The Howard County Chamber of Commerce (HCCC) team is busy preparing for its 49th Annual Meeting, to be held Wednesday, May 16, at Turf Valley. The board of directors has been hard at work reviewing nominations for open board positions and interviewing nominees, but those decisions will be made before the meeting, when members will gather to ratify the slate.

This year’s Annual Meeting will also signal the transition from current Board Chair Jeff Agnor to Chair-Elect David Anderson. Although the HCCC is excited about the energy and new perspective Anderson will bring to the board, Agnor’s leadership will be missed. He has been a tireless advocate for the chamber during his two-year term, but his support will continue long after he becomes the immediate past chair. Agnor and Anderson will address the membership at the meeting, and the chamber is looking forward to hearing what thoughts they will share.

In addition to ratifying the new slate for the board, the HCCC will also present its Awards for Chamber Excellence to the Business Advocate of the Year, Ambassador of the Year, GovConnects Advocate of the Year and Young Professional of the Year.
To register for the meeting, visit www.howardchamber.com.

More Cyber Speakers

Though HCCC’s annual Cyber Conference isn’t until June 6, the Cyber Conference Committee has been working to choose this year’s theme and session topics and, most recently, adding high-profile speakers.

The 2018 Cyber Conference will focus on “Navigating the Security Pitfalls of a Connected World” and will be separated into a technical track and a management track. Cyber touches all aspects of our lives, from myriad devices we have brought into our homes to those we use on the job; attendees can expect cutting-edge discussions from leading experts in our community, with topics ranging from health care to trust to employment of open source technologies.

Speakers include Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford; Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger; Shawn Wells, chief security strategist for Red Hat; Josh Lospinoso, captain, U.S. CyberCommand; and Kelly Schulz, secretary, Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. They will cover topics including Blockchain Technologies, Device Security Focused on Health Care, Leveraging the Open Source and Building a Talented Workforce.

For more information, visit www.cyberhoward.com.

Going Global

The HCCC has partnered with the Howard County Muslim Council and the Indian Origin Network of Howard County on a unique networking event with Maryland Commerce to spread the word about business opportunities with the state.

The free event, which also features Benjamin Wu, deputy secretary of Maryland Commerce, is scheduled for Tuesday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m., at Linden Hall, Ellicott City. For more information, visit www.howardchamber.com.