Area businessman William C. Anderson chairs organizing committee
PRINCESS ANNE, MD. – (May 19, 2016) – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore announced today that the Hon. William C. Anderson will serve as honorary chairman of its Mid-Atlantic Higher Education, Business & Research Conference to be held on campus in October.
The three-day event is being planned to appeal to government agency decision-makers and their high-profile contractors, start-up entrepreneurs, small business owners, educators and students who have an interest in science, technology, engineering, agriculture and math – known collectively as the STEAM fields.
As president of a Salisbury, Md.-based firm specializing in energy technology commercialization, environmental sustainability, defense and business development, Anderson will take a lead role in recruiting a broad spectrum of conference participants to visit UMES.
“This will be a ‘coming out party’ for the formidable presence UMES will have in the STEAM world going forward,” Anderson said. “This is an important step – moving UMES forward as a place where important research is done, and where graduates can make a difference.”
Festivities kick off Oct. 19 with a formal dedication of the university’s newest classroom building, the $94 million Engineering & Aviation Science Complex that opened in late January.
The next two days will include activities organized around a theme of “leveraging sustainable partnerships” between UMES, the private sector and government, specifically federal agencies.
Anderson is hopeful conference participants will become more familiar with UMES’ role as a public land-grant institution that is putting increased emphasis on training and research in STEAM disciplines.
In addition to being president and chief executive officer of Anderson Global Innovation Group, Anderson is an attorney and runs a family-owned real estate management firm that serves the lower Eastern Shore. He also holds several senior advisory positions in organizations serving the defense, aerospace, sustainability and energy markets.
“Bill has had a remarkable career that touch on his many interests, personally and professionally, the UMES is fortunate to count him among its staunch supporters and trusted advisers,” said Stephen McDaniel, the university’s vice president for institutional advancement.
When President George W. Bush appointed him to serve as an assistant secretary of the U.S. Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics, Anderson came to appreciate the importance of research and training taking place on the nation’s university campuses.
“I’d like to see UMES have a higher profile in the eyes of federal agencies and corporations looking for partners to help solve problems and come up with new ideas and strategies,” he said.
Anderson said one only has to look to NASA’s Wallops (Va.) Flight Facility, where private contractors and federal government agencies are constantly working on exciting new enterprises.
“The conference will position UMES to be more involved,” Anderson said. “There are so many possibilities there for the university.”
His vision for a successful conference is to attract students – locally and beyond – to enroll at UMES and pursue careers with established industry and start-up companies in a more diversified economy on the Lower Shore.
“The university is well positioned to play a major role there,” he said. “I’m going to do whatever I can to help the university put its best foot forward. I intend to be active.”
