Maryland governor appoints CIO to combat child poverty

The year is wrapping up, but acquisitions and leadership changes aren’t stopping in the Baltimore region. 

Besides the election news from earlier in November, including Angela Alsobrooks’ historic win for Maryland’s open US Senate seat, the area has had a busy fall. Maryland hired a chief innovation officer, a local university is calling for applications to a few entrepreneurship programs and the private sector boasts some new executives. 

Keep reading to get the details on those and more Power Moves in and around Baltimore. Before that, check out the top 10 desirable skills for tech jobs right now. 

Maryland names new CIO, with Bloomberg Philanthropies’ backing

Gov. Wes Moore recently tapped Francesca Ioffreda as chief innovation officer for the state. 

In this role, she will help different state agencies find and test solutions to alleviate child poverty, as well as lead a seven-person innovation team. The new group is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies through a partnership announced over the summer. 

“Francesca Ioffreda’s experience developing collaborative, data-driven solutions to big problems makes her the right choice to lead Maryland’s ambitious innovation agenda,” said Moore in a press release. “She is widely recognized as a leader with a record of delivering results that make life better in our communities. I thank her for raising her hand to serve.”

Ioffreda previously founded the consulting firm Breakthrough Strategy Partners. She also worked as the vice president for inclusive growth and talent initiatives at the Greater Washington Partnership. 

Opportunities for entrepreneurs through bwtech@UMBC 

Founders trying to make their own moves can apply for a couple of programs out of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). 

Applications for the Maryland NEW VENTURE Program, an initiative based out of the bwtech@UMBC research park in Catonsville, are due Dec. 4. The 12-week program is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs trying to develop their business pitch. Founders will work alongside a mentor and graduate students at UMBC to refine the business model and concept through a mix of in-person and virtual programming.   

There’s also the Maryland Startup Accelerator, which aims to help entrepreneurs draft investment strategies and plans to scale. Applications for the 14-week virtual accelerator, which bwtech@UMBC produces in collaboration with Startup Grind Maryland, must be submitted by Dec. 13. 

Both programs are specifically for Maryland-headquartered businesses. 

GreenLight Fund taps Baltimore executive director 

The national nonprofit funder headquartered in Boston appointed a new leader for its Baltimore branch. 

Nia Imani Fields will work with the GreenLight Fund’s two portfolio organizations, ParentChild+ and Point Source Youth, as well as find other nonprofits addressing such needs as economic mobility. One new organization or program will be selected per year to receive funding, logistical support and assistance in forming strategic partnerships. Fields will oversee that whole process. 

The Morgan State University alum worked at Civic Works in Baltimore as an AmeriCorps after-school program supervisor while attending college. 

“My true purpose in life is to increase networks and expand access for youth and young adults — particularly those excluded from opportunities to thrive,” Fields said in a press release. “Morgan State University and Baltimore helped to shape me into the woman I am today and I’m excited to focus in on Baltimore where my career began over twenty years ago.”

More leadership moves

• Loyola University Maryland’s Simon Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship appointed three new members to its advisory board. They include Gillet Boyce, founder of the golf cart parts and accessories company Red Hawk; Mark Eber, creator of the marketing communications agency Imre; and Shannan Herbert, CEO of the Washington Area Community Investment Fund. 
• Mayor Brandon Scott swore in nine members of the recently established Community Reinvestment and Reparations Commission, the Afro reported. The commission was formed alongside a fund following the legalization of recreational adult-use cannabis. State revenue generated by cannabis sales is used to create resources and programming for low-income groups and those who were impacted by the criminalization of cannabis in the state.
• Evan Beck, an associate portfolio manager for Brown Advisory, qualified for the US Open, the Baltimore Business Journal reported. 
• EcoMap Technologies hired a vice president of customer experience. Danai Malianga-Torrence will oversee customer service and support for the software company, which tracks and plots resources, jobs and other data in local ecosystems. 
• State of Maryland-founded TEDCO went international, with its CEO Troy LeMaile-Stovall speaking at several events in North Macedonia in mid-November. 
• The Bank of Glen Burnie expanded its business banking leadership team. Jonathan Shearin was named director of commercial banking and Ed Abedi became vice president of cash management.
• The Baltimore Business Journal appointed Jessica Iannetta the newsroom’s new editor-in-chief. 
• New York’s Citrin Cooperman acquired the Baltimore consulting and CPA firm Clearview Group. Leaders at Citrin Cooperman cited that this move will establish a stronger presence in the Mid-Atlantic, per a press release. 
• Kelly Benefits, a benefits administration and technology provider and consulting firm in Sparks, Maryland, acquired a similar company in Pennsylvania.