My new job: Connecting Baltimore's innovation community

This week, I joined the Greater Baltimore Technology Council in a new position: Innovation Community Manager.

I’ll be working as a catalyst within and around Baltimore’s bustling scene of start-ups, developers, designers, social entrepreneurs, cultural connectors, and space makers. My role is to be a bridge-builder and connector among people in these overlapping circles.

Local entrepreneur Mike Subelsky has spoken and written eloquently on how we can support and grow the innovation community in Baltimore. Mike is now entrepreneur-in-residence at the GBTC and you’ll see his vision at work in a lot of what I’ll be doing.

My career has taken turns through journalism, government, urban public policy, and book publishing. But I’ve always been fascinated by technology’s useful tools and profound social power. Today, we can no longer separate “tech” from business, politics, culture, or media. Technology-driven networks pervade everything around us.

But people are more than the sum of their data. The rise of online social networks has only heightened the importance of real-life community, authentic connection, and conversation.

As producer of the TummelVision podcast, I’ve learned about the human side of tech from some deeply insightful authors, entrepreneurs, artists, and activists. In Baltimore, I’ve seen no end of compelling community-powered events. As an organizer of CreateBaltimore, as a volunteer and participant at TEDx MidAtlantic and TEDx Baltimore, as an attendee and speaker at Ignite Baltimore, I’ve seen amazing creativity and passion. 

I am grateful to now have an opportunity to help realize the potential of this collection of talented and optimistic people. In my role at GBTC, my job is to be a community catalyst. I will be out of the office a lot, listening and learning, and looking for connections between people and ideas. I’ll work on ways to support the local volunteers doing such remarkable things on spare time and shoestrings.

I’m proud and excited to be joining Sharon Webb, Brian Sierakowski, and the rest of the talented team at GBTC. It’s a momentous time for the organization and for the broader community of innovators in Baltimore.

Here at Baltimore Nexus, I’ll be recording my observations, publishing interviews, posting notices about events, and sharing interesting links and stories. I invite you to follow this blog’s RSS feed and twitter stream.

I’ll be attending as many of our community’s events as I can, and you may soon hear from me about meeting up for lunch, coffee, or a drink.

Get in touch with me at andrewhazlett[at]shortmail.com or via twitter @BmoreNexus or @AndrewHazlett. Stalk me using Plancast and Foursquare. Connect on Google+, LinkedIn, or Facebook. Seek me out at the Beehive or on the street. Let me know what you’re doing. What are your ambitions and challenges? How can we ensure that Baltimore is a thriving home for innovative people and projects? 

Let's make it happen.