20 Baltimore tech and entrepreneurship leaders offer New Year’s resolutions for 2022

Hello, 2022.

It’s Q1. Time to start anew.

With the fresh start comes a chance to put forward your hopes and goals for the year ahead. It’s a chance to reframe what didn’t get done in 2021, or get going on a project you’ve always wanted to tackle.

With that in mind, we asked Baltimore tech and innovation leaders to share their resolutions. Responses ranged from the personal to the professional. Others are setting out to give back.

Take a look:

Wendy Bolger, director, Loyola University Maryland Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Keep practicing authenticity. Being authentic unlocks so much richness in conversation, connections, even in strategic discussions — why waste time not being real? Not everyone is ready to hear real talk, however, so I want to continue to practice to communicate well and bring self-awareness to every interaction.

Liz Burger, senior director for strategic initiatives, Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures

Our goal at JHTV is to use every presentation as an opportunity to compel people to care about and support the high-impact work we do. We want our team members to leverage storytelling and other best practices in presentation-making to captivate our audiences and stand out amid information overload (and Zoom fatigue).

Pothik Chatterjee, AVP of innovation, LifeBridge Health

At a personal level, my resolution is to prioritize my mental health and wellness. I will continue to prioritize my time for meditation, yoga, journaling and self-reflection, as we continue to go through stressful and anxiety-filled times with the pandemic into 2022. One of our 1501 Health startups, WellSet, a marketplace for holistic wellness providers like acupuncture, yoga and nutrition coaching, offers classes for breath work and meditation that can provide much needed balance during the holidays and the start of the new year.

At a system level, my resolution is to prioritize addressing the mental health crisis faced by healthcare providers two years into the pandemic. Burnout is a major concern for healthcare providers, with nearly 50% reporting burnout, according to AMA in 2020. Stress scores were highest among nursing assistants, medical assistants, social workers and inpatient workers such as nurses and respiratory therapists – as well as among women, Black and Latinx health care workers. Even Health, one of our 1501 Health startups based in Maryland, offers mental health support for healthcare employees, through their flagship product, Cabana. My resolution is to launch our Cabana pilot at LifeBridge Health for our healthcare providers and help champion the growth of Even Health with health systems in our region and scale across the nation.

Stephanie Chin, Hutch program manager, Fearless

Our hope for 2022 is to be able to expand Hutch to include programs and opportunities that more entrepreneurs can leverage outside of our existing two-year digital services incubator.

Dianne Conley, COO, Code in the Schools

Get hip to all the great talent that came out of Odell’s in the ’70s and ’80s.

Tasha Cornish, executive director, Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc.

My 2022 resolutions include looking for inspiration in unexpected places and challenging myself to find the fun in being wrong.

John Foster, COO, Fearless

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward” — Martin Luther King Jr. 

Will Gee, CEO, Balti Virtual

I just finished Amanda Ripley’s “High Conflict,” and so I’m trying to find more opportunities to be curious, especially during disagreements.

Michelle Geiss, executive director, Impact Hub Baltimore

In 2022, I resolve to prioritize work-life balance, invest in the leadership of our amazing team, and find joy and possibility in speaking truth to power.

Koffi Harrison, president, UpLight

My New Year’s resolution is to have a great day on purpose. I want to be intentional with the understanding that every day I wake up is a blessing. It’s a new day to grow, positively impact anyone I come into contact with (even if that is putting a smile on their face or just acknowledging them with a hello), and continue going after my dreams without fear because if I fail, it will be fast and forward.

Tonee Lawson, executive director, The Be. Org

My New Year’s resolution professionally is to fully embrace my new team and keep establishing our culture. Listen more, talk less, and allow my team’s talents to shine through. Personally, my resolution is to continue to over indulge in self care, embracing a life of ease and wellness. Hustle culture is canceled.

Dr. Tammira Lucas, cofounder, The Cube Cowork and Moms as Entrepreneurs

My New Year’s resolution is to continue to invest just as much time in my family that I do in my business!

Todd Marks, CEO, Mindgrub

I want to help make life fair for everyone.  I am creating new community software codenamed the GRID, for Graphical Resources Investment Directive. It will allow communities to use data to visualize their broad needs and includes tools for them to organize as a community to set the direction for future investments.

Ken Malone, executive officer, Early Charm

To help at least 50 underrepresented entrepreneurs and social enterprises in Baltimore to raise funding.

Ed Mullin, CIO, Think Systems, and executive director, Baltimore City Robotics Center

To bring back the GBTC. It will be through a sub-chapter of the Maryland Tech Council called the BRTC. Just wait and see. It’s gonna be awesome.

Eliot Pearson, chief strategy officer, partnerships, Catalyte

My New Year’s resolution is to gain a greater understanding of what problems the businesses in Maryland are solving. In the past, I focused on Baltimore. Next year, I’m going to make an effort to learn more about businesses across Maryland.

Joe Mechlinski, CEO, SHIFT

Lean more into trusting myself, the process, the journey, and the results.

Sean Sutherland, director of accounts, Kapowza

Eat more protein shakes, consistently. Finish reading the “Dune” series.

Maggie Terhune, community manager, Spark Baltimore

Invest more in both PDs: professional development and personal development.

Jessica Watson, CEO, Points North Studio and Baltimore Womxn in Tech cofounder

In March 2020, I was boarding one of the last flights out of Lisbon, Portugal, homeward-bound to an uncertain America on the brink of a global pandemic. Portugal is one of my favorite remote work destinations, and my trip was ending abruptly. As we approach the two-year anniversary of that event, I’m starting to see some patterns in this pandemic world. Specifically, when cases are likely to spike, and the burnout feeling that comes from the blurred lines of work and home life. My New Year’s resolution is to re-establish healthy boundaries with work and to see if I can safely work remotely abroad again. My best life has always included Baltimore and a blend of several cultures and countries.