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Past LAI Speaker Mark Anthony Thomas in news on How Baltimore lost out on $70 million in federal tech spending
July 24, 2024
January 17, 2024 Mark Anthony Thomas presented on Baltimore’s Regional Tech Hub to the LAI membership.
July 24, 2024 Update on the Tech Hub in the Baltimore Banner News How Baltimore lost out on $70 million in federal tech spending
President & CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee
Baltimore’s Regional Tech Hub
In Fall of 2023, the Biden-Harris administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), announced that Baltimore Tech Hub in Central Maryland was designated as one of the 31 inaugural Tech Hubs in regions across the country that show potential for rapid growth in key technology sectors.
The Greater Baltimore Committee led a coalition of 38 local technology-focused organizations in the application process in August. The recent award of Tech Hub designation in October allows the coalition to guide future investment to the region’s technological innovation centers by leveraging regional research universities and institutions, research and development expertise, and existing capital investments already underway in the region.
Mark reviewed what went into the application process and what GBC believes the Baltimore Tech Hub effort can do to help to shape investment and job creation in the Region’s technology sector and ensure that Baltimore continues to be seen globally as a hub for biotechnology and high-tech innovation.
Bio
Mark Anthony Thomas is the new President & CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, the first since the organization’s spring merger with the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore (EAGB). Mark brings more than two decades of experience leading competitive economic development strategies and public-private partnerships for the nation’s largest and most complex metropolitan areas and a lifelong passion for communications, public policy, and cities.
Mark previously served as the President for the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and worked with public officials, development and talent partners to position the region for more than $2 billion in capital investment, with more than 100 business expansion and development projects. He chaired the Board of Directors for the Power of 32 Site Development Fund, which deploys low-cost capital for regional development projects, and co-chaired a public partnership to reposition Pittsburgh’s downtown for the post-pandemic impact of remote and hybrid work.
Before PRA, Mark served as the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s first senior vice president of partnerships, establishing teams to foster and manage industry and international relationships and business attraction. He served a pivotal role in launching NYC’s $1.3 billion cluster investment strategy to catalyze more than 100,000 jobs through emerging growth sectors and neighborhood developments. Mark has also served in Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s administration, leading efforts to craft and securing support to reform LA’s public works, real estate, and risk reduction operations and centralizing the city’s procurement function.
Before entering the public sector, Mark worked in the media sector, shaping content and investigative journalism on social impact, economic development, and effective governance. He received his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and BA from the University of Georgia, and has served on several boards supporting college access,creative arts, and civic innovation.