FITCI is a incubator and accelerator for science and technology-based business.

Kathie Callahan Brady

FITCI

CEO, Advisory Board, Investor, Speaker, Educator, Connector, Startup Specialist

Kathie Callahan Brady masterfully leads entrepreneurs and corporations in strategies to achieve high-level success. Her proven track-record has allowed her to found four successful companies in various industries and generate millions of dollars in revenue.

Kathie is a distinguished entrepreneur, highly sought-after speaker, lauded author, and educator. Drawing from more than 30+ years of executive-level experience in IT, real estate, and business development.

Ms. Callahan Brady has been the keynote speaker for many organizations and events including: The National Association of Professional Women, Hispanic Professional Women's Association, Professional Black Women's Association, and CEO Space to highlight a few. Working alongside noted inspirational authors Les Brown, Mark Victor Hansen, and Jack Canfield, she coauthored the business roadmap, Mastering the Art of Success. She has been recognized on several occasions by National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, even earning the prestigious President's Award for exemplary business leadership.

Ms. Callahan Brady's interest teaching began many years ago as an IT instructor at the University of Maryland, and has since bloomed into a passionate career instilling the fundamental concepts of business mastery. Today, she works with some of the most gifted Biotech and Technology companies as CEO of Frederick Innovative Technology Center. She continues to pursue her passion for Real Estate. She was a partner in Quantum Realty Capital specializing in commercial real estate & financing. She founded Future CEO to empower entrepreneurs to start and operate their own businesses. She is an avid networker and passionate about helping others succeed.

She believes that success is a conscious choice and the role of a leader is to lead change along with drive growth. She feels privileged to work with the top 5% who actually step up, assume leadership, & make a tangible difference.

Her business model, leadership and innovation strategies have guided clients towards productivity resulting in improved profits. Kathie has helped hundreds of companies raise funding & grow significantly. One client with steady losses over 5 years was turned around to achieve profits of $20m. Her passion is to help owners turn around, increase profits and achieve a better quality life. Kathie practices what she preaches and has been a member of Vistage for the past several years helping to further develop her own leadership while taking her past company to $72m.

Carl Grant III

Cooley

EVP, Business Development

Public Speaker; Super-Connector

I am a frustrated entrepreneur who no longer has the risk profile to quit my job and do a startup.

In the mid-90s, I took a break from the startup world to manage the Fairfax County EDA's Capital Attraction Program. There, I learned that venture capitalists (VCs) prefer deals referred by CEOs, limited partners, accountants, lawyers and investment bankers. I became part of that proprietary deal flow network and built a professional network that would propel my career for 20+ years.

PwC recruited me as their first external business development professional where I figured out how to make audits sound sexy. By positioning PwC as the gatekeeper to VC for aspiring entrepreneurs, I turned PwC into a magnet for venture-backed startups.

During the early 2000s, I served on the management teams of two VC-backed startups and the board of one. At EYECAST, the first company to put video on the internet, we raised an NEA-led $36M Series A. At CyberCFO we were positioned to be an early fintech leader. Ultimately, the burst of the tech bubble and 9-11 killed both companies.

From those two failed startups, the High Tech Prayer Breakfast was born. It is an all-volunteer workplace ministry I have chaired for 16 years that has enabled me to integrate my faith and work in a way that is very helpful to others. Our annual event draws 800 people.

While at Cooley, I have helped found a bank, a VC fund, and a church; earned private pilots and boating licenses; serve on the advisory boards of an angel group and some great technology companies currently including Triblio, Loci, Fledge, TxtMeQuick, HelloFriend and Paper Napkin. I am also Chairman of the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, where I lead their investment committee and oversee an accelerator.

As a trusted advisor to startup CEOs, I am sought out because my vast contacts and professional networking skills. I help them find funding, management team hires, board members, potential acquirers and provide strategic guidance.

Scott Ryser

Yakabod

Founder & CEO

Scott is a passionate leader with a head for business, an entrepreneurial spirit, and some basic tech savvy. He's not allowed to write code anymore - but over the past 25+ years he has designed, built and/or managed IT initiatives ranging from small pilot projects to enterprise overhauls using Internet technologies. A "startup guy" at heart, Scott's spent the last decade+ working with a great team to build Yakabod into a premier niche solutions provider. His previous corporate experience also includes management positions with two national system integrators.

Some of his best strategic thinking happens while he's deeply immersed in adventures like thru-hiking, rock climbing, snowboarding or bike touring - or at least that's how he justifies the time off. Scott is an avid reader and a student of business - but is happy to be done with his formal education, having earned an MSEE from The Johns Hopkins University and a BSEE from University of Akron. He serves a number of regional organizations in an advisory or board role, including TechFrederick, FITCI, Frederick Country Business Industry Council and others. Scott was also founder and lead vocalist for modern rock bands milenine and Cry of Mercy for over a decade - and hopes to start another band soon.

Edmond B. (Ted) Gregory, CPA, ASA

Linton Shafer Warfield & Garrett, P.A.

CPA, Business Appraiser, Corporate Officer Frederick, Maryland

CPA and Business Appraiser with 28 years of public practice and 16 years in private industry. Continuous learning leading to specializations in business valuation and human resource management. Audited and advised local businesses and governments, initially with an international firm and then with a large regional firm. Continuous leadership growth leading to managing partner before leaving public practice.

Exposure to the trials of entrepreneurship through long term ownership and leadership of a $13M restaurant and brewery group as a shareholder and officer.

Exposure to the full range of CFO issues with the takeover of an established company needing a complete complement of business solutions; development and financing of a $60M plant; and the challenges of a severe downturn in markets. Working with a company in an industry experiencing rapid, dynamic change and meeting the situational need for leadership.

Full circle - returned to public practice as a CPA focusing on Business Valuation and Accounting Services.

Don Schilling

FREDERICK MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS

VP - Ambulatory Services

Dr. Donald L. Schilling, Ph.D serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Linex Technologies, Inc. Dr. Schilling has held a variety of private-sector positions including Chief Executive Officer of InterDigital Communications Corporation. Dr. Schilling was a Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, and then the City College of New York. He has authored / co-authored twelve textbooks, over 200 technical papers, and holds more than 150 patents primarily in the field of wireless communications. He served as President of the IEEE Communications Society was a member of the IEEE Board of Directors. Among his honors, Dr. Schilling is a Fellow of the IEEE and has received the Donald W. McLellan Meritorious Service Award in 1978, the Edwin Howard Armstrong Achievement Award in 1998, MILCOM's Technical Achievement Award in 2000, and has served as a member of the US Army Science Advisory Board.

Richard Griffin, AICP, CEcD

City of Frederick

Director of Economic Development

Mr. Griffin has served as the director of Economic Development for the City of Frederick, Maryland since 2002. An accomplished urban planner and economic developer with 22 years of planning and economic development experience, Richard has worked at the city, county, and regional level. His previous assignments include having served as the executive director of the Downtown Frederick Partnership, Program Manager of Comprehensive Planning for Loudoun County, Virginia, Senior Regional Planner for the Appalachian Council of Governments, and on the 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 of Directors of the Downtown Frederick Partnership, Fort Detrick Alliance, the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc., and the Frederick County Workforce Development Board.

Helen Propheter

Frederick County OED

Director of Ecomonic Development

Ms. Propheter began her career in 1992 with Frederick County Workforce Services. She was a member of the Business Services team and then led the Youth Services team for a total of 15 years in Workforce Services. She considers herself fortunate to begin her career having worked for and been mentored by Marie Keegin. She taught true leadership skills, public speaking skills and how to create partnerships. Having Marie as her director allowed her to learn management skills at a very young age. "Marie's lessons in business and management have served me well 10, 15, 20 and even 25 years into my career," commented Ms. Propheter.

Ms. Propheter became Deputy Director of OED in 2007 and then moved into the Director role in 2012. "The past 10 years with OED have flown by. Being part of a team that has to work to win expansion deals and headquarter relocations has been exciting. Hearing from businesses that their headquarters have selected Frederick County as the location they will be adding hundreds of jobs to, never gets old," stated Ms. Propheter, "More recently, unveiling projects like the FRED Awards, the new Business Innovation & Cultivation Center at 118 N. Market and the Minority Business Vision initiatives and being part of the team that achieved a AAA Bond rating for Frederick County all keep my job challenging and exciting."

When asked what the future holds, Ms. Propheter said, "I still have a lot to accomplish with OED! This is an incredibly exciting time for economic growth in Frederick. We are in the process of welcoming FITCI, Tech Transfer, and the Chamber into new partnerships at 118 N. Market St. In the next few years, we hope to have a Downtown Hotel & Conference Center on Carroll Creek. Cybersecurity is starting to grow in our advanced technology industry and distillers and brewers are booming in our already strong craft beverage industry. I've seen real change in our County over the last 25 years. I consider myself so lucky to be able to work in the County that I love and see so much potential in."

Jon Rowley

RoosterBio, Inc.

Founder & Chief Technology Officer

I am an experienced R&D scientist and engineer that has excelled in both basic and applied research environments. A keen interest in technology management has led me to explore applying Technology Roadmapping principles to the world of Cell Therapy. I worked in an FDA regulated environment while managing process and product development programs at a clinical-stage stem cell therapy company. I take a project management approach to directing projects and resources, and am very results oriented. I consider myself a student of leadership and continuously practice building, coaching, and developing a team of diverse individuals. I have a strong interest in IP and patent strategy, and am a continuous learner with several outside interests. Technology and Innovation Management as it relates to cell-based products is where I am currently building my skill sets. A proper work-life balance is very important to me.

Specialties: Technology Roadmapping, Cell Therapy Biomanufacturing, Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cell Therapeutics, Cell Therapy-specific BioProcess Development, Patent Strategy and IP Protection, Open Innovation, Science Blogging

David Gurzick

Hood College

Associate Professor of Management

Dr. David Gurzick is the Founding Chair of the George B. Delaplaine Jr. School of Business and an Associate Professor of Management Science at Hood College, where he teaches courses in the management of information systems, analytical methods, and socially responsible management. In his research, he explores the role of information and communication technology in the social lives of individuals and communities. A child of the Internet, he grew up on AOL, programmed his way through dot com, and now helps develop online tools across a variety of social media and mobile platforms.

Prior to teaching, Dr. Gurzick served in various industry capacities, most recently as the Director of Research at Sonum Technologies, a software development company specializing in the area of natural language processing. He has a B.S. in computer science from Frostburg State University, an M.S. in Computer Science from Hood College, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is on Board of Directors for the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc (FITCI) - a private, non-profit corporation that encourages technological innovation and accelerates the development of commercially viable tech-based businesses. At Hood, Dr. Gurzick is the faculty representative to the college's Planning, Budgeting, and Assessment Committee.

Brett Kraimer

CycleFit Frederick

iSolved HCM Solution Consultant at PNI

Brett's passion for the indoor cycling experience began as a participant. He sought out the best cycling classes and instructors throughout Maryland and DC that not only provided exceptional workouts, but provided that emotional push as well. With the creation of CycleFit in Downtown Frederick, and now a Certified Spinning Instructor, he can help bring this unique fitness lifestyle experience to everyone, right in his own backyard.

Angie Collier

Aronson

Director of Business Development

Aronson is a nationally ranked Top 100 assurance, tax, and consulting firm. With a full complement of professional services combined with personal relationships and attentive client service, we provide our clients the best of both worlds: nearly instant access to industry and technical expert opinions.

I am very proud to be leading the Firms growth efforts and our Business Development group. I am responsible for managing our combined Sales and Marketing teams, and developing, planning and executing our overall firm growth strategy.

Kelly Ennis

the verve partnership

CEO

Kelly has 25 years of experience in aligning corporate real estate objectives with workplace strategy, design and project management for commercial interior projects of various sizes and complexity.

As the founding and managing principal of The Verve Partnership, she is responsible for the success of the firm from design and project philosophy, to project management process, and firm management.

Kelly's expertise is in nailing, early on, how culture and brand impact the workplace. She has experience in many industry sectors, including entertainment, corporate services, non-profit, technology and education.

She is recognized for her strategic project approach with strong management skills and brings this expertise to every project ensuring principal involvement consistently.

Specialties: Programming, pace Planning, Environmental & Culture Problem Solving, Branding Interiors

Theresa Harrison

GEORGE STREET SERVICES, Inc.

President & CEO

Theresa R. Williams-Harrison is a technology entrepreneur with extensive experience in technology business start-up and acceleration success.

Theresa has over 30 years in DoD and Intel communities experience as a senior manager. She has held executive management, organizational management, business development, program management, transition management and technical management positions. Ms. Harrison has successfully founded three new companies, Athenyx (acquired December 2007), PTP (Leader in large storage solutions) and GEORGE STREET Services, Inc. (fast growing trusted partner within the Intel community).

Theresa's natural leadership ability has been demonstrated by a long history of building effective coalitions within her community. She is currently involved with the Theresa Harrison Group Foundation, President; BB&T Advisory Board; Frostburg State University Alumni Board; Department of Social Services Board; Frederick County Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc; R U Gonna Help Me? Board; Pay It Forward Board

George Davis

TEDCO

CEO

With over 30 years of management experience, having served in various C-level positions, including President and CEO of publicly traded companies, George offers a broad range of experience and business acumen. Over the course of his career Mr. Davis has helped secure over $1.5B in capital for several technology sector companies including leading several public offerings. He is recognized for his executive leadership abilities. From 1996 to 2003, he served as the President and Vice Chairman, and led the public offering of Aether Systems, an early pioneer of mobile and wireless data computing. In 2006, he became the CEO of Avatech Solutions, a publicly traded company specializing in Computer Aided Design Software sales and support and he led the merger of the company with Rand Worldwide in 2010, doubling the size of the business. Prior to his roles at Aether and Avatech, George was a director of enterprise management systems at Northrop Grumman Corporation and managed advanced military electronic development and production projects at Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

Tamar Osterman, MPA

MARYLAND DEPT OF COMMERCE

Senior Business Development Representative, Carroll and Frederick Counties

I represent MD Commerce, the state's economic development agency, in Frederick and Carroll counties. I work with businesses across industries, of all sizes, and in all stages of the business life cycle to connect them with state resources, develop business opportunities, and address their challenges.

Nick Damoulakis

Maryland's office of Orases

President

As president for Frederick, Maryland's office of Orases, Nick has the privilege of leading a diverse, smart and talented group of individuals across a variety of disciplines and clients ranging from NFL, MLB, Johns Hopkins University, Hershey and Walter Reed Hospital. A creative problem solver and strategic thinker, Nick has over 20 years of experience in the digital landscape. An active thought leader in the industry, Nick authored and created the Digital Framework, which is an interactive process of working with organizations to align values to their culture, leadership style and strategic thinking. Nick's enthusiasm for value-driven cultures earned Orases several awards including the Entrepreneur Magazine - 2015 Best Culture accolade.

Nick is also known for creating one of the most disruptive trends in online sheet music by creating the first ever community for learning to play guitar online. His product was covered in the New York Times and earned him a personal meeting with Harry Fox Agency, Sony and BMG.

With a zeal for success Nick has positioned himself as a leader in the Frederick community; serving as past president and treasurer of his church and also participating in several volunteer activities and community programs including the Forbes Tech Council, Rotary, Tech Frederick, Entrepreneurial Council, Vistage, Accelerent, Frederick Innovative Technology Center and the new Tech Incubator program in Downtown Frederick.

Nick holds a B.A. from Frostburg State University and a Master's in Information Technology from RIT. He holds concentrations in User Interface Design, Software Development and Project Management and was fortunate enough to study under some of the most innovative minds in the industry. He currently resides in a suburb of Frederick, not far from his favorite hiking trail on Sugarloaf Mountain. When Nick isn't working, playing guitar, fly-fishing or grilling with friends - he can be found spending quality time with his wife, son and daughter.

Board of Directors