Access to Capital Panel

Rockville Economic Development Inc., the Maryland Women's Business Center, and WorkSource Montgomery will have tables set up at the event and be available to discuss their available programs and services. 

PANELIST BIOS:
 

Dr. Matthew Hardwick - Dr. Hardwick is a thought leader in the field of infection prevention in the healthcare environment of care and is an expert in antimicrobial surface technologies. He has 20 years of academic research experience, at Georgetown University where he completed his PhD in Cell Biology, and at Johns Hopkins University, where he completed 2 postdoctoral fellowships, one in the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the second in the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute. Dr. Hardwick?s last academic appointment was with the MedStar Health Research Institute where he worked on numerous research initiatives including the use of antimicrobial surfaces in clinical healthcare environments. He is widely published, including several articles on the use of antimicrobials in clinical environments and the role of microbial surface contamination on infection rates in clinical settings.

Patrick McCloskey - Vice President of Commercial Lending for John Marshall Banks Maryland and DC market. As a Commercial Lender, Patrick has over 15 years’ experience providing financing solutions to Business owners, Non-Profits, and Commercial Real Estate Investors. Patrick’s focus is directed toward helping his clients with cash flow timing differences, owner occupied commercial real estate purchases, construction financing, fleet management, and equipment financing. In addition, Patrick consults his commercial clients on their deposit and treasury management needs.

Margarita Womack, a scientist turned entrepreneur, holds a Bachelor of Science from Tulane University, a Doctorate from Princeton University, and an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from Georgetown University.  She is the founder of Latin Goodness Foods, a company striving to make South American street foods more accessible for those with busy lifestyles. Margarita is also the driving force behind the ?Latin Goodness Foundation?, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering vulnerable women and fostering stronger communities.

Prior to her entrepreneurial journey, Margarita actively contributed to science education and research. Her experiences include teaching at the K-12 level, leading a non-profit organization promoting science in her home country, Colombia, and conducting primary research at Princeton University.  In 2022, Margarita received recognition as the Small Business Leader of the Year in the CEOs of the Year Awards by the Washington Business Journal. She was also honored with the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year? for the Mid-Atlantic region. In 2019, her company earned distinction as one of the Most Disruptive MBA Startups according to Poets & Quants. Furthermore, her story gained broader attention when it was featured in Forbes Magazine in 2019, and on BBC Stories in 2018.  With a commitment to innovation and community impact, Margarita Womack continues to make meaningful contributions in the business world.

 

Teddy Gresser - As Director, Seed Funds, Teddy is responsible for helping to define strategy and leading seed team members with the dual objectives of investor returns and economic development for the state of Maryland. He provides thought leadership, develops investment themes, structures and executes investments, and proactively manages portfolio companies. 

 

Teddy initially joined TEDCO as part of the Venture Fellows program, jumped at the opportunity to come on board full-time as an Investment Analyst, and worked his way up to be promoted to the Director, Seed Funds. Teddy has evaluated hundreds of early-stage technology companies and led investments across verticals ranging from Life Sciences, Cybersecurity, SaaS, FinTech, Advanced Materials, Robotics, Drones, and more.

 

Prior to joining TEDCO, Teddy was a Senior Associate with Techstars Equitech, providing operational and consultative support at scale to 12 high-growth technology startups with a focus on underrepresented founders. Teddy also brings to the table experience co-founding an angel investing syndicate focused on Climate Tech and consulting for an innovative life sciences start up in Baltimore.

 

Teddy earned his MBA, with a Graduate Certificate in Investments and Portfolio Management, at The George Washington University and his BA in Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park.

 

Angela Steele, Vice President of SBA Lending at Capital Bank, is a seasoned banking professional dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs with access to capital. With over two decades of experience, Angela specializes in crafting innovative loan solutions tailored to fuel business growth. Working closely with SBA offices, SBDCs, EDCs, and Women?s Business Centers, Angela ensures entrepreneurs have access to essential resources. Angela's expertise extends to financing diverse projects, including business acquisitions, commercial real estate, franchise lending, and business expansion, offering accessible financing solutions with minimal down payments. Angela's commitment to fostering collaborative partnerships and enabling access to capital highlights her passion for driving economic growth and prosperity through entrepreneurship. Beyond financing, Angela provides hands-on guidance and education, equipping entrepreneurs with the knowledge to navigate the loan process confidently.

 

Eric Lin serves as Director of Lending for LEDC. In this role, he is responsible for is responsible for setting lending program policy, new lending product design, management of lending service implementation, and developing strategic partnership for funding capital and program impact. Eric previously served as LEDC?s first Small Business Coach in its expansion into the Baltimore region, he returned to LEDC after 7 years away where he grew and operated business ventures, led a social impact organization, and managed grant programming to provide COVID relief funding to housing providers in DC. Eric brings a total of more than 20 years of experience working with small businesses and low-income populations in the DMV area and internationally. He holds a master?s degree in international development from George Washington University and a bachelor?s degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Eric believes that opportunities for economic freedom and self-determination should be available for everyone, including historically marginalized populations where those ladders are less prevalent.
 

Stephen A. Clark is a Public Affairs Specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience. Since starting work for the SBA Field Operations Center-East in 2022, he has served disaster survivors in Florida, New York, Indiana, Vermont, Maine, and Maryland. Before working in field operations, Mr. Clark worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Disaster Assistance, for the Processing and Disbursement Center, as an attorney as well as a loan officer on the COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan program from 2020-2022. Before working for the federal government, Mr. Clark worked for the Audit Bureau of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue on sales and use tax audits of small and medium businesses. Mr. Clark was a foremost expert on the interaction of Illinois and Wisconsin sales and use tax law and procedures regarding Illinois construction contractors performing work in the State of Wisconsin. Prior to working in government, Mr. Clark worked for several small law firms, primarily on representation of individuals and small businesses in bankruptcy and other state law dissolution cases. Mr. Clark recently rekindled his love for pickleball and while in Maine working on a disaster declaration in March 2024 won a St. Patrick?s Day pickleball tournament hosted by the Skowhegan Parks and Recreation Department. Mr. Clark earned a bachelor?s degree from Northwestern University. In addition, he has graduate degrees in law and tax accounting from Northern Illinois University.