach at the collegiate level at Capitol Technology University and Frederick Community College, as well as manage the cybersecurity and IT programs at Frederick Community College. Kimberly serves as a member of the Maryland Cybersecurity Council and as the co-chair for the MD Cyber Education Committee in conjunction with the MD Center for Computing Education (MCCE) Steering Committee. She is also a member of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys), Cybersecurity Association of Maryland (CAMI), Maryland Tech Council, TechFrederick Advisory Board, and Ethical Hacking Council Advisory Board. Recently, she received the FISSEA Innovator of the Year Award from NIST for her contributions to cyber education. In addition, she is also an active attendee and/or speaker at many local, national, and international cybersecurity conferences and events such as DefCon, CyberMaryland, and InfoSec – Europe.

Ms. LaToya C. Staten is currently the Director of Impact for Fearless. In this role she leads Fearless to create impact with and for communities, customers, and team members. She also leads several initiatives focused on advancing public-private talent pipeline development opportunities in at the intersection of technology and healthcare.

Before joining Fearless, Ms. Staten served as the Vice-President of Talent and Development for a cyber firm where she hired for skills and aptitude and not degrees.

LaToya holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Michigan State University. She is a Certified Agile Scrum Master and has received additional certificates in Black Tech Ecosystem Investments, Technology Entrepreneurship, Cybersecurity for Leaders, Small Business Consulting and I.T. programs. Her volunteerism includes Maryland Tech Council Board (Inclusivity-Chair), I.Invest Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Mentor, Visit Baltimore Education and Technology Board and BDPA-DC STEM Advisory Board.

Sarah Horta is Director of Innovation & Strategic Partnerships at Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO). She is responsible for fostering intentional relationships throughout the State and managing programs that will support growth in infrastructure, economic development, and innovation.

Sarah served as Manager of the bwtech@UMBC Cybersecurity Incubator while in graduate school. bwtech@UMBC houses 131 companies and organizations that employ nearly 1,900 people and have generated $700M in labor income and business sales. While at bwtech@UMBC she assisted in the growth of the CYNC Program, a partnership between Northrop Grumman and bwtech@UMBC, which provided enhanced technology oversight, program milestone development and integrated support with Northrop Grumman technology resources.

Sarah transitioned to Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation where she acted as Business Development Director, continuing to foster growth and offer support to IT/cyber companies in Anne Arundel County. She managed the Arundel Defense Tech Toolbox, which offered services to support entrepreneurs developing solutions in the national security space.

Sarah received both her B.A. in Political Science and M.P.S. in Cybersecurity from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She then went on to obtain her MCFE after completing the Digital Forensics Certificate Program at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC). Sarah is currently studying and looking to receive additional cyber certifications as well as her PMP in early to mid-2023.

Sarah played for the Division 1 Women’s Soccer Program while at UMBC and is from Fenwick Island, Delaware. She lives in Maryland her husband and son and spends her free time perfecting her golf game and watching Arsenal.

Sara Keith is a Senior Program Manager for the MD MEP and has been instrumental in building and delivering new programs, while integrating best practices, lessons learned and operational programs from throughout the MEP System. Sara Keith was one of the first employees hired to launch the MD MEP in 2013, developing the expertise to create, deliver, and administer projects and programs specific for Maryland’s manufacturers. Currently, she manages the Defense Cybersecurity Assistance Program (DCAP). Launched in 2018, the program identified, educated and assisted nearly 130 defense contractors with their cybersecurity compliance requirements.

As Chief Executive Officer at Rapid Strategy, INC, Ron Meeting sets strategic direction and service execution for both federal and commercial lines of business. He also works as a trusted advisors for company boards focusing on cyber resilience and cyber risk management to increase the bottom line for stakeholders while protecting their brand.

Mr. Meeting is a successful cybersecurity executive known for securing the most complex enterprises and missions with more than 17 years of experience. He has built and matured global cybersecurity practices managing security strategy, data privacy, application security, threat hunting, security operations and breach management. He is a former Global Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Security Officer for companies ranked in the Global Fortune 500s and facilitated special cyber intelligence projects for the US Secret Service, Pentagon Force Protection Agency, Army Research Laboratory, US Marine Corps, and Defense Information Systems Agency.

Before Rapid Strategy, Mr. Meeting was the Chief Security Officer for Maestro Health, (a subsidiary of AXA) where he managed a $3.5 million-dollar annual budget setting strategic direction for cybersecurity, operational resilience, and physical security programs. Before Maestro, Mr. Meeting was the Global Chief Information Security Officer for Barings, LLC (a subsidiary of MassMutual Financial Group) where he built the program from the ground up and managed an annual budget of $6.5 million dollars. Mr. Meeting set strategic direction for the global cyber and information security program. He was successful in going through a five-company merger and acquisition delivering cyber investments to protect the organization during and after the merger. He spearheaded the GDPR initiative to protect EU personal privacy ensuring compliance across all business units. Before moving into the private sector, he was the right-hand man to the Deputy CISO of the US Secret Service.

In his free time, he speaks on cybersecurity topics around the area. The latest speaking engagement was a panel at the Wall Street Journal’s Cybersecurity Symposium on “How to choose a cybersecurity vendor.” Lastly, he is currently a mentor for international cybersecurity startups companies’ part of Plug and Play’s Global Overseas Acceleration & Learning (GOAL) Program.

Aaron Rose is a Cyber Security Evangelist, Security Architect with the Office of the CTO at Check Point Software Technologies. A subject matter expert in Cloud, Internet of Things, and Application security; Aaron has focused his career on securing organizations & their resources beyond the perimeter of the traditional network firewall.

An avid international traveler, Aaron welcomed the opportunity to spend three months in Tel Aviv’, Israel training with Check Point’s research & development teams at the company’s global headquarters

David Biser is a retired law enforcement officer with over 20 years experience in cyber security. He started investigating cyber crimes in the early 1990’s when computers first entered the work place and has continued to investigate and respond to incidents ranging from cyber extortion to ransomware. He has received training from the National White Collar Crime Center, The United States Secret Service and many other private companies. He currently works as a digital forensics and incident response analyst for Blue Bastion, a Pittsburgh based cyber security company. He has provided training and tabletop exercises to a variety of companies, including multi-national corporations.

Ethan Dietrich is the CEO and founder of SixGen, Inc. He is responsible for establishing the overall vision and strategic direction of the company and provides day to day management. When not managing, Ethan dedicates his time to technical solutions engineering where he regularly meets with cyber operators, engineers and analysts to design and build next generation solutions. His presence in academic, industry and military organizations facilitates a breadth and depth of engagement keeping SixGen on the fringe of offensive cyber. During his time in the US Army, Ethan served with multiple Joint Special Operations -Task Forces as well as national level intelligence agencies. Ethan is from Durham, NC and spends his time rebuilding old farm houses and boating with his family.

Lawrence (Larry) Twele is CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA).

Before joining the Authority, he was the Director of the Carroll County Department of Economic Development, where he spent over six years guiding business development, business retention, workforce development and tourism. Before that, Larry spent almost seven years with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, where he held several positions including managing the statewide regional office system.

Major accomplishments include launching a regional business retention program and playing a key role in coordinating and facilitating major expansion projects in the Baltimore Region. Larry also spent seven years in management in a Fortune Global 500 manufacturing firm and three years as a manager of a small business. From 2013 to 2015, Larry served as the President of Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA). Currently he serves on the MEDA Board of Directors and is President of the MEDA Foundation.

Larry holds a Master’s Degree of Business Administration from Loyola University, Maryland and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland. He earned Certified Economic Developer credentials in 2009.

Danny graduated from Crisfield High School, received an Associate Degree in Accounting from Wor-Wic Community College and Business Administration at Salisbury University.

Danny is the current Executive Director for the Somerset County Economic Development Commission for the past 12 years. His position entitles him to focus on the retention and expansion of existing employers and the recruitment of new businesses to assist in the economic growth of Somerset County. He was previously employed with the State of Maryland in the Department of Labor, Licensing, & Regulation Agency for 12 years and formerly worked at the Carvel Hall Plant in Crisfield as Human Resources Manager, Time & Motion Study Observer for 10 years until its closing. He also owned & operated the Circle Inn Restaurant in Crisfield for 10 years.

He was the Past-Chairman of the Crisfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Somerset County Economic Development Commission. Danny serves as a board member for the Maryland Economic Development Association, Lower Shore Workforce Alliance, and was formerly a councilperson for 8 years at the City of Crisfield. He is also active as a High School Sports official in soccer & basketball.

Danny was raised in Fruitland, Maryland until 1975 then later moved to Crisfield, Maryland. He moved to the Princess Anne area in 2008. He is married to his wife, Cheryl who is a private music teacher, has a son Keith who graduated from University of Maryland College Park majoring in Electrical Engineering, and has two grandchildren Daniel Ryon, and Kaiden Nickolas. He enjoys all types of sports, cooking, playing trumpet in church, & spending time with his family.

Tammi Thomas serves as Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO). In this role, she is responsible for the development of TEDCO’s marketing, public relations and communications strategy and will contribute to TEDCO’s organizational strategic operations.

Ms. Thomas, a seasoned administrator, has extensive managerial experience in the higher education sector and possesses a record of success in jump-starting initiatives and helping them flourish. With more than 25 years of experience in the marketing and public relations fields, she has served as advisor and consultant to senior-level executives in industry, government and academia; developed and executed comprehensive strategic, marketing and communications plans; coordinated and managed internal and external partnerships and initiatives; and facilitated large scale panels, workshops, and discussions involving a variety of executive and managerial-level individuals in the technology, government, and higher education communities.

Previously, Ms. Thomas served as chief of staff to the president at Bowie State University. She provided strategic leadership and support for the president’s initiatives and priorities. Prior to this position, she served as vice president of strategic management for Data Solutions & Technology Incorporated (DST). The company, headquartered in Lanham, Md., provides a full spectrum of professional services in information technology, logistics and operations, management, and scientific and technology support. Before DST, Ms. Thomas served as the director of University Relations and Marketing at Bowie State University for more than three years. She was also director of Business Development and Marketing at the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Research Park and Business Incubator, where she served for eight years. She has taught marketing and communications courses at Bowie State and the University of Baltimore as an adjunct professor.
Ms. Thomas earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Alabama State University and a Master of Business Administration degree in International Marketing from the University of Baltimore. She is a contributor to A Practical Guide to Business Incubator Marketing (NBIA Publications, 2007) and a guest editor of Bowie State University’s Undergraduate Journal of Research and Writing Across the Curriculum (Bowie State University, 2013).

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.

Ms. Beaver has served as the Carroll County Deputy Director of Economic Development since 2001. Prior to that Ms. Beaver held several Carroll County workforce development roles serving Carroll County businesses and citizens for a total of 27 years.
Selected as a Leadership Maryland Class of 2021 member and elected MEDA secretary in April 2021, Ms. Beaver also currently represents Carroll County at the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore Advisory Board, the Baltimore Gas & Electric Carroll County Advisory Council, the Carroll Transit Advisory Council, and the Mid-Maryland Workforce Development Board. Previously, Ms. Beaver was a founding member, board member, and Secretary of the Carroll Technology Council (now Carroll Technology & Innovation Council) for 16 years.
Ms. Beaver holds degrees from Kutztown University and Towson University and resides in Westminster.

Calvin Ball is the current Howard County Executive and a former County Council member with a demonstrated history of working in government administration. Calvin Ball is a Maryland native and a resident of Columbia, where he and his wife Shani are proud parents of two daughters who attend and graduated from Howard County public schools.

In 2006, Ball made history when he was elected the youngest Chairperson in the history of the Howard County Council. He made history again in 2018, when he became the first African-American to be elected Howard County Executive.

“We are focused on becoming the best county not just overall, but for all—by being data-informed, people-driven, and expanding opportunity for all.” – County Executive Calvin Ball