Northeastern Maryland Tech Council stacked its board with tech leaders

The Northeastern Maryland Technology Council (NMTC) is adding five new board members to the organization to help shift the focus from STEM education to technology and business growth.
Meet the new board members:

• Todd Marks— CEO, founder and president of Mindgrub, the development and creative content firm headquartered in Locust Point
• Claudine Adams — President and CEO of Bravura Information Technology Systems, a computer integrated systems design business focused on government contracts
• Jill Charlton — Engineering leader at W.L. Gore and Associates/a>, a manufacturing company with more than 10,000 employees around the world
• Sid Hall — President of Fuse Engineering, a cyber security company in Anne Arundel County
• Jeffery Mims — Chief architect of Leidos, the IT company is ranked #381 on this years Forbes 500 list

The council covers a swath of territory that includes Delaware, Baltimore County and Aberdeen, Maryland. Executive Director John Casner said NMTC is a convergence of academic, military and business interests and organizations, with the board of directors reflecting each of those spheres. But the newest board members are firmly planted in the business world, which is a change from previous directors.
Casner said NMTC was an early champion of STEM education and earlier iterations of the board of directors were stacked with academics.
The focus came about with NMTC’s proximity to Aberdeen proving ground and seeing that STEM-based jobs were available but there often weren’t enough qualified applicants.
“It’s not only an economic necessity but also a national security issue,” Casner said. “We have an added responsibility since we have Aberdeen and Washington D.C. so close by.”
“We focus now on technology which has always been our core,” he said, adding that the business networks of the new board members will also go a long way to strengthening the organization. “We are fortunate to have them by our side as we strengthen our commitment to accelerating regional economic growth.”
Get to know the other board members here.
Casner said the council is still looking for two more people to join the current board of directors.