Location
Live! Casino & Hotel in Arundel Mills, MD

Join us for an engaging discussion with Howard County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball as he shares his insights on the intersection of Howard County, the Intelligence Community, and the Department of Defense.

With a large concentration of defense contractors, NSA, and Fort Meade professionals in the region, this luncheon will explore how Howard County continues to serve as a critical hub for national security and innovation.

Keynote Speaker
Howard County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball

The Honorable Dr. Calvin Ball is a Maryland native and resident of Columbia for over 20 years. He and his wife Shani Ball, RN, B.S.N, are proud parents of two daughters who attend and graduated from Howard County Public Schools.

He made history in 2006 when he was elected as the youngest Council Chairperson in Howard County history. He made history again in 2018 by becoming the first African American to be elected as Howard County Executive.  

Re-elected in 2022, Dr. Ball remains dedicated to ensuring our communities are safe, strong, and accessible for all. Howard County continues to be a regional and national leader, as County Executive Ball continues to champion education, environmental conservation, the health and well-being of our residents, investments in public safety and fiscal responsibility.

Transformational vision builds the best communities, and his team has implemented innovative programs and policy solutions that are data-informed and people driven.

During his first term as Howard County Executive, he and his team have prioritized growing ready and successful students, fostering safe and engaged communities, creating a clean and sustainable environment, supporting thriving and healthy residents, building reliable and accessible infrastructure, promoting a strong and prosperous business climate, and leading an innovative and efficient government. County Executive Ball has led a robust and nationally recognized response to COVID-19 pandemic.  

County Executive Ball served as President of the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) for 2023-2024 term. Previously serving as 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, he serves on a six-member Executive Committee. This committee oversees its fiscal, personnel, and management concerns as well as advocating for the shared legislative agenda for all 24 jurisdictions across the state. In 2012, he founded the Diversity Caucus of MACo, the first statewide caucus for county elected officials of color. He also participated in the National Association of Counties and Gates Foundation “Economic Mobility Leadership Network” to explore the role counties can play to positively affect economic mobility. Ball is also the 2023 Chair of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC).

County Executive Ball holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religion from Towson State University, Master of Arts in Legal and Ethical Studies from the University of Baltimore, where he was nominated for the Spirit of Excellence Award, and Doctor of Education from Morgan State University. Dr. Ball is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and is a dedicated supporter of all historically Black Greek letter organizations which serve our community. He is also a lifetime member of the NAACP.

Small Business Speaker
Chief Strategy Officer at Vetegrity, Sean Keller

Sean Keller is an Entrepreneur, Senior Executive, Business Strategy Consultant, M&A Expert, Board Member & Retired Air Force Officer. He develops and implements strategies to enhance organizational value through innovative and creative approaches to traditional business challenges. He is also the Founder and President of N-M Holdings, a holding company that is the largest operator of The UPS Store in Central Florida.

Sean has served in multiple C-level roles in small and medium-sized businesses and as a Senior Executive with state government. Most recently, he served as the Chief Strategy Officer of Freedom Consulting Group--a provider of expert Geospatial and Data Engineering services to the US Intelligence Community. Prior to joining Freedom, Sean was the Co-Founder, President & CEO of Sage Management. Sean played a key leadership role in the re-capitalization of Freedom and the acquisition of Sage by the Xator Corporation

Sean is a Project Management Professional and Systems Engineer with almost twenty years of experience. He is also a Retired Air Force Reserve Intelligence Officer. He holds an M.S. in Information and Telecommunications Systems from The Johns Hopkins University, Carey School of Business, and a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park. Further, Mr. Keller holds DAWIA Level III Certification and is Project Management Institute Certified, Project Management Professional Category 1.

Specialties: Executive Management, Program & Project Management, Systems Engineering, Systems Acquisition, Intelligence Analysis, Business Development, Contract Management, Business Analysis.