University of Maryland Graduate School

Dr. Darryl Carter

Darryl L. Carter, co-founder and former vice president of Nora Therapeutics, Inc., has been appointed by University of Maryland Ventures as the venture adviser at the University of Maryland New Ventures Initiative. Carter will assist faculty in turning their technology inventions into commercial opportunities and will also help support the formation of new UMB technology-based start-up companies. Carter co-founded Nora Therapeutics in 2008, recently led the company’s biomarker program and drove research efforts for NT100 and was instrumental in the company’s raising of $25 million in Series A financing and $28 million in follow-up rounds from five top-tier venture capital firms.

Neil Davis

As Director of Entrepreneurial Initiatives for TEDCO, Mr. Davis’ team developed and managed programs for supporting start-ups in Maryland and served as the liaison with technology incubators statewide.   As part of the seed investment team, he led investments in promising Maryland-based start-ups.  

Prior to joining TEDCO Mr. Davis was VP of Operations at ETC where he provided business consulting services to early-stage technology companies, while managing client recruitment, marketing, budgeting and planning.  During his tenure, lean start-up acceleration and coworking options were added to ETC’s traditional model.

Mr. Davis also has 30+ years of private sector public company experience in roles ranging from engineering to business development to new product launch to P&L management.  He holds BSME and MBA degrees.

Newton Fowler, III

Newt Fowler’s clients receive practical, actionable business counsel. With more than 30 years’ experience representing companies and investors in a wide range of transactional, corporate and securities matters, Newt’s background and experience, both as a lawyer and entrepreneur, gives him a deep understanding of business needs and enables him to help clients focus on what matters and make informed decisions.

Newt’s practice includes all aspects of business planning and advisory services, private equity and venture financings (for both funds and issuers), mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and complex commercial transactions, and technology and intellectual property issues, including commercialization strategies, licensing, protection and a wide range of other technology transactions.

He also advises many of the region’s leading technology companies and investment funds on organization and structure, financing strategies and investments, equity distribution and rights, and other transactional matters. Newt’s representation of companies also includes advising on board of director duties, governance issues, and negotiating resolution of business disputes.

Dr. Jenny Owens

Dr. Jenny Owens is the Assistant Dean in the Graduate School and Faculty Executive Director of the the Grid. Jenny is a passionate social entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in higher education in a graduate health science and human services environment. Jenny’s research interests include social innovation, academic entrepreneurship, and health equity. Dr. Owens has a doctorate in Information and Interaction Design which emphasizes human-centered design and design thinking. Her master’s program focused heavily on business systems, marketing, finance, and organizational behavior. These graduate degrees, along with her undergraduate foundation in principles of health, anatomy, and physiology, give her a unique background in health science, business, and design-thinking.

Lindsay Ryan

Lindsay Ryan is Venture Development Director for the University System of Maryland, which coordinates among 12 public institutions and 3 regional higher education centers throughout Maryland. Lindsay leverages the collective expertise and resources of the System to provide even more support for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development throughout the System and State. Previously, she was the Founding Manager of Harbor Launch at IMET, a business incubator within a University System of Maryland research institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Lindsay began her career at the National Science Foundation, leading program assessment and communications for the Small Business Innovation Research program and working with other innovation programs such as I-CorpsTM. Lindsay received a B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of Maryland - College Park in 2009 and an M.S. from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill in 2011 studying Marine Microbiology.

Deb Tillett

Deborah is responsible for oversight of Baltimore City’s innovation center.  She provides the guidance, leadership and resources necessary for entrepreneurs to start, grow and succeed.

Tillett started her first business in 1985 and it led to a career of computer gaming start-ups; notably a JV with ABC/Walt Disney to produce sports games. Tillett received a B.S. from Towson and an M.B.A. from Loyola. She was named the 2004, 2012, 2016 Innovator of the Year by The Daily Record, received 2005 and 2016 Brava Award, Smart Woman Magazine and was a 2006 Distinguished Alumni, Towson University. She was inducted into the Towson Chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. Deborah was named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Computer Gaming, 2006 and was one of Daily Records’ 2017 Maryland Influencers and 2018 BBJ’s Top Ten in Tech.