TEDCO's Maryland Innovation Initiative Announces New Board Members

New board appointees exemplify Maryland's innovative spirit

COLUMBIA, Md., May 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDCO, Maryland's economic engine for technology companies, announced two new Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) Board of Directors appointees. Carol Washington, president and CEO of UTech Consulting LLC, and Francesca Ioffreda, chief innovation officer for the State of Maryland. Washington was appointed to the board by House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, while Ioffreda was appointed by Governor Wes Moore's administration, thereby bringing the program's board of directors to capacity.

The MII is a collaboration between the State of Maryland and five of Maryland's academic research institutions – Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland, Baltimore and University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The intent of the collaboration is to bring promising technologies with significant potential from the research laboratories to the commercial sector. This process is done through technology validation, market assessment and the creation of startup companies.

"MII has seen nearly 13 years of success and we are excited to continue moving forward with a fully slated board," said Renée Winsky, chair of the MII Board of Directors. "Carol and Francesca's appointments are sure to aid us in uplifting innovation and research throughout Maryland."

Recently, this collaborative effort expanded to include two comprehensive universities, Frostburg State University and Bowie State University, as well as an expansion into Baltimore through the Baltimore Innovation Initiative (BII) Pilot Program. These pilot programs allow MII to further its reach and bring more innovative research to the market.

"I am pleased to welcome Carol and Francesca to the MII Board," said Abi Kulshreshtha, MII executive director. "With more than $58 million invested in the Maryland ecosystem, nearly 400 jobs created and supported, and a revenue generation of $9 million in FY24, we look forward to building on our success with Carol and Francesca's contributions and expertise."

A full list of the MII Board of Directors includes board chair Renée Winsky, Bay One Group, LLC; Christina DeMur, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures; Francesca Ioffreda, State of Maryland; Wendy Martin, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Mary Morris, University of Maryland, Baltimore; Kenneth Porter, University of Maryland, College Park; Wayne Swann, Morgan State University; and Carol Washington, UTech Consulting, LLC.

For more information, visit our page here.

About TEDCO
TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at www.tedcomd.com.

Media Contact
Tammi Thomas, Chief Development & Marketing Officer, TEDCO, [email protected]
Rachael Kalinyak, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications, TEDCO, [email protected] 

SOURCE TEDCO