Future of Howard County

Howard County Executive-Elect Dr. Calvin Ball has been serving Howard County since 2006 as the County Council member. Calvin is a former Howard County Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician who served as a three-term Councilmember. He made history in 2006 when he was elected as the youngest Council Chairman ever in Howard County. Calvin remains dedicated to making our community a better, brighter place for future generations. A member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Calvin, an educator, received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religion from Towson State University, a Master of Arts in Legal and Ethical Studies from the University of Baltimore and was awarded a Doctor of Education from Morgan State University. Calvin has been honored with numerous awards including the Michaeline R. Fedder Award for Public Health Legislator of 2015, the Marilyn J. Praisner Public Service Award, Daily Record’s 2014 Very Important Professionals Successful by 40 Award, William Donald Schaeffer Helping People Award, Louis Goldstein Award for Democratic Spirit, the Kittleman Award for Legislative Leadership, Community Champion of the Year Award, Jenkins Odoms, Jr., Freedom Fighter Award, Richard C. McCauley Transformative Leader Award, Humanitarian Award, and 2018 Senator James Clark Award. A Maryland native and Columbia resident, Calvin and his wife, Shani Ball, RN, BSN, are proud parents of two daughters who both attend Howard County Public Schools. Calvin gained his passion for public service from his parents Calvin Ball Jr. and Carolyn Ball.

Nikki Griffith is currently the Bureau Chief of Cash and Debt Management for the Howard County, Maryland Department of Finance. In addition to overseeing the County’s $1.6 billion debt portfolio and $600 million short-term investment portfolio, Nikki leads the County’s relationship with the credit rating agencies. During her career, she has managed the issuance of over $4 billion in governmental obligations for Maryland counties and the state. Recently, Nikki represented the Finance department on the Howard County Circuit Courthouse P3 project team, which recommended the first U.S. hybrid financing structure and reached commercial and financial close in record. She currently serves on the Brookings Institution Municipal Finance Conference Advisory Committee and the Board of the Women in Public Finance, Maryland Chapter.

Timothy Hogan is a 20-year veteran of the real estate industry, with specialized experience in financing, acquisition and disposition, and the redevelopment and repositioning of land assets. Founded in 1985, Hogan celebrated its 30th year in business in 2015, and is known as the pre-eminent land consulting, advisory, and brokerage firm in the State of Maryland. In addition to his responsibilities as President, Mr. Hogan manages Hogan’s land investment platform where Hogan acquires and develops for its own account and on behalf of its investors. Mr. Hogan supervises all land transactions, land acquisition and assemblage, supervision of zoning and entitlements, engineering and permitting, and budget management. His many land development projects span several real estate sectors to include residential, commercial, industrial, hospitality, and mixed use, as well as affordable housing. Hogan acts as development manager on approximately 50 real estate development projects across 9 different jurisdictions in the Washington DC metro area and one residential PUD in the Carolinas. Mr. Hogan holds a B.S. in Finance from the RH Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland College Park where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was nominated as the Commencement Speaker. He is an active member of the Economic Club of Washington, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), the Maryland Building Industry Association (MBIA), and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Mr. Hogan has been with Hogan since 1999. Prior to joining the Hogan, Mr. Hogan worked with Rodgers Consulting in Montgomery County, Maryland and Ridgecrest Investments in Frederick, Maryland.

Brian Dugan serves as Managing Director at Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate. Edgemoor is a leader in the development of public-private partnerships (P3s) and has delivered (or has under development) more than $3 billion P3 projects nationally. Brian excels in identifying opportunities, forming strategic pursuit partnerships, structuring and sourcing financing, negotiating contractual arrangements, and managing Edgemoor's developments. Recently, Brian served as bid lead and continues to manage the Edgemoor-Star America Judicial Partners team for the Howard County Circuit Courthouse project, the first availability-payment structured municipal P3 to reach financial close in the U.S. outside of Long Beach, CA. Brian holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BS from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce.

Before joining the Authority, he 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. Before that, Larry spent almost seven years with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, where he held several positions including managing 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. Larry also spent seven years in management in a Fortune Global 500 manufacturing firm and three years as a manager of a small business. From 2013 to 2015, Larry served as the President of Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA). Currently he serves on the MEDA Board of Directors and is President of the MEDA Foundation. Larry holds a Master's Degree of Business Administration from Loyola University, Maryland and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland. He earned Certified Economic Developer credentials in 2009.

As a 17-year industry expert, Dave is known as a trusted advisor who delivers meaningful and measurable results. With an unparalleled understanding of complex real estate transactions, he has led some of the Baltimore area’s most significant real estate assignments on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, law firms, professional service firms and a host of other leading enterprises. No matter the size of the deal, Dave approaches all assignments with the same intensity and attention to detail, with an exhaustive approach focused on how the real estate solution should support his clients’ strategic business goals. His market knowledge, financial expertise, proficiency in negotiating construction related issues and wide transactional experience continue to deliver superior outcomes. In addition to his expertise in the Baltimore market, Dave has established long-term relationships with a number of the world’s leading companies, which have benefited from his representation across the country and on a multi-national level. Over the past 5 years, Dave and his team have managed more than 25 million square feet of real estate transactions valued at more than $2 billion.

Anuja Sonalker founded STEER in 2016. STEER's mission is to building Robust, Secure, Connected Self driving technologies that will change your life. What started as an experiment to create a cyber secure product from the ground up, became a full fledged robust secure self parking technology built on a robust middleware. Anuja is also Chair of the ISO Standard 21434: Road Vehicle Cybersecurity for Secure Product Development, Vice Chair of the SAE Vehicle Cybersecurity Systems Engineering Committee and an Expert on the Joint SAE-ISO Joint Working Group . Cybersecurity for Connected and Automated Vehicles, Subject Matter Expert, Thought leader and Public Speaker.

As general counsel of Tenable, Stephen Riddick leads the legal department, and applies his experience with high-growth and global companies to help the company meet expanding market opportunities through accelerated growth, international expansion and technology innovation. Before joining Tenable, Stephen was a senior member of the legal department at Praxair, Inc., a Fortune 250 producer and distributor of industrial gases, related technologies and services with operations in more than 30 countries. He provided legal support for the company’s businesses in Western Europe, Russia and Mexico, as well as for its global mergers and acquisitions team. Prior to joining Praxair, Stephen was a partner at two top-tier global law firms, where he advised client executives and boards of directors at high-growth public and private companies in technology and other industries. Stephen holds a JD from the University of North Carolina School of Law and a BA in economics from the University of Virginia.

Gina Abate is the President and CEO of Edwards Performance Solutions, a Woman Owned Small Business helping organizations achieve secure operational performance. Under her leadership, Edwards expanded its offerings to include cybersecurity and IT services. She has 30+ years of executive, technical, and business management experience in the Federal Government as a Civil Servant and a commercial sector contractor. Currently, Gina serves as The Cybersecurity Association of Maryland’s Board of Directors’ Chair. She is featured in multiple publications promoting cyber awareness and was recognized in 2018 by The Daily Record as one of their “Most Influential Marylanders” for her contributions to current and emerging technology and a “Most Admired CEO” for her vision and leadership.

Since joining Clyde's in 1983, Tom Meyer has made a career out of fine-tuning the great American saloon menu and over the years has assumed responsibility for all aspects of Clyde's Restaurant Group's operations and strategic alliances. His creativity, solid food sense, and unique instincts for customer experiences have made him an irreplaceable asset to the growth of the company as he sees every new project as an opportunity to rethink and reinvent an experience of Clyde's Restaurant Group.

Darin Atwater is one of the foremost music artists of his generation. He is a composer, conductor, pianist, record producer, arranger, film composer, vocalist, and arts advocate. Though classically trained, His music incorporates various musical genres, such as gospel and jazz. In 2000, Atwater founded Soulful Symphony, an orchestra with vocals made up of primarily African American and Latino musicians. His symphony is dedicated to the presentation of symphonic music that represents diverse genres and preserving African American cultural expression. More recently, Atwater performed for the grand opening of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture in 2015.

Nina Basu currently serves as the President & CEO of the Inner Arbor Trust, Inc., the not-for-profit developing add managing 50.6 acres of dedicated open space in Downtown Columbia into an arts and culture park, Merriweather Park at Symhony Woods. Ms. Basu is responsible for the operation of the Park as well as implementing reforestation of the woods, restoration of the streams and lawns, and bringing the remainder of the $30 million in improvements online. Prior to becoming a non-profit executive, Ms. Basu was a civil litigator, Ms. Basu has extensive trial experience, including serving as first chair in jury trials

Vanessa Rodriguez is Vice President, Marketing, for The Howard Hughes Corporation and is a member of the team responsible for the redevelopment and revitalization of Downtown Columbia, MD, which is being transformed from a 390-acre suburban Mall-centric community to a live-work-play urban center of commerce and culture. She heads up marketing, branding, public relations, communications, events and community relations supporting execution of the Downtown Columbia Plan which guides the redevelopment, including construction of 5,500 residential units, 1.25 million SF of retail and 4.3 million SF of commercial development. Prior to joining The Howard Hughes Corporation in 2015, Ms. Rodriguez was a Senior Marketing Manager for Federal Realty Investment Trust which she joined in 2009. While there, she was responsible for all marketing, branding, and communications programs for the Trust’s operating properties Bethesda Row and Wildwood Shopping Center and oversaw the brand development and implementation for the FRIT’S largest mixed-use redevelopment Pike & Rose. Ms. Rodriguez has been in the real estate industry for over 13 years and has a variety of sales and marketing experience. As a Marketing Manager for Forest City Washington, she managed concurrent marketing and branding initiatives for the company’s mixed-use development projects in the DC Metro area including The Yards, a 42-acre project in the Capitol Riverfront district; Konterra, a 488-acre, master-planned mixed-use community in Northern Prince George’s County, MD; and Waterfront Station, a 13.5-acre mixed-use, transit-oriented project in Southwest, DC. A native of South Florida, Ms. Rodriguez graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and International Studies. She began her career in television news, reporting in the Sarasota, FL, market, but made the jump to residential real estate marketing in the Miami market in 2002. She and her husband and son live in Silver Spring, MD.

Since joining FOX Architects in 2006, Derek Wood has been instrumental to the firm’s growth. A leader in the industry, he has designed more than five million square feet of built environments including master planning, design build, and built-to-suit projects. His leadership in key projects such as 440 First Street, 2175 K Street, 1900 N Street and 1000 Maine Avenue at The Wharf have helped to transform DC’s urban environment. Derek’s portfolio spans a wide variety of projects, from master planning and corporate commercial build-to-suit to extensive work reinventing and/or recycling existing buildings. He is well versed in, and widely published on, the topic of Building Information Modeling (BIM), a process that allows building teams to virtually design, construct, and manage building environments EDUCATION, CERTIFICATIONS & AFFILIATIONS - Rhode Island School of Design, Master of Architecture - Dickinson College, Bachelor of English and Fine Arts - Registered Architect in Washington, DC - Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) - Member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) - ULI Member, Member of ULI NEXT Washington, DC - Revit Client Advisory Board - DC Revit Users Group, Previous Board Member - NAIOP, The Commercial Real Estate Development Association, Member;RELEVANT EXPERIENCE - 1000 Maine Avenue - The Wharf - Merriweather Area 3 Build A - 2001 L Street, NW - 1901 L Street, NW - 1900 N Street, NW - 1400 Crystal Drive - 440 First Street, NW - 1211 Connecticut Avenue - 55 H Street - 2175 K Street - Georgetown University, GPPI - American Society for Microbiology - Union Square Project - US Pharmacopeia Campus Expansion.

Greg Fitchitt joined The Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC) as Vice President, Development in 2013. In 2014 Greg relocated to Maryland to focus on the development of Downtown Columbia, a 14 million square foot mixed use development plan to transform the suburban town center of the acclaimed master planned community into a 21st century urban village. Most recently Greg led the efforts over the past 2 years resulting in the Howard County Council’s approval in November 2016 of a $90 million TIF for public infrastructure and a comprehensive plan for affordable housing in Downtown Columbia. Before joining HHC, Greg completed nine shopping center redevelopments as a developer for Westfield on the west coast, including leading the development efforts for Westfield UTC in La Jolla, CA, obtaining entitlements for a $1.0 billion LEED Gold mixed-use revitalization, and completing the $180 million first phase in 2012. Together the Westfield projects completed under Greg’s direction represented over $530 million in investment. Greg holds a BA in Philosophy from Pomona College and an MBA from UCLA. In addition to his professional activities, Greg served for ten years on the boards of non-profit affordable housing developers in California. He currently serves as president of the Downtown Columbia Partnership and on the Howard County Chamber of Commerce board. Greg lives in Ellicott City with his wife Cristiane and their two young children.

As a market president for United Bank, Steve is responsible for the management and operation of all bank offices in the Suburban Maryland area, including client relationships and new business development. Prior to this role, Steve was a commercial lender with United for 13 years, working with international, national and local real estate developers who focus on multifamily development, retail, office, residential homebuilding and industrial properties. He also serves on the board for the Catholic Charities Golf Classic and is involved in the corporate work study program with Don Bosco Cristo Rey high school, which allows students to apply classroom learning to the workplace.