Power Moves: Coleadership is in at Common Future, Impact Hub Baltimore

Foxworth exits, launches a new company

Rodney Foxworth, CEO of Common Future, announced that he will step down from his position on June 15. He will remain on the Common Future board through 2023, according to a recent tweet. Foxworth will co-found a new company, Worthmore, alongside Caitlin Morelli. In a LinkedIn post, he expressed gratitude for the support received and pride in Common Future’s accomplishments during his tenure. Foxworth also mentioned his faith in new co-CEOs Jennifer Swayne Njuguna, Sandhya Nakhasi and Jessica Feingold.

In the LinkedIn post, Foxworth mentioned that he plans to take a summer sabbatical to rest, write and prepare for the official launch of Worthmore in the third quarter. He added that he’ll share more details about Worthmore in the upcoming weeks and months.

Impact Hub Baltimore leadership shifts

Impact Hub Baltimore, co-founded by Foxworth, Pres Adams and Michelle Geiss, is in the process of transitioning to a co-leadership model. After a period of independent leadership and staff changes, Impact Hub Baltimore will now be guided by a trio of directors, as stated by Geiss, the remaining co-founder, in an email. These co-directors will have shared accountability for each other, the organization’s well-being and the communities they serve. The organization plans to recruit new talent to join the team by mid-August, contributing to the shaping of Impact Hub’s future initiatives. All current staff members will be retained within the adapted structure. Geiss, as a co-founder and the current Executive Director, will assume the role of the Hub’s first network director once the new strategy and operations directors are hired. This all comes just months after the departure of Q Ragsdale who served the hub as its Acceleration Director.

Geiss has been leading the coworking space and entrepreneurship ecosystem builder since 2020 after Adams left both Baltimore and the role. Foxworth, a co-founder and former strategy advisor, was involved with Impact Hub Baltimore until 2017.

Learn more about the co-director roles

Mayor Scott designates a new procurement head

Mayor Brandon M. Scott has appointed Adam Manne as the new head of procurement for the city, aiming to modernize and streamline the purchasing process. With over a decade of experience and a proven track record of cost-cutting in the millions of dollars, Manne is expected to bring the procurement system into the 21st century.

“Mr. Manne will oversee all procurement for the City of Baltimore, including certain technology-related procurements,” the Mayor’s Office stated in an email to Technical.ly “It’s worth noting that public works and professional services have existing exceptions and are not part of the procurement process. Those exceptions remain.”

Manne will be responsible for managing the Bureau of Procurement, leading the Procurement Transformation project and using his previous successes in implementing cost-saving programs and new financial systems to drive efficiency and savings for the city. Manne was not immediately available for comment.

Baltimore biotech: still killing it

Sonavi Labs, a company from Baltimore, has been chosen to participate in MedTech Innovator’s prestigious medtech accelerator program for 2023. Among more than 1,150 applicants, Sonavi Labs was one of only 61 selected companies. During the four-month program, Sonavi Labs will get to access mentorship, networking prospects and increased exposure to prominent medtech manufacturers, providers and investors. The company specializes in the development of advanced digital devices that examine body sounds to identify respiratory abnormalities.

Here are some other regional power moves to note:

• Huntress, a cybersecurity company, has been honored with the 2023 Fortress Cyber Security Awards in the Threat Detection category, as announced in an emailed announcement. The awards program recognizes and celebrates companies and products that excel in safeguarding data and electronic assets in the face of increasing cyber threats. This recognition for Huntress follows their recent achievement of raising $60 million in Series C funding.
• Relevant to our art and technology denizens, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) has named Todd Yuhanick as the interim CEO. He will assume the role while the organization searches for a permanent leader to oversee the city’s primary arts and cultural presenting organization, film office and arts council. Artscape, produced by BOPA is seemingly back and applications are open for artists and technologists. All this transpired against the backdrop of city leadership reconsidering its sometimes-contentious relationship with the public-private arts office.

Learn more about Artscape + Apply