OUR STORY
NPower is a national nonprofit that leverages an evidence-based model to foster economic empowerment through digital skill enhancement and industry-recognized credentials for military-connected individuals, young adults, and women from under-resourced communities. Our strength is seeing students of nontraditional backgrounds through pivotal life transitions. Our unique approach combines rigorous, free training and trauma-informed support services, career readiness skills, and job placement assistance.
We have offered foundational and advanced career training opportunities to over 10,000 graduates, with the goal of scaling to serve 15,000 annually by 2030—all while maintaining strong placement outcomes. Led by a committed team, we seek to create a tech workforce that mirrors the world around us and empowers students to drive change in their own lives and communities.
Over the past decade, NPower has expanded its program reach and developed a robust network of Fortune 500 companies, mid-sized enterprises, government agencies, staffing firms, and a network of nonprofit partners that host its interns and hire its graduates full-time. NPower is a vital solution towards bridging the national talent gap that exists in the high-growth technology industry.
To learn more about NPower, visit npower.org.
ORDER OF CEREMONY MARYLAND
WELCOME REMARKS
Demetrius Goodwin
Executive Director, NPower Maryland
ALUMNI SPEAKER
Sean Neal
NPower Maryland Spring 2023 Graduate
CLASS SPEAKER
Malasia Kennedy
Kimberly Sampson-Watts
PRESENTATION OF CLASS HONORS
Tiombe Graham
Recruitment and Admissions Manager, NPower Maryland
Christian Reeves
Recruitment and Admissions Manager, NPower Maryland
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Roberto (Rob) Suárez
VP and Chief Information Security Officer, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
PRESENTATION OF GRADUATION CERTIFICATES
Kyle Wise
Program Director, NPower Maryland
CLOSING REMARKS
Anthony Butler
Placement Director, NPower Maryland
RECEPTION
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
Roberto (Rob) Suárez
VP and Chief Information Security Officer, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
Roberto (Rob) Suárez is a cybersecurity and privacy expert in the medical device and healthcare IT industry. He is currently the VP and Chief Information Security Officer at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, where he leads cybersecurity initiatives to align with company goals and ensure the security of information and technologies.
Previously, Mr. Suárez was the VP and CISO at BD, overseeing IT, manufacturing, and product security and fostering cybersecurity training and community
engagement. He also worked at Siemens, initially in software engineering and later on remote service platforms for medical devices.
Mr. Suárez was part of the HHS Healthcare Industry Cybersecurity Task Force and chaired several cybersecurity working groups focused on medical technology. He has collaborated with the FDA and DHS to improve cybersecurity practices. He holds a degree in Computer Science from Montclair State University and is a Certified Healthcare Information Security and Privacy Professional (HCISPP).
ALUMNI SPEAKER
Sean Neal
NPower Maryland Spring 2023 Graduate PC Technician, Archangel Technology + Education
CLASS SPEAKER
CLASS SPEAKER
Malasia Kennedy
Kimberly Sampson-Watts
GRADUATES CONGRATULATIONS!
Maryland Tech Fundamentals Fall 2024
Paulos Akalu
Ayomide Akintemi
Luz Alfaro Alvarado
Brenda Alvarenga
Kaj Baker
Bianca Binney
Elijah Blake
Asia Brown
Tyler Brown
Cameryn Butler
Kelly Campos
Denise Chen
Chaiann Cobb
Ari Cockrell
Horacio Contreras
Michael Dennis
Kathryn Dickerson
Elhadji Diallo
Prince Egbunine
Bram Elswick
Emmanuel Fondong
Destinee Foy
Joshua Fuqua-DaCosta
Ahmad Fuller
Terrence Gaskins
Ghoutum Emmanuel Ghondo
Miguel Giron
Anthony Gontorwon
Kaylen Gough
Tamia Greene
Shanel Hamilton
Amiyah Hill
Jordan Hollingsworth
Octavius Hood
Shawn Huff
Nabeel Ibrahim-Futa
Uriah Jackson
Dashawn Johnson
Jaedon Johnson
Lamontra Johnson
Kyree Jones
Mya Jones
Sonia Jouonang
Kalu Kalu
Heyaw Kassa
Fikir Kebede
Malasia Kennedy
Kim Mensah
Devin Miller
Malik Miller
Kishayla Monk
Gloria Mugure
Stephen Myers
Kaja Nall
Kalonji Parker
Kelly Quintana
Zeinab Ramezan Ali
Antoine Reed
Jalen Roberts
Justin Roberts
Kimberly Sampson-Watts
Jamilah Scott
Valentin Sebastian-Dominguez
Warren Shakes
Khalid Shodeinde
Tatiana Singhe
Amarien Spriggs
Leila Tambwe
Tarsha Tisdale Farrell
Jayda Tucker
Jonavan Tucker
Daniel Walker
Terra Washington
Jonathan Weeks
Donavan Weston
KEY CLASS STATISTICS
Isaiah Wilkie
Anthony Wilkins
Kaliyah Wilkins
Akie Williams
Jerrod Williams
Thomas Williams Jr.
Lorenz Wilson
Olamide Yusuf
Arian Ziglar
THANK YOU
to our Employment and Community Partners, Sponsors, and Funders
The Abell Foundation
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development - TrainUp Program
Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment
Development - WIOA Youth Training Program
Baltimore Civic Fund - Digital Equity Fund
Baltimore County Office of Economic and Workforce Development
Baltimore Renaissance Foundation
Allegis Global Solutions
Bank of America
Bloomberg L.P.
CareFirst Blue Cross BlueShield
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Comcast NBCUniversal
Coppin State University - NTIA Program
Demetrius Goodwin
Michael DiBlasio
Exelon Corporation - BGE
Ron and Cyndi Gula
Henry and Marion Knott Family Foundation
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
Maryland Department of Labor EARN Maryland Program
MetLife Foundation
Northrop Grumman Corporation
PNC Foundation
SNAP Education and Training Program
Louis B. Thalheimer and Juliet A. Eurich Foundation
Venable Foundation
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
MARYLAND REGIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Frank Baitman
Chair Senior Advisor
MDC Studio
Sandra A. Bempong
Grants Officer Community Health & Social Impact
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
Michael R. DiBlasio
Sr. Technical Program Manager
Amazon Web Services
Eboni Fotang Director, Quality and Mission Excellence
Northrop Grumman
Gayle Guilford (Retired) Chief Information Security Officer
Baltimore City Governmen
Scott Harris President VIACode
Blair Johnson Consultant
Ed Mullin Business Development Manager DP Solutions
Andrew Parlock Director, New Business, Defense ICEYE
Bruce Williams Retired IBM
Thank you to CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Allegis Global Solutions, and PNC Bank for your sponsorship.
