Leadership
Executive Leadership
Hakim Dyer, Interim Executive Director
Hakim Dyer is an experienced executive strategist, corporate financier, and ecosystem advocate who focuses on the tipping point where innovation, inclusion, and investment converge. With more than three decades of work spanning community development venture capital and loan funds, financial services, and entrepreneurial advising, he has helped align mission-driven founders with the capital and strategy needed to scale transformative businesses.
He has supported entrepreneurs, economic development initiatives, and growth-stage companies across sectors — from early broadband infrastructure and sustainable construction to innovative financial structuring and banking products. He has also led and advised organizations at the intersection of finance and social impact, with a consistent focus on resilience, accountability, and ecosystem-wide value creation.
Hakim earned his BA from Dartmouth College and MA from Middlebury College, and completed corporate finance and credit training at the First National Bank of Boston. He went on to work at several other banks and has served as a CFO and strategist to a number of high-growth companies in technology, government contracting, media, and real estate development. He also holds an Advanced Diploma in Business French from the Paris Chamber of Commerce. Hakim is a Certified Profit Coach and currently serves as Board Secretary for the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. (LinkedIn Profile)
Hakim can be reached at: hakim@mdinnovate.org
Board Leadership
Shervonne Cherry, President
Shervonne Cherry is the Director of Spark Coworking and an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder. She heads operations, community development and ecosystem growth for Spark, collaborative workspaces in Baltimore, Kansas City and St. Louis. (LinkedIn Profile)
Mike Ducker, Vice President
Mike Thielke, Treasurer
Mike is the executive director for Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC), a private-sector, non-profit organization having a mission to advance and develop the startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem throughout the eight counties of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In this position, Mike plays a leadership role in ensuring that the Eastern Shore is connected to the rest of the Maryland statewide ecosystem of entrepreneurs, mentors, coaches, and investors. Mike has been instrumental in starting a network of coworking spaces, called hotDesks, which now has four locations throughout the region. These spaces serve as the backbone for the delivery of accelerator programs, business competitions, and numerous programs and events targeted to creating a stronger and better connected ecosystem. Mike is also part of a group kicking off the PinOak Capital investor group which is a result of the increased deal flow opportunities developing on the Eastern Shore. (LinkedIn Profile)
Patty Simonton, Secretary
Patty is the Founder of the Big Table Institute, a Maryland-based 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to connecting and empowering civic builders and mission-driven professionals to collaboratively create transformative, market-driven change in their communities. She is an IEDC certified Entrepreneurship Development Professional (EDP) who considers herself to be a impact entrepreneur and ecosystem builder.
Patty previously served as a strategic initiatives manager for the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, where she worked to streamline the entrepreneurial journey. She is a former director of Bethesda Green’s Innovation Lab, where she guided the entrepreneurship program to federal recognition, and the former director of changemaker support for StartSomeGood, a global crowdfunding platform designed by and for social entrepreneurs.
Patty earned her degree in International Business from Georgetown University and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. She has also earned certificates in Entrepreneurship Center Management from the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) and Impact Measurement and Management for Sustainable Development Goals from Duke University. (LinkedIn Profile)
Alicia Moran, Director
Alicia Moran is the Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation. There she fosters the innovation and entrepreneurship community via a business incubator, accelerator and international soft landing program. Prior to joining PGCEDC, Alicia was the Managing Director at AM Media + Marketing, a business development and marketing communications consultancy firm that provided strategic counsel and public policy insights, and the Managing Director for Brightline Media. (LinkedIn Profile)
Brett Schreiber, Director
Bret Schreiber is the Senior Vice President, Life Sciences and Technology at The Fulton Financial Corporation, where he has worked for 20 years in the field of government and community relations, driving policy and economic development initiatives and developing strong ties to local, state and national legislators and policy leaders. Currently, Mr. Schreiber is Vice President for Life Sciences and Technology for Fulton Bank. Fulton Bank is a $22 billion financial institution based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Bret oversees the development of a new division for Fulton Bank, creating disruptive, innovative initiatives to support and grow the life science and technology industries in Fulton’s five state footprint. (LinkedIn Profile)
George Nemphos, Director
George J. Nemphos, managing member of Nemphos Braue, is an accomplished and award-winning corporate attorney with decades of experience at large, international law firms. Focused on building personal relationships with clients, George is a true counselor, advising on complex business structures and transactions, and ardently representing clients in business law matters.
Prior to co-founding Nemphos Braue in 2016, George progressed from partner to managing partner, and was the global chair of a corporate practice group at an AmLaw 100 international law firm, traveling throughout the United States, Asia and Europe. George brings a unique perspective to client issues and works closely with clients to achieve practical, business-oriented solutions. He has extensive experience in representing and assisting clients in entity choice and formation, mergers and acquisitions, private placements of debt and equity, complex joint ventures, structuring, taxes and day-to-day general counsel, as well as corporate governance and securities law compliance.
Through his legal practice, George has advised clients in nearly every industry, including healthcare and insurance, consumer products, financial services, technology and cybersecurity, automotive, agriculture and industrial services. He also supports numerous nonprofits and business organizations; he currently serves on the board of directors for Scouting America, American Heart Association and Driving Force Group, and is Board Counsel for Native American LifeLines. (LinkedIn Profile)
Joshua Barnes, Director
Josh Barnes is COO and Owner at Habor Designs & Manufacturing, LLC, an ISO 9001 & ISO 13485 certified and FDA registered product design, prototyping, and contract manufacturing organization (CMO). Josh also serves as a Maryland Business Opportunity Center (MBOC) Product Design and Manufacturing Expert, where he provides product development guidance to Maryland-based entrepreneurs and small businesses. (LinkedIn Profile)
Lisa Smith, Director
Lisa Smith is the Founder and President of North Star Innovation Partners. She has more than 30 years of national and international economic development project experience ranging from innovation strategy development, entrepreneurial ecosystem building, and programs for accessing early-stage capital, to incubator feasibility assessment, design, and management.
She is currently working with U.S. State Department International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) initiatives to accelerate international entrepreneurship development. Her international experience also includes the development of the technology incubator strategy in the U.S. for Scottish Development International, the national economic development agency for Scotland. This work led to the launch of Scotland’s US incubator network, the Scottish Technology and Research (STAR) Centers. She also worked in tourism promotion and international air service development in the Washington, DC area. (LinkedIn Profile)
Stacy Wassell, Director
Stacy Wassell is the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Frostburg State University. (LinkedIn Profile)
