2001 Symposium Series

                Patrick Von Bargen is the Executive Director of the National Commission on Entrepreneurship, funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.  The three-year Commission will examine how the entrepreneurial economy has become the prime driver for new jobs and economic growth and how public policy must adapt to the entrepreneurial economy and encourage its accelerated growth

                The National Commission on Entrepreneurship will strive to focus public policy on the role of entrepreneurship in the national economy and to articulate policies that will foster its continued growth. It is a resource for anyone interested in entrepreneurship and public policy. Made up of successful entrepreneurs, this Commission will provide policy maker with practical recommendations on how they can foster entrepreneurship well into the 21st century.

                Laura Henderson is the founder, President and CEO of Prospect Associates, Senior Vice President of the American Institutes of Research in the Behavioral Sciences (AIR), and Site Director of AIR’s Prospect Center.  Prospect is one of the most respected health communications and biomedical research firms in the United States.  From its beginnings in 1979, Prospect grew from a handful of talented people with a $30,000 start-up fund to a company with more than 160 employees and sales near the $20 million mark.  In April, 2000, Prospect Associates merged with AIR, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to improving the condition of individuals, groups, and organizations through research, analyses, policy development and technical support.

                Prior to founding Prospect Associates, Ms. Henderson was Vice President of SysteMetrics where she established and directed a Division to provide technical services to the National Institutes of Health.  She has directed contracts related to public health in excess of $50 million.  As the technical director, she has worked with public-private advisory groups to develop national plans in areas such as diabetes, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, heart diseases in children, arthritis, aging, and digestive diseases.  In her current capacity, Ms. Henderson serves as the Site Director of AIR’s Prospect Center (formerly Prospect Associates Ltd.) and is the corporate monitor of Prospect Center's major contracts.  She works closely with Prospect Center clients to ensure that the services provided to them meet their current and evolving needs in an effective, high quality manner.
Ms. Henderson has served as Chair Emeritus of the National Foundation for Women Businesses, Chair of the National Women's Business Council, and Chair of the Montgomery County Economic Council.
 

Andrew H. Rosen
Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development
and General Counsel
www.Blackboard.net

                Blackboard's technology powers online education and related commerce in the academic marketplace of schools, colleges and universities, as well as the organizations that serve them, such as publishers, test prep companies and other education service providers. Blackboard software products and Web services reach more than 6,500 institutions in each of the 50 states and in more than 70 countries. More than 3.5 million people worldwide teach and learn in online education environments powered by Blackboard.

                Mr. Rosen, as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development & General Counsel, and Interim CFO, focuses on Blackboard's corporate growth through mergers, acquisitions, international expansion and strategic execution of its business model. Additionally, Rosen is responsible for integrating acquisitions across all lines of business and for executing M&A financing transactions. He is a recognized expert in guiding emerging growth companies and structuring transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and various financing transactions and equity offerings, particularly for technology companies. He came to Blackboard from the New York law firm of Cahill Gordon & Reindel. While at Cahill Gordon, Rosen advised investment banks, hedge and venture funds, and domestic and foreign issuer companies in developing financial products and structuring numerous financing  transactions, leveraged buy-outs, mergers and acquisitions. Before joining Cahill Gordon, Rosen was an attorney with Parker Chapin Flattau & Klimpl, structuring business transactions and advising emerging growth and start-up technology companies. Rosen began his career with Coopers & Lybrand LLP, where he was a consultant advising multinational technology companies and other clients in structuring cross-border business and financial transactions, and joint ventures. Mr. Rosen serves on the Board of Directors for Frandata Corporation and on the Board of Advisors of Idayo,
Inc.

Stanley Tucker
CEO MMG Ventures, L.P.
Chairman, National Association of Investment Companies
www.mmggroup.com

                Stanley W. Tucker, has more than 19 years of diversified business experience with a strong emphasis on lending, venture capital investing, and the development of socially or economically disadvantaged small businesses.  Mr. Tucker is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Meridian Management Group, Inc., which was founded in 1995.  From 1982 to 1995, Mr. Tucker has been the Executive Director of the Maryland Small business Development Financing Authority (MSBDFA), a self -sufficient state agency that assists socially or economically disadvantaged businesses.  Under his leadership, MSBDFA has added three financing programs (including the state's first equity program). This has resulted in MSBDFA being recognized as a national model for minority business development and financing.  Since 1980, MSBDFA has provided approximately $100 million in financing to 400 small businesses, including such well-known companies as Maxima Corporation.  Mr. Tucker joined MSBDFA in 1981 as Deputy Director.

                From 1980 to 1981, Mr. Tucker served as vice president of the Park Heights Development Corporation (PHDC), a community-based economic development agency located in one of Baltimore's highest crime and unemployment areas.  At PHDC he raised funding of $1.2 million for the first stage development of a community industrial park and raised additional funding for a community business loan fund which he oversaw.  Prior to joining PHDC, Mr. Tucker was a credit analyst for Equitable Trust Company of Baltimore in 1979.  He is a sought-after speaker and consultant nationwide on minority business development.  His present civic responsibilities include: Chairman of the Golden Bears Association, Inc.; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Investment Companies; Warner Press, H. John Heinz, III School (Carnegie--Mellon University), Sojourner--Douglas College, and the Morgan State University Foundation. Mr. Tucker received his B.S. from Morgan State University and his M.S. from Carnegie--Mellon University.
 

Karl Ware
Founder, Executive Vice President
Bionetrix
www.Bionetrix.com

                Karl Ware co-founded BioNetrix in 1997 and launched the company’s flagship product, the BioNetrix Authentication Suite. As executive vice president of operations, Ware now oversees the company’s day-to-day operations. Before founding BioNetrix, Ware worked in various capacities at Dow Jones Telerate and Motorola, creating and executing successful marketing initiatives. He launched more than 18 different products for the two companies into both domestic and international markets. The leader in direct personal authentication, BioNetrix is the only company to provide an infrastructure for the management of multiple authentication technologies that allows organizations to cost-effectively establish more secure digital environments.

                Ware started his career in Washington, D.C., where he obtained an expertise in information security working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He later served as vice president of information/communications security for JP Morgan, where he defined technical and user security policies for the organization.