Maryland institutions are calling on new leadership to drive innovation in emerging technologies and growth industries.
The University of Baltimore appointed the advisory board chair for its new Center for AI Learning and Community-Engaged Innovation (CAILI), while the Maryland Tech Council launched the Data Center Alliance to study the impact of AI-driven data center growth and educate residents about the industry’s potential.
Meanwhile, Morgan State University continues to recruit leading talent as it advances toward R1 “high research” classification status.
Check out all the details and more power moves below the chart, where we look at the top 10 desirable skills for tech jobs right now — jobs like those held by, say, our first-ever Maryland RealLIST Innovators — and how many postings request each skill.
Maryland Tech Council launches Data Center Alliance
The statewide tech industry booster’s new coalition aims to educate Maryland residents about the economic potential of the data center industry.
Julie Oberg, director of economic development for Calvert County, and Dusty Rood, president and CEO of Rodgers Consulting, will serve as co-chairs for the group.
The alliance will try to influence public policy, provide guidance to stakeholders, and respond to community questions about data center construction and operations. Rood highlighted the need to leverage the opportunities presented by the industry’s growth.
“The development of data centers is not a matter of if, but where and how,” Rood told Technical.ly over email. “Communities that choose to proactively plan for, embrace, and accommodate this inevitable growth will position themselves for decades of economic prosperity, vitality and resilience in the digital age.”
The chairs’ first priority is to establish a steering committee composed of experts representing both business and community interests.
“This group will be charged with gathering information, facilitating collaboration across the State including the data center industry and ensuring that Maryland’s policies and strategies reflect both industry needs and community priorities,” Oberg said.
UBalt appoints advisory board chair for new AI center
The University of Baltimore (UBalt) named Amen Ra Mashariki to lead the advisory board of its new AI center. CAILI is designed to make AI more accessible to Baltimore residents, with a focus on practical applications rather than academic research.
Mashariki is also the director of AI and data strategies at the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion initiative launched by Jeff Bezos to support climate research and solutions. Mashariki guides funding and investment strategies aimed at using AI to tackle environmental issues.
He previously worked in local government as New York City’s first chief analytics officer, leading the Office of Data Analytics under Mayor Bill de Blasio. Mashariki recently came to Baltimore to discuss the ramifications of AI development for Black communities with “No Pix After Dark” host Aaron Dante during the CIAA’s Tech Summit House.
Now, Mashariki wants to ensure that Baltimoreans are actively involved in the development of new technologies that impact their communities.
“Communities like Baltimore must help design, test and govern the AI that will shape their daily lives,” Mashariki told Technical.ly over email. “UBalt — and CAILI in particular — are well positioned to lead this work nationally, and I want to help accelerate that.”
He envisions the center offering workshops to introduce residents to AI and its potential, while also collaborating with neighborhood groups on community-driven projects.
Morgan State hosts new endowed professor in brain science
Walter Royal III will serve as the inaugural endowed professor in brain science and director of the Center for Brain Health Research at Morgan State University.
In this role, Royal will guide the center’s neuroscience initiatives and direct research that brings together faculty and students across disciplines. His position is supported through the Maryland Department of Commerce’s E-Nnovation Initiative, with matching funds from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
The center focuses on studying brain disorders that disproportionately affect people of African ancestry and other underrepresented groups, while training the next generation of neuroscience researchers.
“Advances in neuroscience have deepened our understanding of brain disorders, especially their impact on historically marginalized communities,” Royal said in a press release. “At the Brain Health Center, we are committed to applying that knowledge and, through collaborative research and innovation, developing strategies to improve brain health across our region and beyond.”
A Baltimore native, Royal boasts more than 30 years of experience working in medicine. He previously led the Neuroscience Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine and held roles at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland and the Veterans Administration, per Morgan State’s announcement.
More Power Moves
- Tenable, a Columbia-based exposure management company, announced Matthew Brown as its new CFO.
- Fulton-based Quality Associates Inc. has formed a strategic partnership with Creekside Digital to offer digitization solutions for federal records.
- CEO Stan Oliver of Camelot Secure, a Columbia-based cybersecurity company, was named an influential Marylander by The Daily Record in the technology category.
- Dragos, a Hanover-based cybersecurity company, hired Eric Cross as its new chief revenue officer.
- Columbia-based holdings company Ames Watson has acquired the business operations, intellectual property and a large number of stores from Claire’s, the teen accessories retailer that recently filed for its second bankruptcy.
- The University System of Maryland named Timothy Minor as the vice president for advancement to find new fundraising pathways amid federal cuts.
