Power Moves: Wes Moore joins the board at Under Armour

Power Moves is a column where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, new gig or promotion? Tell us: baltimore@technical.ly.

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1. Wes Moore is joining Under Armour’s board of directors.

The author and Robin Hood Foundation CEO, 41, will join the Tide Point-based apparel company’s board on October 1.  A sought-after voice in business and civic conversations in Baltimore, Moore came to national prominence as an author of books like “The Other Wes Moore” and TV stints with the Oprah Winfrey Network and PBS. Before joining Robin Hood, which is a New York-based philanthropy favored by Wall Street, in 2017, Moore founded BridgeEdu, a tech and coaching platform for first generation and low-income college students that was acquired by Edquity in 2019.

“As we continue to integrate purpose into every aspect of our business, I am thrilled to partner with Wes to help guide the future of our brand, bring new communities into our UA family, and elevate our values to a global audience,” Kevin Plank, Under Armour’s executive chairman, said in a statement. “Wes is a strategic thinker and dynamic leader whose unique expertise at the cutting-edge of finance, technology, and philanthropy will prove invaluable for Under Armour.”

Moore joins the board amid calls for racial equity at all levels in the wake of a string of police killing Black people across the nation this summer. Elevating Black leadership on boards and leadership teams have been among the areas of focus in corporate America, and Moore has been a voice for systemic change. It’s also a time of shifts within Under Armour has it seeks to regain its business footing amid the pandemic-caused economic downturn. Like other companies, UA has had to layoff workers and temporarily close retail outlets.

.@UnderArmour has an important role to play in the future of #Baltimore and beyond. I’m excited to join the board and help grow and guide the future of this company that means so much to so many. There’s a lot of work to do and I’m eager to get going. https://t.co/wqpNXMFJvU

— Gov. Wes Moore (@iamwesmoore) September 3, 2020

 

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2. Coming off a run for mayor of Baltimore, Mary Miller will take a role at Johns Hopkins University this fall as interim senior VP for finance and administration.

Miller is stepping in as Daniel Ennis, who has served in the job that oversees the Baltimore university’s budget, investments and administration since 2012, is heading to a new role at Duke University. Tapping Miller will help ensure a “seamless transition,” JHU said.

“Bringing with her vast experience in government, finance and higher education, Mary will be joining Johns Hopkins at an important moment of transition, and I know she will make invaluable contributions to our university in this role,” JHU President Ronald Daniels wrote in a message to the Hopkins community, per the JHU Hub.

Miller has prior experience with Hopkins, having served since 2017 as a senior fellow in the university’s 21st Century Cities Initiative, where she spearheaded reports that made recommendations on financing the city’s early-stage businesses. Miller previously served in the U.S. Treasury Department during the Obama administration. Prior to that role, she served in leadership roles over 26 years at Baltimore-based investment management firm T. Rowe Price.

Miller touted this mix of management, investment and policy experience in Democratic primary for mayor this spring, ultimately finishing third as City Council President Brandon Scott became the nominee who advanced to November’s general election.

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3. Baltimore entrepreneurship leader and connector Neil Davis is joining the graduate school faculty at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, this fall.

Davis was recently appointed as director of the newly-created post-baccalaureate certificate program in scientific and medical entrepreneurship. He will hold the title of lecturer in the graduate school.

“Neil Davis’ expertise has been a key factor in the growth of the innovation ecosystem in Maryland. Adding him to the UMB team is a huge leap forward for our program,” Jim Kucher, director of UMB’s health and social innovation program, said in a statement.

A former director of operations at prominent Baltimore incubator ETC who has worked with many entrepreneurs, Davis is a familiar face at shared office spaces and tech events around the region, when such in-person gatherings can take place. He most recently served as director of entrepreneurial initiatives at TEDCO, the state-backed agency that supports early-stage companies, where he created programs to support startups and served as a liaison with incubators around Maryland.

4. b.well Connected Health named Dunnie Norman as chief revenue officer.

Bringing 20 years of healthcare business experience, Norman was an early sales leader at EHR company Allscripts, and most recently served as SVP of of sales and marketing at patient monitoring startup Vivify Health ahead of its acquisition last year by UnitedHealthGroup.

“We are delighted to welcome Dunnie, an experienced, high-caliber sales leader with a proven track record for growing revenue as well as building and coaching world-class sales teams,” said b.well CEO Kristen Valdes.

The company, which is based at the UMB’s southwest Baltimore space The GRID, raised $16 million in a Series B round in March, and is seeing more interest with the pandemic’s increased digital health adoption.

 

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5. In leadership news from Carroll County, consultant and entrepreneur Jennifer Yang is joining the board of directors at the Westminster-based Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC).

The organization seeks to spur business and tech growth around the town’s municipal fiber network.

“Jennifer is the perfect example of a successful professional who has been drawn to Westminster by all the exciting opportunities that are developing here,” Magic Executive Director Graham Dodge said in a statement. “Her background in technology and management consulting are why we recruited her, but her passion for entrepreneurship and making Westminster her home is why she joined.”

The MIT and Johns Hopkins grad previously worked at Battle Resource Management, Inc. as it built up a contractor reputation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before leaving in 2016 to start Westminster-based Inflexion, LLC. She is also working on a nano-distillery concept for Westminster called Covalent Spirits.

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6. The 2020 finalists for EY Entrepreneur of the Year are out for the Mid-Atlantic.

Baltimore is represented by a handful of entrants. The winner will be named at a virtual gala in October.

• Nick Culbertson, the CEO of Fells Point-based healthcare analytics company Protenus
• Mick Arnold, founder of West Baltimore-based Arnold Packaging, a packaging company that has embraced working with tech companies.
• Dan Chard, CEO of Harbor East-based nutrition and weight loss company Medifast 
• James Foster, CEO of Federal Hill-based cybersecurity company ZeroFOX
• Chris Ripley, CEO of Hunt Valley-based media company Sinclair Broadcast Group
• Geoff Turner, CEO of South Baltimore-based third party logistics company Choptank Transport

The face of a winner: #unstoppable #entrepreneur @nculber: Protenus CEO is named a finalist for the @EY Entrepreneur of the Year Mid-Atlantic Awards.https://t.co/1szXK6PVnn pic.twitter.com/CZUxH4etWY

— Protenus (@Protenus) September 1, 2020