Henry Ahn joined the U.S. National Science Foundation as an SBIR/STTR program director in 2016. Prior to joining NSF, Henry managed seed and early stage investment programs for TEDCO for 12 years including the Technology Commercialization Fund, its flagship seed funding program for technology-based companies in Maryland. During his time at TEDCO, Henry mentored numerous entrepreneurs and was a guest speaker at entrepreneur support groups. He also served as an advisory board member and a judge.
As TEDCO’s Chief Investment Officer, Jack stewards TEDCO’s diligence and investment processes, leads the Social Impact, Seed and Venture Funds and investment portfolios to maximize the financial return, and ensures a lasting impact for the State of Maryland. He reports to the CEO providing insight to advance TEDCO’s investment activities, leads investment teams, completes all investment transactions, effectively maintains portfolio development and ensures compliance with all investment policies and guidelines.
Jack’s most recent leadership position was at Cleveland Clinic Ventures as Managing Director where he spearheaded the development of a new corporate venture team for investing in internal startups and external early-stage companies while managing these companies with appropriate governance and oversight. Jack also deployed a robust investment process to co-invest in companies that were strategic to the Clinic.
Olessia Smotrova has 27 years of experience in business development having won more than $22B throughout her career. She is the author of eight books and manuals and provided training to Treasury and NASA. She has been the main instructor of the TEDCO SBIR/STTR Proposal Lab since 2018 and is recognized as an APMP Fellow for her contributions to the field of capture and proposals – the highest honor in the business development profession. Prior to supporting hundreds of businesses as a proposal consultant and growing OST, she developed business for Raytheon and Lockheed Martin and wrote for the Financial Times of London.
Lora Brown is the Director of Maryland Small Business Programs and State Director of the Maryland Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC). As the Director, she oversees multiple federal programs hosted at the University of Maryland, including APEX Accelerators, Mid-Atlantic Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC), and the Maryland Business Opportunities Center (MBOC). Received her B.A. in English, cum laude, from Howard University, J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and M.B.A. in Finance from New York University. Lora Brown is also an adjunct professor at Prince Georges Community college and she participates in various civic groups in Prince George’s County and the Washington DC area where she currently resides. Ms. Brown is a very active member of Metropolitan Baptist Church, where she serves on the Trustee Board, and she is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
LaToya C. Staten (la-toy-a stay-ten) is a skilled connector who strategically helps others navigate the complexities of building inclusive ecosystems and a dynamic strategist collaborating with organizations to identify and implement impactful initiatives.
At Fearless Institute, LaToya spearheads numerous initiatives aimed at supporting historically marginalized talent and founders. She is also the co-chair of the Baltimore Tech Hub Consortium, a regional innovation project focused on Biotech, Manufacturing and AI in the greater Baltimore region. LaToya is equipped with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Michigan State University. She has earned certificates in various tech domains, including Black Tech Ecosystem Investments, Technology Entrepreneurship, Cybersecurity for Leaders, Small Business Consulting, and I.T. programs.
Dr. Hanley is the Chief and Director of the Cellular Therapy Program and an associate professor of pediatrics at Children’s National Hospital and the George Washington University, respectively. He oversees processing for standard of care stem cell transplantation as well as the development, manufacture, quality, and testing of novel cell and gene therapies. Over the past 17 years he has helped to translate more than 600 products on over 25 cell therapy protocols – ranging from mesenchymal stromal cells to cord blood virus-specific T cells and tumor-associated antigen specific T cells – into the clinic.
Dr. Hanley was elected VP-North America of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT) where he also serves on the board of directors, co-founded and served as the inaugural co-chair of the Early Stage Professionals committee which focuses on workforce development, and is the commissioning editor of the society’s journal, Cytotherapy. Representing ISCT, he serves on the Regenerative Medicine Forum of the National Academies where he co-leads the workforce working group. He also serves on the board of directors of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) and is a FACT representative at the Cell Therapy Liaison Meeting, serving as a thought leader in a forum with the FDA. Dr Hanley also serves as an advisor for a number of cell and gene therapy biotech companies. In his free time he enjoys tweeting with fellow scientists and Bills fans, playing soccer, cycling, cooking, and traveling.
Dr. Heidaran has over 30 years of experience spanning regulatory compliance, biomanufacturing, and product development in the field of cell and gene therapy. He currently serves as the Chief Regulatory Scientist at Cellx Inc. and has previously held significant roles, such as Head of Translational and Regulatory Strategy at GC Therapeutics (GCTx). Dr. Heidaran’s expertise is built upon his extensive career at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) where he spent over 9 years working in product and compliance offices, as well as his tenure as VP of Technical at Parexel International, a large CRO. In addition, he has held leadership roles in research and product development within major biotech companies like Celgene, BD, and the Johnson & Johnson family, giving him a deep understanding of scalable CAMP-compliant biomanufacturing of cell and gene therapy products.
His academic foundation includes a Ph.D. in biochemistry with a focus on molecular and cellular biology from the University of South Carolina. Dr. Heidaran has been instrumental in founding the Gordon Research Conference on Synthetic Biology and has contributed to scientific knowledge with more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, 25 issued patents, and 54 pending patents. He serves on prestigious committees, such as the International Society of Cell Therapy Legal and Regulatory Affairs Committee and the United States Pharmacopeia Bio5 Expert Committee.
Mr. Datlof has commercialized biomedical and IT technologies in the university, nonprofit, industry, and government sectors. He was COO of an immune tolerance company, VP Business Development of a pathogen diagnostics company, and invented the first XML-based search engine for licensable technologies. He previously was the American Red Cross Director of Patents and Licensing and founded the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Office of Technology Transfer. He presents on many T2 topics, including technology transfer espionage, biotech branding, AI and knowledge management solutions for startups and tech transfer offices, software commercialization, government trademark licensing, technology transfer ethics, and FDA Priority Review Vouchers.
Brock Reeve is CEO and Co-founder of Eos BioInnovation, an investment company focused on incubating and launching companies in the regenerative medicine field. From 2006-2022, Brock was the Executive Director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, a research center that grew to over 370 faculty spanning the schools of Harvard University and its affiliated hospitals and research institutions. Brock’s prior experience was in the commercial sector in both management consulting and operations for technology-based companies, with a focus on life sciences. Brock is on the Board of Directors of Axonis Therapeutics, HDAX Therapeutics, Regatta Bio, and Thrive Bioscience.
Over his 35-year career, Tom’s projects exceed $10 billion in value, to include the 2005 BRAC win for the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground; numerous headquarter, research lab and industrial projects for major public/private clients; and launching the University System of Maryland’s $10 million Maryland Momentum Venture Fund.
In 2024, Tom led MEDCO to its most productive year, issuing more than $1 billion in revenue bond financing for statewide projects. His work at MEDCO is focused on providing public/private partnership solutions to fuel business expansion and investment– growth that creates jobs, innovation activity, and inspires equitable and inclusive economic development.
Karen Zuccardi is the Ecosystem Director at TEDCO, where she drives innovation and inclusive economic growth in Maryland’s tech ecosystem. She oversees programs that help entrepreneurs and ESOs grow and thrive. Karen also provides strategic guidance, mentorship, and pre-seed funding to early-stage startups, with a focus on building an inclusive tech ecosystem. Bilingual in English and Spanish, she is passionate about sustainable development and has a track record of building partnerships that deliver impactful results. Karen is committed to fostering an environment where innovative ideas contribute to Maryland’s long-term economic success.
Alex Choi is Executive Director of Government Program Development, Affairs, & Research for TEDCO. As a seasoned public policy and communications professional with background working with Federal, State, and Local Governments in a variety of policy arenas, he has deep experience with distilling complex issues into clear, effective, and compelling narratives that inform strategies toward implementing practical solutions to emerging issues. In his current role at TEDCO, he applies a first principles approach to understanding and advocating for public policy objectives to grow Maryland’s tech-based ecosystem, promoting improved efficiency through technology and innovation.
Gregg Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of the Technology Advancement Center, where he leads efforts to support the Department of Defense in cybersecurity through workforce development, innovation, and tech scouting. Previously, he served as CEO of Attila Security and Archon Secure, both focused on DOD cybersecurity. Smith has also led three other cybersecurity firms: Silent Circle, Optio Labs, and Koolspan. Before his cybersecurity career, he was CEO of Acuity Mobile, Senior Vice President at Telecommunications Systems (NASDAQ: TSYS), and President of Aether Systems (NASDAQ: AETH).
Griffin St Louis is the Senior Program Manager of the Maryland Innovation Initiative at TEDCO where he oversees a funding program that drives the commercialization of early-stage technologies from Maryland universities. Managing upwards of $10 million portfolio across 40 projects annually, Griffin leads application reviews, provides strategic recommendations to the MII Board, and supports awardees by connecting them with resources and mentors. An advocate for innovation and entrepreneurship as drivers of regional economic growth, Griffin is educated to the master’s level in business administration with a focus on economic development and holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a minor degree in marketing.
Roger Austin is the Director of Risk and Security for BCG Federal Corp. where he helps the company address its priority cyber, financial and reputational risks. Previously, Roger was a Special Advisor at the FBI for eleven years, where he co-led a Director-selected team focused on assessing the risks and opportunities associated with the evolving digital environment. During his time at the FBI, Roger completed a joint duty assignment at NSA and participated in an ODNI issues study on advanced analytics, the Internet of Things, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Roger holds an MBA from Duke University and a BA from Cornell University.