Del. Pam Beidle ’94
District 32
Q: How do women in leadership – at any age – contribute to the greater good of the community?
A: By including women in leadership, gender diversity is included in the decision making process. Diversity is needed for committees and stakeholders to make good decisions; this doesn’t just include gender diversity but also cultural background, ethnicity, and geographic diversity, as well as diversity in experience and background.
Q: How does seed funding for Maryland cyber-security businesses help graduates find jobs in Maryland?
A: After spending more than a year on the Speaker’s Business Climate Workgroup and meeting with TEDCO, I learned of the need to help fledgling business receive help to bring their ideas and products to the marketplace. I was the primary sponsor for House Bill 740, “Cyber Security Investment Fund,” in the 2014 session. This bill allows seed funding for new businesses to prepare their pro-type, develop their pro forma, and prepare their presentations for investors so they can obtain startup funds. By bringing these new cyber-security businesses to Maryland, they develop the need for high-paying technology jobs for our recent college graduates.
Q: What TU experience most influenced you?
A: I had the opportunity to have professors that had real work experience. I attended TU from 1989 to 1993 when the College of Business and Economics was working toward accreditation. I already owned a business, but found that what I learned at TU could easily be applied to my business operation and helped me to be a better business owner and employer.
Editor’s note: Towson’s College of Business and Economics is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in both business and accounting. It is one of only one percent of institutions in the world to claim this dual distinction.
Alumni in Annapolis is a series of brief interviews with Towson University alumni who now represent parts of the state in the Maryland legislature. These interviews are part of the Towson Advocacy Program, which engages and educates friends, supporters and alumni of the university about Towson’s legislative interests during the General Assembly.
