Mayor Rawlings-Blake Appoints Six New Members to BDC Board of Directors

Board of 17 Members Reflects Mayor’s Economic Development Vision, Diversity of City’s Job Growth Sectors

BALTIMORE, Md. (August 28, 2014)—Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake made six new appointments to the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) Board of Directors—expanding the board to 17 current members.

“It is vital that the BDC Board of Directors reflect my economic development vision and represent the diversity of Baltimore’s job growth sectors,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “We are very fortunate to have these talented business and institutional leaders who will bring their expertise and skills to BDC’s mission of growing the city by attracting and retaining businesses, expanding job opportunities for city residents, and investing in our neighborhoods.”

Joining the BDC Board of Directors are:

Greg Cangialosi, CEO, MissionTix. Cangialosi is an entrepreneur and early-stage investor based in Baltimore. He is CEO of MissionTix, an online event ticketing platform. He is also co-founder of Betamore, a Baltimore-based urban campus for technology and entrepreneurship. Prior to that, his company, Blue Sky Factory, a leading email marketing service provider and an Emerging Technology Center (ETC) graduate, was acquired by WhatCounts in July 2011. Cangialosi is also currently a managing member of the Baltimore Angels. He is a seasoned lecturer on marketing & entrepreneurship, and is the lead author of “The Business Podcasting Book,” a primer on new media for marketers.

Jeffrey Fraley, president, Fraley Corporation. Fraley joined Fraley Corporation in 2005 and was named vice president of operations in January 2006. He currently serves as chairman of the South Baltimore Business Alliance and treasurer of the Baltimore Industrial Group. As an advocate of heavy industry, Fraley prides himself on protecting, expanding and sustaining the industrial economy in the local region. Prior to 2005, he held a number of executive positions in North America for Stride and Associates, one of the nation’s premier Information Technology and Financial staffing firms.

Gary Martin, president and CEO, Municipal Employees Credit Union of Baltimore (MECU). On July 1, 2014, MECU welcomed Martin as its new president and CEO. He has been with the credit union for 42 years. Martin joined MECU in 1972 as a loan officer and rose to the position of senior vice president and chief lending officer before being selected for the president and CEO position following a nationwide search.

Kurt Schmoke, president, University of Baltimore (UB). Schmoke was appointed the University of Baltimore’s eighth president on July 7, 2014. He brings a wealth of experience in public service, higher education and leadership to the university. Schmoke served as mayor of Baltimore from 1987-1999 and was the Baltimore City State’s Attorney from 1982-1987. Prior to joining UB, he was dean of the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. from 2003-2012. Following that role, he was appointed general counsel for Howard University and also served as the institution’s interim provost.

Christie Wyskiel, senior advisor to the president, Johns Hopkins University. Wyskiel is currently serving as a senior advisor to the president of Johns Hopkins University on matters of innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship. She is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with 19 years of experience primarily focused on the life sciences and healthcare industries. Prior to her career as an entrepreneur, Wyskiel was a managing director at Maverick Capital, a long-short equity hedge fund with over $12 billion under management, where she had a long track record of successful healthcare investing in both public and private companies. Preceding that position, she was a healthcare and medical technology stock analyst at T. Rowe Price.

Henry Raymond, director of finance, City of Baltimore. Raymond will also serve on the BDC Board of Directors. Prior to his current role, Raymond served as the City's deputy director of finance, where he was responsible for day-to-day administration of the department's five bureaus, including the Office of Risk Management. Raymond has more than 30 years of state and local government experience, including service in the Maryland Governor's Office during the administrations of Governors William Donald Schaefer and Parris Glendening. Raymond is also a former chief financial officer for the Baltimore City Public School System, where he oversaw a budget of $1 billion.

The new members, who will serve a four-year term, will join the current BDC Board at its meeting on September 25, 2014.

"These new members bring additional industry sector diversity to the BDC Board. Their experience and expertise will match well with the existing members," said BDC President & CEO William H. Cole IV. "We're looking forward to working together to grow Baltimore and make it an even better place to live, work and play."

Current members include: Arnold Williams, managing director, Abrams, Foster, Nole & Williams (BDC Board Chairman); Augie Chiasera, president, M&T Bank; Armentha Cruise, president & CEO, The Aspen Group, Inc.; Clinton Daly, head of business development, Brown Advisory; Gilberto de Jesus, attorney, Federal Communications Commission and vice chair, Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Deborah Hunt Devan, attorney, Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber, P.A.; Paul Graziano, commissioner, Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development; Kenneth Moreland, vice president & chief financial officer, T. Rowe Price; Sharon Pinder, director, Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development; Colin Tarbert, deputy mayor, Mayor’s Office of Economic and Neighborhood Development; and Brian Tracey, senior vice president, Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

“The BDC Board of Directors concurs wholeheartedly with Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s new composition for the board,” said BDC Chairman Arnold Williams. “These are proven professionals and experts in their fields who will bring a new dimension to the board’s work with high energy and fresh ideas for carrying out the City’s economic development plan.”

Industry sectors now represented on the BDC Board are: professional services, government, higher education, institutional, nonprofit, technology, marketing and industrial.