UMD taps Ken Ulman to bring more innovation to College Park

Can College Park become a startup hub?
University of Maryland President Wallace Loh thinks so, and he’s tapping one of the Maryland Democratic Party’s rising stars to figure it out.
Ken Ulman, who recently lost a bid to become lieutenant governor alongside Anthony Brown, is taking on the University of Maryland as the first client of his consultant firm, Margrave Strategies.

In office, the former Howard County Executive built a reputation as a tech booster.

Ulman recently ended a two-term tenure as Howard County Executive. In his role as a consultant to the administration in College Park, the 40-year-old will be tasked with “enhancing the University of Maryland’s role as a catalyst for the innovation economy in the state of Maryland.”
Specifically, he’ll work to foster investment from startups, incubators and bringing in new investment at the University Research Park. There’s already $1 billion invested in construction around College Park, and the administration has visions of turning the Route 1 corridor into a “vibrant college and commercial community,” according to the university.
In his role as Howard County’s top administrator, Ulman gained a reputation as a proponent of technology and entrepreneurship. On his watch, the County formed a partnership with Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab (which was recently in the news due to forthcoming Pluto pics), and saw the opening of the Conscious Venture Lab incubator for social enterprise-oriented startups and a 3D printing lab in Columbia, too.
Formally, Ulman’s firm is under contract with the University of Maryland College Park Foundation. The University of Maryland is Ulman’s first client, but Margrave Strategies is looking to offer strategic planning services to public and private clients throughout the mid-Atlantic.