Natalie Evans Harris serves as Maryland’s State Chief Data Officer. An ecosystem builder at heart, she is a mission-driven data scientist, strategist and speaker with over 20 years of experience advancing the public sector’s strategic use of data. Leading initiatives, coalitions and organizations to powerfully and equitably leverage data to combat economic and social injustice.

As a leading voice in the responsible use of data for social impact, she has spent her career working with a broad network of academic institutions, data science organizations, application developers, and foundations to advance the responsible use of data. Prior to joining Governor’s Moore Administration as the State Chief Data Officer, she was the founding executive director of the Black Wealth Data Center and as a senior policy advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, under the Biden Administration. Ms. Evans Harris served as a senior policy advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer in the Obama administration and spent 16 years at the National Security Agency. She holds degrees from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and George Washington University.

Ms. Evans Harris has a master’s degree in public administration from The George Washington University and bachelor’s degrees in computer science and sociology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She lives in Maryland with her husband and daughter.

Alex Choi currently serves as the Executive Director, Government Program Development, Affairs & Research for the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO).

As a seasoned public policy and communications professional with a background working in and around Federal, State, and Local Governments, Alex is experienced in distilling complex issues into clear, effective, and compelling messaging to enable public and private sector executives to advocate for and implement practical solutions to emerging issues.

In his role, he reports to TEDCO’s Chief Government Program Development, Affairs & Policy Officer, to build relationships with State and Federal policy leaders to advance TEDCO’s budgetary, legislative, and regulatory priorities. Applying a data driven approach, he identifies, researches, and helps make recommendations on policy and metric trends that influence the evolving innovation ecosystem and impact TEDCO’s portfolio companies and programs, translating industry data into compelling content that tells the TEDCO story and drives policy changes that advance Maryland’s innovation ecosystem. Coordinating closely across TEDCO staff, Alex assists Mindy with launching new legislatively created programs, supporting the transition from policy to program. 

Alex is also responsible for leading TEDCO’s Cyber Maryland Program, working closely with the Cyber Maryland Board, Cyber Maryland Advisory Workgroup, and other ecosystem stakeholders to develop and implement a statewide strategy to strengthen Maryland’s Cybersecurity Workforce pipeline infrastructure. Serving as a convenor and coordinator for the Cybersecurity workforce ecosystem, the Cyber Maryland program works to leverage Maryland’s strong Cybersecurity workforce assets to accelerate and maintain the State’s position as a leader in Cybersecurity, ensuring a resilient and nimble workforce pipeline infrastructure that can evolve to meet the needs of the rapidly changing industry. 

Prior to joining TEDCO, Alex has served in various capacities within Maryland State Government under both the Hogan and the Moore Administrations, including as a Policy Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Governor’s Office, Communications Director for the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives, and Placement Assistant in the Governor’s Appointments Office, among other roles. Alex has also held positions at the Maryland Bankers Association, and as staff within the Maryland General Assembly. 

Alex holds a BA in Economics and History from the University of Maryland. 

As the Senior Director of Public Sector Channels and Alliances (FED & SLED) at Elastic, Darryl Peek leads a dedicated team of professionals who collaborate with Systems Integrators to deliver cutting-edge enterprise search, observability, and security solutions to Federal, State, Local, and Education organizations. With over 15 years of executive leadership in government and technology sectors, Darryl has a proven track record in driving digital transformation, enhancing customer experiences, and fostering innovation across public sector domains.

Before joining Elastic, Darryl held key positions at Salesforce and Google, where he supported the public sector. He also worked for the Department of Homeland Security in the HQ OCIO Chief Technology Office, where he left as the Director for Digital Innovation. In this role, he spearheaded efforts in agile methodologies, DevOps practices, cloud technologies, and open-source solutions.

Darryl’s passion lies in leveraging his deep expertise in legislation, policy, and emerging technologies to guide and recommend strategic priorities and enterprise technology investments for public sector agencies. Beyond his role at Elastic, Darryl actively contributes to the broader technology community. He serves as a board member, advisor, and author of several publications on key topics such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, and agile development.

His mission is to empower public sector leaders and partners with the tools and insights they need to achieve their goals and deliver remarkable outcomes. Through collaboration, innovation, and strategic guidance, Darryl strives to help public sector entities navigate the complexities of digital transformation and technological advancement.

Melissa Daley founded Orca Intelligence in 2014 to offer clients a unique methodology to effectively capture, analyze, and manage software requirements.

Ms. Daley is an experienced Systems Engineer with a BA in Computer Information Systems and an MA in Technology Entrepreneurship. She also holds a Design Thinking certification from the University of Virginia. Melissa worked as a consultant with several organizations such as Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, and many other companies, such as the State of Georgia Department of Human Resources, NGP VAN, DMI, and ICF.

In 2007, Melissa Daley founded iT Gets Better, a non-profit organization in Atlanta, GA, to assist youth organizations with Information Technology (IT). In 2008, Melissa founded iGB Associates Inc. to support for-profit organizations with their IT services.

As the Eastern Regional Outreach Director for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Elizabeth Dougherty carries out the strategic direction of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, and is responsible for leading the USPTO’s East Coast stakeholder engagement. Focusing on the region and actively engaging with the community, Ms. Dougherty ensures the USPTO’s initiatives and programs are tailored to the region’s unique ecosystem of industries and stakeholders.

An over 25 year veteran of the USPTO, Ms. Dougherty previously served as the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. In this role, she worked closely across the Agency’s leadership to implement the policies and priorities for the USPTO. She began her career at the USPTO as a patent examiner after graduating from The Catholic University of America with a bachelor’s degree in physics. While a patent examiner, Ms. Dougherty went on to obtain her J.D. from The Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America and served as a Senior Legal Advisor in the Office of Patent Legal Administration for a significant part of her career. Over the years, she has also served in the USPTO’s Office of Petitions, the Office of Innovation Development, and the Office of Government Affairs.

Ms. Dougherty has dedicated much of her career to the USPTO’s outreach and education programs focusing on small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs. In this effort she has developed, implemented, and supervised programs that support the independent inventor community, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and the intellectual property interests of colleges and universities. Similarly Ms. Dougherty has spearheaded a number of special projects with federal, state and local governments, and private organizations to promote and support invention and innovation in the United States.

Ms. Dougherty is a member of the Virginia Bar, the Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court, the Pauline Newman American Inn of Court, the American Bar Association, the Federal Circuit Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the U.S. Intellectual Property Alliance, the Patent and Trademark Office Society, the Supervisory Patent Examiners and Classifiers Organization, Women in Science and Engineering, Federally Employed Women, the Network of Executive Women and the Columbus School of Law Alumni Council.

Senator Katie Fry Hester serves in the Maryland Senate representing Maryland’s 9th district, which includes parts of Howard and Carroll Counties.

Before entering public service in 2018, Senator Hester spent 20 years working in the private sector to foster sustainable development, multi-sector partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and effective strategic planning with the aim of solving large, complex problems. Throughout her career, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, governments, communities and non-profits to create win-win partnerships for sustainable international development.

Senator Hester has put these skills to use in the General Assembly, passing more than 30 pieces of bipartisan legislation by bringing together diverse groups of experts, advocates, and legislators to work on tough issues such as economic development and supporting small businesses during COVID-19; improving the State’s cybersecurity capacity and environmental resilience; and building a bright future for Maryland farmers. She serves on the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee.

Senator Hester graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and has lived in western Howard County for 15 years with her husband, Bill, and their two daughters.

Larry Letow is the President of US Region for CyberCX, a global cybersecurity services firm. CyberCX exclusively manages cyber risk, offering a comprehensive set of services: consulting and advisory; governance, risk and compliance; incident response; security testing and assurance; managed security services (MSS)/security operation center (SOC) and cyber security education/training.

In addition to CyberCX, Mr. Letow currently serves the cyber/technology community as Chair of the National Cyber Security Hall of Fame, Board Member for Maryland Cyber Task Commission, and a Board Member for the PGA and European Tour – Ryder Cup Technology Board. He serves on many other advisory boards including CredEvolv, University Systems of Maryland, Towson University, and Respite Retreats.

Steve Fridakis is an information security leader with over 30 years of experience. His career includes prior roles as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at prominent organizations like WW International, HBO, and United Nations agencies (UNDP and FAO). In these roles, he demonstrably secured critical data and infrastructure. Mr. Fridakis’ current responsibilities include: Incident response, Vulnerability management, Risk assessments, Intrusion prevention, Regulatory compliance, and Forensic investigations. At Oracle Health, he leads day-to-day information security operations. This ensures the confidentiality of all clinical information and application data. Mr. Fridakis holds postgraduate degrees in Business Administration and Computer Science. He also possesses certifications in IT Security Management and Disaster Recovery. He has served in the USNR and is the holder of multiple patents in IT Security technologies. He is a volunteer Firefighter and EMT and lives in Annapolis, MD.

Rafael Maldonado joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in 2021. Rafael has more than 30 years of experience in information technology and has served in leadership positions in both the private and public sectors. In his role, Rafael is responsible for the strategic development and advancement of the use of technology and cybersecurity for the Foundation. He provides leadership to the technology team and works closely with other RWJF executives, operations leadership, program leaders, and staff in implementing a modern and mission focused, enterprise-level technology strategy.  

Prior to joining RWJF, Rafael served as the vice president and chief information officer at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), the national trade association for franchised dealers, where he was the executive responsible for driving the association’s information technology vision to provide innovative solutions and services to their national members and international affiliates. Prior to NADA, Rafael was the global director of IT for ContourGlobal, a developer and operator of electric power generation businesses with more than 1,000 employees and 41 power plants in 14 countries, where he was the senior IT executive with full operating and systems planning responsibility leading all IT functions worldwide. Rafael was responsible for global IT strategic planning/operations for the company. Prior to ContourGlobal, Rafael served in IT leadership roles for ezStorage, the largest self-storage company in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., and Ernst & Young Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ernst & Young.

Rafael served honorably in the U.S. Army from 1988 to 1998, with tours in Ft. Sill, Okla., Heidelberg, Germany, and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. As part of his service, he received several meritorious and commendation service medals as well as several leadership awards. 

Maldonado holds an MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute and a B.S. degree in computer information systems from Strayer University. 

Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Rafael now resides in Ellicott City, Md., with his wife Maria, his daughter Gianelle, and his niece Ariely. He enjoys cooking for family and friends and traveling.

Wayne Bethea is a Senior Research Computer Scientist in the Artificial Intelligence Group and Intelligent Systems Center of the Research and Exploratory Development Department at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Dr. Bethea has over 30 years of experience in computer science research and development, including applications of middleware and distributed computing, data and knowledge management, and semantic technologies applied in modeling and simulation, CBRN detection, social network analysis, cybersecurity, and national health. Dr. Bethea’s research interests include data and system integration, automated and semi-automated ontology construction and mapping, Semantic Web technologies, knowledge representation and reasoning, semantic expressivity, semantic discovery, artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and data science.

Dr. Bethea’s current research focus includes utilizing knowledge representation and semantic technology to develop neuro-symbolic AI solutions to address challenges in AI/ML and human-machine teaming. It also includes enhancement and integration of multimodal data extraction to improve hypothesis testing and knowledge discovery.

Dr. Bethea serves as a subject matter expert and consultant to government programs for cybersecurity and national health. Using his extensive experience and skills in intelligent systems research and engineering, as well as problem solving across the data, information, semantics, and pragmatics stack, Dr. Bethea continues to make critical contributions to critical challenges for our nation.

Dr. Bethea is passionate about serving as a community resource and being a force for community improvement and growth. He is a strong advocate for social justice and transformational global citizenship. He is a single father of a 13-year-old son, an aspiring future computer scientist himself, and a devoted son and brother to family members struggling with debilitating illnesses.

David McDonald is the Vice Preside of Research and Development for the Baltimore Ravens, where he enters his 10th season. McDonald leads all software and data development aspects of the player personnel department.

McDonald spent the past five years (2019-23) as the Director of Research and Development after joining the organization in 2015 as a Football Systems Developer.

David was previously with the Atlanta Falcons from August 2011 to June 2015 as a Football Systems Programmer and Analyst. David has a passion for football and their work revolves around developing new ways to analyze game data and player performance. David is always looking for new ways to improve the game of football and help their team win.

David McDonald has a BS in Computer Science from The University of Southern Mississippi and an associate degree in computer science from Pearl River Community College.

David McDonald reports to Eric DeCosta, SVP & General Manager. David McDonald works with Ozzie Newsome – Executive Vice President, Anthony Levine – Player Personnel Assistant, and Pat Moriarty – Senior Advisor to the GM.

Scott Smrkovski is quickly becoming recognized as one of the nation’s leading innovators in the HR industry. With more than 25 years of executive management experience, Scott is the CEO and principal visionary behind the unprecedented growth of leading PEO and national human resources firm, INFINITI HR.

His focus on people and client satisfaction in a dynamic marketplace creates an environment conducive for learning and change and fosters a company culture that others want to be a part of. Experience as both a motivational speaker and corporate trainer, Scott is adept at providing scalable solutions in the areas of payroll, human resources, risk management, employee benefits, insurance, recruitment process outsourcing, and franchise solutions.

Named a 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist for the Mid-Atlantic Region by EY, Scott was recognized as an unstoppable leader who redefines the way we live, work, and play. He is an innovative, resourceful, and devoted entrepreneur whose knowledge in all areas of human resources outsourcing has been pivotal in the development of INFINITI HR’s extensive expansion efforts into new markets across the nation. He has helped the company approach 60,000 co-employees, provided service to thousands of businesses in all 50 states, and increased system-wide revenue to more than $458 million.

Under Scott’s leadership, INFINITI HR has become an IRS Certified PEO, a seven-time member of the Inc. 5000 Hall of Fame ,and The Washington Post’s 2019 Top Workplace winner in Washington DC.

In addition to being the CEO of INFINITI HR, Scott is the managing partner for Grand Slam Investments. He has two teenage children and resides in Damascus, Maryland with his wife Kristin.