Power Moves: Ebony Lee joins 2U, Hawkeye 360 gets a new CIO

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? Email dc@technical.ly and let us know.

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Ebony Lee, former SVP of strategic development at Comcast Cable Communications Inc., has joined the 2U Inc. leadership team as the company’s managing director for graduate programs.

We’re elated to welcome Ebony Lee to our sr. leadership team as managing director for graduate programs! With nearly 2 decades of operations & strategy experience, she will help enhance & strengthen our portfolio of graduate program offerings. https://t.co/yAMB91u9e9 #NoBackRow pic.twitter.com/vKftj4JCds

— 2U (@2Uinc) June 3, 2019

Reporting directly to the COO in this new role, Lee will oversee the execution and growth of the graduate program business, including future product innovations and customer experience enhancements for both students and university partners, a press release states. Lee worked with Comcast for a little over 11 years, where she worked with the company’s growth and innovation teams, as well as strategic partnerships.

“I’m thrilled to bring my nearly two decades of operations and strategy experience—as well as my personal passion for education—to 2U’s leadership team and to a company that is harnessing technology to expand access and positively transform lives,” Lee said in a statement.

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Chris Herndon has joined Hawkeye 360 as CIO. Previously, Herndon served under President Donald Trump as the White House deputy assistant to the president and the director of White House information technology. He brings more than 30 years of experience in building advanced information technology systems to the radio frequency data analytics startup. The Herndon, Va.-based company recently launched its first product in April: RFGeo, a radio frequency signal mapping tool.

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Following closing a $5.8 million Series A funding round, Alexandria, Va.-based Amify has added three members to its board of directors. The startup provides tech and services designed to help small businesses and brands maximize their selling potential on the Amazon Marketplace. Here’s the company’s board additions (with descriptions provided by Amify via email):

• Blair Garrou, cofounder and managing director of Mercury Fund, the largest early-stage venture capital firm in Texas.
• Mark Hasebroock, founder and principal at Dundee Venture Capital and former founder of ecommerce site Hayneedle, acquired by Jet.com in 2016.
• Kurt Abrahamson, chairman at ShareThis and former sales lead behind the launch of Google AdSense.

“Our new board members bring the experience and expertise we need to enable brands to realize the full potential of their Amazon presence,” Ethan McAfee, president and founder of Amify, said in a press release. “Retailers and brands need expert guidance to navigate the Amazon environment, particularly as Amazon continues to make dramatic changes to the seller experience. Our new board members enable us to scale our expertise at a crucial time for brands.”

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Arlington, Va.-based Marymount University has appointed Jonathan Aberman as interim dean of its School of Business and Technology.

We welcome ⁦@jaberman⁩ to our ⁦@marymountu⁩ team! https://t.co/t0VwoWCrqU

— President Irma Becerra (@DrIrmaBecerra) May 30, 2019

The prominent #dctech leader is managing director at Amplifier Advisors, a consulting firms specializing in innovation and entrepreneurship. This isn’t Aberman’s first educational leadership role since he has also been lecturing on entrepreneurship, strategy, family business growth and corporate finance at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business for more than 10 years.

“We are very excited to have Jonathan join us as interim dean and we look forward to combining his experience and passion for education, entrepreneurship and innovation with the solid foundation we have already built, Marymount’s president Dr. Irma Becerra said in a statement. 

Among his list of accolades, after Aberman noticed an accelerator problem in D.C., he founded his own called the Tandem Product Academy, a free academy focused on supporting emerging tech businesses.

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Last month, GoCanvas appointed Nicholas Mirisis as its new CMO. This news comes after the Reston, Va.-based mobile business app was acquired by California-based K1 Investment Management in February. Mirisis joins the team with over 20 years of experience in marketing and growth strategies. He previously led the marketing team for SaaS-based company Dude Solutions in North Carolina.

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Reston, Va.-based Babel Street, a data-to-knowledge platform company, has hired Dave Dillow as its director of publicly available information (PAI) programs. Dillow comes with 20 years of experience after serving in various U.S. Department of Defense roles and the U.S. Air Force. Dillow will use his experience to cultivate engagements across the Department of Defense.

“I am excited to join the great tribe at Babel Street that is on the cutting edge of advances in technology, big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning during this exciting time in the PAI realm. And Babel Street affords me the opportunity to continue to serve the mission,” Dillow said in a statement.