2024 MEDA Fall Conference

Secretary Kevin Anderson is a business executive who has extensive experience in economic and community development as well as public service. He was named by Governor Wes Moore as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Commerce in January 2023.
Anderson is the founder & CEO of Cardinal Atlantic Holdings, 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 strategy and projects.
Anderson previously served as Senior Vice President for Global Partnerships at EVERFI, Inc., an educational software company for financial literacy and life skills education where he led government relations and conducted business development. Anderson helped create and launch the company’s diversity content while securing public and corporate partnerships to support digital innovation in school districts across America. A SaaS company, Anderson helped lead EVERFI’s growth from 32 employees to over 600, and from $6mm in revenue to over $120mm during his tenure.
Before joining EVERFI, Anderson was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of City First Homes, Inc. – a $6 million community land trust created to support workforce housing and ensure ongoing affordability for working families in the District of Columbia. Launched in 2008 as the District’s most aggressive affordable housing initiative, City First Homes navigated the financial crisis stabilizing mixed income development and created over 100 units of affordable housing.
Prior to his appointment at City First Homes, Anderson was Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Equity Capital at the Jair Lynch Companies, Inc., a for-profit real estate and community development firm in Washington, D.C. He was responsible for the financial management of JLC’s public, corporate and real estate ventures. Anderson helped establish JLC’s initial investment fund, a $120 million facility for commercial and housing development in the DMV region.
In 2000, Anderson served in Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams’ administration as Special Assistant to the City Administrator and Chief of Staff at the D.C. Department of Transportation. He helped usher an era of accountability and transparency in city operations and managed the restructuring of DDOT to a cabinet-level agency. Anderson led the hiring of over 100 new employees, the establishment of a local trust fund for street and infrastructure maintenance and implementation of performance metrics to meet citizen needs. Mayor Anthony A. Williams proclaimed March 31, 2004 “Kevin Anderson Day” in the District of Columbia.
Anderson began his professional career at the investment banking firm of Pryor, McClendon, Counts & Co., Inc. in Philadelphia, PA as an Institutional Bond Salesman. He served pension funds, insurance companies, investment advisers, and money center banks. Anderson provided coverage for PMC’s landmark financings as lead manager for the $320 million Atlanta Hartsfield Airport financing and the $390 million Denver Airport financing.
Anderson is the former Chairperson of the NEA Foundation’s Board of Directors (National Education Association), and recently completed 19 years of service on the Board of Trustees of Lawrence Academy. He is a member of Leadership Greater Washington’s Class of 2006 and Leadership Prince George’s Class of 2008. Anderson has held and holds professional licenses and designations in securities trading, commodity futures trading, and economic development finance. He has also prepared financial reports for expert testimony in D.C. Superior Court and local jurisdictions.
A native of Washington, D.C., Anderson graduated from Lawrence Academy in Groton, MA. He holds a BA in Economics from Stanford University, and has completed finance, leadership, and executive education at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University, and the National Development Council. Anderson lives in Upper Marlboro, MD with his wife, The Honorable Tiffany H. Anderson, daughter, Kendall, and twin sons, Kennedy and Kolby.

With more than 25 years of experience in security, networking, computer science and control systems, Yossi Appleboum brings wide angle vision on cybersecurity.

In the early 90’s, after graduating from studies, Yossi Appleboum joined the Israeli Army Intelligence (unit 8200) and served as a team leader and as Chief Architect focusing on design and development of critical infrastructure network monitoring and security systems.

In 1998, Yossi Appleboum was one of the founders of WebSilicon, an Israeli company which focused on delivering networking and security systems. As the VP of R&D, Yossi was involved in design and implementation of more than 250 systems for government agencies, integrators and vendors. In 2013, WebSilicon was acquired by Magal (NASDAQ: MAGS). One of the world’s largest physical security integration companies.
After the acquisition, Yossi Appleboum was tasked with leading the integration of his company into the Magal group which included the rebranding of WebSilicon as CyberSeal.
Yossi served as the CTO for Cyber Security of Senstar Inc. The North American division of Magal, and relocated to the United States to work more closely with key customers and partners.

In 2016, Yossi Appleboum co-founded Sepio. Appleboum serves as the CEO of Sepio Systems Inc., and is responsible for North American operations.
Sepio offers a trusted asset inventory solution that spans across networks and endpoints, extending to peripherals.
Sepio platform utilizes the physical layer to enhance asset visibility, introducing a new dimension with an integrated Asset Risk Factor score. This approach taps into the full potential of the asset security ecosystem, offering actionable visibility and limitless scalability crucial for effective asset risk management. Sepio’s solution provides tangible benefits for IT departments, including the reduction of hardware clutter, optimization of efficiency, and elimination of redundancy, resulting in decreased headaches and costs.

Kehinde Ayanleye is a two-time entrepreneur and currently the CEO of DDLab. DDLab is a Future-of-Work company that builds and manages global Customer Experience (CX), Digital Operations, and Data Annotation teams for retail, technology, and AI companies.

DDLab’s mission is simple. To equip its people with the skills needed for meaningful careers. They provide high-performance solutions that help businesses grow. The DDLab team is spread across multiple countries. They are dedicated to delivering world-class experiences to clients and creating meaningful work for local communities.

Before founding DDLab, Kehinde had a successful career in ed-tech. He drove revenue growth and positively impacted Africa’s tech industry. He led a Dutch Ministry-funded initiative to increase female participation in tech. Kehinde also served as a design thought leader across various sectors. He worked in Fintech and AI in California, E-commerce in New York, Energy in Michigan, and Life Sciences in Washington, D.C.

William Cawthern is the Director of Foreign-Trade Zone #74 with the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC), the economic development agency for the City of Baltimore. In his role, William serves as the Grantee for the FTZ, with a service area including Baltimore City and six surrounding counties. Importing through the Port of Baltimore, FTZ #74’s active operators are in the metals, automotive, “roll-on, roll-off” equipment, and third-party logistics industries. In addition to his FTZ responsibilities, William acts as the lead economic development officer for the Industrial and Logistics sector of Baltimore, driving business development efforts to attract and support manufacturers, distributors, and transportation functions of the local supply chain. Lastly, William administers the Brownfields Revitalization Incentive Program tax credit, which encourages environmental cleanup through real estate investment in Baltimore.

William’s previous career experience focused on corporate real estate, specializing in transaction management, financial analysis, and portfolio strategy for office and industrial property users. His clients included staffing firms, professional service companies, global consumer brands, and a propane distributor. This diverse background instilled a well-rounded understanding of corporate operations and a deep appreciation for high-quality client service.

Richard Griffin, AICP, CEcD is the Director of Economic Development for the City of Frederick.
In that role oversees four City Departments including the Department of Economic
Development, Downtown Parking Department, Frederick Municipal Airport, and Weinberg
Center for the Arts. Griffin is accredited economic developer and urban planner with over 30
years of experience.
During his 20+-year tenure in Frederick he has overseen major City Projects including the design
and development of award-winning Carroll Creek Park, airport expansion, and parking garage
development along with coordinating complex development projects delivering jobs and tax
base in downtown and commercial corridors. He has worked with many businesses in Frederick
including AstraZeneca, Fort Detrick, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Stulz,
Wilcoxen, Precision For Medicine, and many small mom and pop shops, and minority and
women owned businesses.
Richard has experience working at the city, county, regional, and federal level in Maryland,
Virginia, North and South Carolina and Washington State. He served on the district staff of the
late US Representative James Clarke from the 11th District of NC. He is a US Army veteran
having served as a Cavalry border guard on the East German Border during the cold war and as
a commissioned Armor officer in the NC National Guard and Army Reserves.
Mr. Griffin holds degrees from Western Carolina University and Clemson University. He is the
President of the Board for the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA), and
serves on the Boards of the Fort Detrick Alliance, the Frederick Innovative Technology Center,
Inc, and others. He is Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and volunteers as a scout leader and youth
mountain bike race team coach. His wife Lynne is a FCPS teacher and they live, work, and play
in Downtown Frederick.

Matthew is a visionary leader in Chemical Engineering with a career spanning over two decades.

He began his journey as an operations engineer at HESS Oil Refining in St. Croix, USVI, where he honed his technical expertise.

Matthew joined Honeywell’s Chicago office, quickly rising to senior leadership roles in Research and Development. There, he earned 17 U.S. patents and led teams that developed over 22 groundbreaking technologies, generating more than $66 million in new product revenue.

Matthew transitioned to Fluoron in 2022 and continues to expand Fluoron’s reach by delivering innovative solutions for the paper, printing, aerospace, textile, and food processing industries.

Outside of work, Matthew is passionate about exploring new technologies and enjoys hiking and photography. His leadership is characterized by a commitment to building elevating technology platforms that solve critical problems in the world.

Robert Mullen has been a core team member at the company since 2008 and is involved in all aspects of sales, marketing, strategic planning, account management, contract negotiations, and trade show participation.

His knowledge of computers and networks has proven invaluable in support of his clients. Robb is a graduate of Frostburg State University with a degree in Mass Communications. His previous career experience includes over 5 years in Industrial Engineering, conducting time studies of employees and regression analysis of collected data, for the purpose of improving expectancy in manufacturing and distribution center settings.

Robb also has over 10 years’ experience in hotel/restaurant management. Robb lives in Maryland. He enjoys photography, travel, hiking, and learning new languages.

Jessica Reynolds is an international trade and investment specialist serving as Senior Director for the Office of International Investment and Trade at the Maryland Department of Commerce. She previously served as regional manager in this office, covering South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Prior to joining Commerce, Mrs. Reynolds worked as a consultant for an economic development and planning firm, and as a Senior Manager and consultant in the international economic development field, working on US Government, World Bank, and other donor projects. She started her international career as an intern at the World Trade Center Institute in Baltimore. Mrs. Reynolds holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Loyola University Maryland. She holds professional memberships in the International Economic Development Council and the Maryland Economic Development Association, and in March 2021, earned her CEcD certification as a certified economic developer.

Jasjit Singh is the Executive Director of SelectUSA, a U.S. government-wide program that works to attract foreign direct investment to the United States. In this role, he leads the strategy and implementation of SelectUSA’s mission to create jobs, spur economic growth, and promote American competitiveness. He also oversees the SelectUSA Investment Summit, an annual event where U.S. officials make the case to global companies that the United States remains the top destination to do business.

Prior to joining SelectUSA, Jasjit was a Senior Director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-India Business Council. There, he was the Head of the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Logistics Committees as well as States Engagement and Capitol Hill outreach. Jasjit was also a Senior Policy Advisor in the Obama Administration, former Executive Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), and a Senior Consultant with Deloitte.

Jasjit received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. In his personal time, Jasjit is an avid tennis player, travel enthusiast, and mocktail aficionado.

With 20 years of experience in the global business sector, an MBA from
Georgetown University, and expertise serving on non-profit boards, Eddie
serves as the CEO of the World Trade Center Institute (WTCI), one of the
largest international business networking organizations in the mid-
Atlantic region.
During his 17-year tenure at WTCI, Eddie has been instrumental in
launching and growing many new initiatives for the organization,
including several international business and diplomacy fellowships and
conferences, the annual Global Economic Outlook Report, World-Lens
Podcast, and the Maryland Innovation Lab – a first-in-the-nation initiative
that connects corporations with startups from around the world.
Prior to WTCI, Eddie worked with TESSCO Technologies Inc., a leading
global supplier of wireless communications products. He also played a
central role in the development of Gems of the Earth, a nonprofit
organization that promotes social and economic development in the rural
communities of Brazil, making modern technology accessible to all.
Eddie and his family migrated to the United States from Brazil when he
was 11. He is an advocate for human rights issues, and today serves as the
chairman of the board at New American Careers, a social enterprise that
connects immigrant professionals to employment opportunities in the
U.S. He previously served as vice chair of the board of its parent company,
Global Refuge.
In 2023, Eddie was recognized as one of Maryland’s Most Influential
Leaders by the Daily Record.

Ms. Robertson-Slagle was appointed Director of Economic Development for Charles County, Maryland, in November 2021, becoming the first female economic development director in the county. In this role, Ms. Robertson-Slagle directs all services and activities of the 10 person department including attracting increased capital investments and expanding and diversifying employment opportunities, agricultural development and marketing.

Ms. Robertson-Slagle is a results-oriented and strategic leader with over 25 years of extensive experience in planning, organizing and implementing economic development functions from conception to completion, including working with new and expanding businesses and cultivating relationships between the local business community, counties, and economic development agencies at the state, regional and federal level.

Prior to joining Charles County Government, Ms. Robertson-Slagle served fifteen years with the Calvert County, Maryland Department of Economic Development holding positions in both business retention and business development as well as serving as the Director of Economic Development from July 2017 – Oct 2021. Her previous economic development experience also includes serving as director of the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) where she provided leadership in planning, coordinating and overseeing the development, delivery and reporting of all professional programs, activities and services for the Southern Maryland region and business development specialist with the Maryland Department of Commerce where she worked directly with local jurisdictions on business retention and expansion projects.

Ms. Robertson-Slagle currently serves on the Board and is the Co–Chair of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) Program Committee, is a founding board member of Southern Maryland Innovates initiative and is the current Chair of the Southern Maryland Regional Innovation Collaborative. She is Vice Chair of the Southern Maryland Economic Development Association (SMEDA) and is a board member of the Cedar Point Federal Credit Union Board of Directors and the University Systems of Maryland at Southern Maryland Board of Advisors.

Ms. Robertson-Slagle earned her Associate of Science Degree in Business Administration and Management Development from the College of Southern Maryland and Bachelors of Science Degree in Marketing from the Robert H. School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park. She is a 2018 graduate of Leadership Maryland and a 2010 graduate of Leadership Southern Maryland and a 2021 graduate of the National Association of Counties (NACO) High Performance Leadership Academy.

Ms. Robertson-Slagle is a lifelong resident of Charles County and the proud mom of two children. She and her husband Jeff reside in La Plata, Maryland.

Karla K. Smith HR Manager, Intellian Technologies, has over 25 years of diverse experience spanning the
satellite technology industry, healthcare, startups, and hospitality. Ms. Smith is a seasoned HR and
administrative professional dedicated to fostering a people-centric culture.
Currently serving as the HR Manager for Intellian Technologies, a company with a rich 20-year legacy in
the satellite technology sector, she has been instrumental in driving strategic HR initiatives that enhance
talent development and promote a growth mindset.
Throughout her career, Ms. Smith has cultivated executive partnerships and developed innovative
human resource strategies that align with organizational goals. Her passion for creating a thriving
workplace culture is matched by her commitment to attracting and retaining top talent.
As a panel speaker, she brings invaluable insights into how Intellian choose Maryland to establish their
R&D headquarters locally, thereby fostering investment and job creation. Join us to hear Ms. expertise
on building a collaborative environment that not only welcomes international businesses but also
ensures their long-term success in our communities.

Nick Staigerwald is the former business development manager for the Dundalk Renaissance and serves as the chair of the Carter pathway committee for the Baltimore County Workforce Development Board. He has 5 years experience in community and economic development.

Stephen Sullivan is a Senior International Trade Specialist in SBA’s Office of International Trade (OIT). He coordinates outreach and export promotion to U.S. small businesses; is responsible for international trade training and certification of SBDC counselors; serves as liaison to SBA Field Operations; and facilitates inter-agency dialog on increasing small business exports as part of the leadership team for Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) Small Business Working Group.

From 2015-2017, as a representative of the Department of Commerce’s Office of the Western Hemisphere, Steve managed the North American Competitiveness Work Plan, a tri-lateral initiative focused on strengthening regional competitiveness and cooperation. Prior to this hiatus to Commerce, Steve oversaw SBA cooperation with counterpart agencies in the Western Hemisphere and played an active role in the expansion of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) model into Latin America. He also served as OIT point-person on implementation of the National Export Initiative, which included piloting Local Export Outreach Teams and rolling out the model nationwide.

Steve is a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP); a former Presidential Management Fellow at SBA (’98-’00); a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Chile ’91-’94); and a 2018 graduate of the Partnership for Public Service’s Excellence in Government Fellows Program and SBA’s 2023 Enterprise Leaders Learning Journey pilot training initiative. He has an MBA from Loyola College in Maryland, an MA in Intercultural Communication from UMBC, and a BSBA in Marketing from Villanova University.

Lori C. Valentine is the Vice President of Policy and Public Relations for the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), leading the organization’s business marketing and communications arm as well as its legislative teams. She is an experienced policy and public relations professional with years of experience in the public sector on the state and local levels serving as legislative directors for several state agencies, including the Maryland Department of Commerce (formerly DBED) and Prince George’s County government under former County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III.
Prior to taking on her roles in Prince George’s County, Valentine gained valuable experience in legislative policy and negotiating after being tapped to serve as a legislative officer for Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich. On a mission to support Prince George’s County’s efforts to attract, retain and support the existing business community, she is focused on improving local entrepreneurs’ access to County programs and resources. Her team continuously creates stimulating communications and marketing collaterals that increase the visibility of the EDC programs and services, taking businesses to the next level of growth.
Lori can also be credited with contributions towards the passage of numerous pieces of legislation that support the business community’s ability to develop and expand in Maryland and Prince George’s County, supporting the County’s efforts to rebrand with its Experience, Expand, Explore campaign, coordinating County Executive Angela Alsobrooks record-breaking inaugural State of the Economy address, and creating diverse, interactive and informative programming to support the County’s business community.
Valentine is a proud native of Chicago, Illinois, a Juris Doctorate graduate of the Howard University School of Law, a MEDA Board Member, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Richard Griffin, AICP, CEcD is the Director of Economic Development for the City of Frederick.
In that role oversees four City Departments including the Department of Economic
Development, Downtown Parking Department, Frederick Municipal Airport, and Weinberg
Center for the Arts. Griffin is accredited economic developer and urban planner with over 30
years of experience.
During his 23-year tenure in Frederick he has overseen major City Projects including the design
and development of award-winning Carroll Creek Park, airport expansion, and parking garage
development along with coordinating complex development projects delivering jobs and tax
base in downtown and commercial corridors. He has worked with many businesses in Frederick
including AstraZeneca, Fort Detrick, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Stulz,
Wilcoxen, Precision For Medicine, and many small mom and pop shops, and minority and
women owned businesses.
Richard has experience working at the city, county, regional, and federal level in Maryland,
Virginia, North and South Carolina and Washington State. He served on the district staff of the
late US Representative James Clarke from the 11th District of NC. He is a US Army veteran
having served as a Cavalry border guard on the East German Border during the cold war and as
a commissioned Armor officer in the NC National Guard and Army Reserves.
Mr. Griffin holds degrees from Western Carolina University and Clemson University. He serves
on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA), Fort
Detrick Alliance, the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc, and others. He is Rotary Paul
Harris Fellow and volunteers as a scout leader and youth mountain bike race team coach. His
wife Lynne is a FCPS teacher and they live, work, and play in Downtown Frederick.