At its 67th Annual Meeting on May 25 Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) members approved a merger with the Economic Alliance of (EAGB). The merged organization will operate as the Greater Baltimore Committee and focus on collaboration and equity the Greater Baltimore region while also marketing the region’s assets. More than 550 attended the annual event, the first in-person GBC Annual Meeting since May 2019.
“With this merger, we open a new chapter and set a new direction,” said Calvin Butler, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Exelon, and Chair of GBC’s Board of Directors. “The Greater Baltimore region needs one, comprehensive organization with a clear, inclusive vision to increase economic opportunity, get people more engaged, and invest in lasting, equitable growth in our communities. By working together, and through public-private partnerships, we can optimize the region’s assets and collectively drive meaningful change.”
Also announced at the annual meeting were plans for GBC and its business community to take on a greater role in ensuring Baltimore City aggressively addresses its continuing challenges with crime and the concerns about public safety among residents and the business community.
The organization plans to hire a Public Safety Advocate to track and assess the multiple public safety and law enforcement strategies already announced by Baltimore city government and the Baltimore Police Department. A key GBC goal will be to assess how the business community can support these efforts and partner to drive crime down and improve public safety.
The Board and members also paid tribute to GBC’s current President & CEO, Donald C. Fry, who will retire on June 1 after two decades of service to the GBC.
At the Annual Meeting, Mr. Fry said, “I have worked with six mayors of Baltimore, nine GBC Board chairs, more than 600 business CEOs that have served on the GBC Board of Directors, been a part of over 200 meetings of the Board of Directors, countless GBC policy committee meetings and have collaborated with leaders in business and government statewide and many committed community leaders throughout the region.
“It has been an amazing journey. I truly count myself blessed to have led an organization that is one of the most effective business advocacy groups in the state,” Fry said in his speech to members.
The GBC Board has appointed a search committee and hired an executive placement firm, Korn Ferry, to conduct a nationwide search for Fry’s replacement.
The Board and the new CEO will develop a new mission, vision, and governance, and build upon the important work already underway in the region.
In the interim, Sharon Markley Schreiber, former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the EAGB, will steer the organization as COO of the GBC until a new CEO is named.