Ruth's Chris Luncheon: Economic Development

Join us for a Lunch & Learn
with special speakers 

Michele Whelley President & CEO 
Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore

Will Anderson, Director of Baltimore
County Economic & Workforce Development

Lawrence F. Twele, CEO
Howard County Economic Development Authority

Wednesday, February 19, 2020
11 AM - 1 PM
Ruth's Chris Steak House 
1777 Reisterstown Road
Pikesville, MD 21208

Member Price:: $79 

About the speakers:

Michele L. Whelley, President & CEO, is an economic development professional who is well-known throughout the region’s business community. Whelley brings new energy and focus to marketing the region, ensuring that EAGB will continue to strengthen its marketing platform as a critical component of fostering and supporting a vibrant and growing economy throughout the Greater Baltimore region.  
 
Whelley’s diverse career as an economic development leader includes serving as the CEO of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, as the founding CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of New Haven, CEO of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and executive vice-president of the Baltimore Development Corporation.  Additionally, she has provided consulting services for Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, several private sector development companies and staffed an economic development practice at Colliers Pinkard, a real estate brokerage company. More recently, Whelley has provided a full range of economic development consulting services to organizations including Howard Hughes Corporation, Baltimore Integration Partnership, Southern Management Corporation, Network Rail Consulting, Inc., and Betamore.  
 
Whelley received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the University of Maryland. She then attended the University of Maryland School of Law where she received her Juris Doctor. She sits on the board of directors for The Hippodrome Foundation, Baltimore Design School and Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.

An executive who thrives in complexity, Will leads teams in corporate, small business, public sector and non-profit organizations. Sales & marketing, technology, government, economic development, community and public relations. Will proudly serves on numerous boards and is personally committed to civic engagement around Baltimore.

Since 2013, Will has lead Baltimore County's team of economic development, workforce and tourism professionals ... collectively serving 830,000 county residents and over 20,000 diverse employers. Will is responsible for a budget of $8.4 million and staff of 60, across 3 business units.

Will's largest success to date is serving as the lead public-sector executive coordinating the redevelopment of Tradepoint Atlantic, the largest multi-modal project in North America (delivering $3 billion economic impact and 17,000 jobs). Other notable accomplishments include landing major headquarter projects (such as McCormick and Guinness Blonde) and expansion projects (such as Stanley Black and Decker, Under Armour and Amazon).

A point-of-pride for Will was turning around an underperforming agency, reorganizing and integrating teams that delivered best-in-nation jobs results. Will led collaborations in business, higher education, K-12, environmental restoration, hazardous waste, defense, fund raising, and e-commerce initiatives. Will is also an entrepreneur, founding partner and business developer of dAdA Digital, a web provider based in Maryland.

In 2019, Will's forward-leaning interests are impact investing and blockchain, both of which will transform local economies and the nature of work in society.

Before joining the Howard County Economic Development Authority, Larry was the Director of the Carroll County Department of Economic Development where he spent over six years guiding business development, business retention, workforce development, and tourism development. While in Carroll he launched several initiatives such as the development of Enterprise Carroll, an investment program designed to assist resident businesses upgrade and develop new technologies; Carroll County Inc.  Link, an outreach  program that connects resident businesses to local resources; a Gateway Tax Credit Program to encourage redevelopment along major thoroughfares entering the county; and a green building tax credit. He also led the County’s team to promote the development of several new business park developments that has created almost 2 million sq. ft. of new space available for business expansion.  

Prior to joining Carroll County, he spent almost seven years with the now Maryland Department of Commerce, formerly known as the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), where he was responsible for the statewide regional office system.  Major accomplishments include launching a regional business retention program and playing a key role in coordinating and facilitating major expansion projects in the Baltimore Region.

Before joining DBED, he spent 7 years in management at a Fortune Global 500 manufacturing firm and 3 years as a manager of a small business. With both large and small business experience, he has well rounded knowledge to understand the issues that confront local businesses.

Larry earned his CEcD (Certified Economic Developer) in March 2009. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from Loyola College (Maryland) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland.

As a member of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, he served as Chair of the Advisory Committee in 2007.  He currently serves on The MEDA Foundation’s Board of Directors and has previously served as President of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) Board of Directors.

When not promoting economic development enjoys sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and is a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Captain. Larry recently participated in the 4^th leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race where he and a team of participants sailed 4000 miles along the coast of Australia.

Thank you to our Event Sponsors!