Gov. Larry Hogan, who is on a trip to South Korea, participated in the signing of a memorandum of cooperation with the South Korean Small and Medium Business Administration. (Courtesy of the Governor’s Office)
The delegation accompanying Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on his trade mission to Asia includes no Black-owned firms nor HBCU leaders, according to an AFRO review of the list provided by the Governor’s Office.
Hogan arrived in South Korea on May 26, native land of Maryland’s first lady Yumi Hogan and the first stop on a 12-day, multi-country economic development tour. Accompanied by Maryland business and University of Maryland executives, the governor will also make his way to China and finally to Japan to encourage two-way commercial and investment ties and promote Maryland as a viable base for foreign-owned companies looking to establish U.S. operations, according to a press release.
“This goal of this mission is all about taking our ‘Maryland Is Open for Business’ message to one of the fastest-growing economic regions of the world and inviting businesses from South Korea, China, and Japan to explore all that Maryland has to offer,” said Gov. Hogan in a statement. “We also want to connect our Maryland businesses with potential global partners and opportunities that will ultimately enable them to grow their companies and add new jobs.”
In addition to leaders from UMD Baltimore and UMD College Park, the delegation included: Ermis Sfakiyanudis, president, Cyber Reliant; Diane Leopold, president, Dominion Energy; Mike Frederick, vice president of LNG Operations, Dominion Resources; Bill Allen, Cove Point commercial manager, Dominion Transmission; Matthew Lee, president, FASTech; Mi-Ja Son, board member, Global Children Foundation; Christy Wyskiel, senior advisor to the president for enterprise development, Johns Hopkins University; Kikko Murray, vice president, Merrill Lynch; Chong-Nak Son, board member, Metropolitan Korean Community Service Center ; Mitch Butta, director of Industrial Partnerships & Offset, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems; Kyu Kwak, president and photographer, PictoLab; Marc Weller, president, Sagamore Development Co.; Andrew Roud, vice president for land use, St. John Properties; Wayne Rogers, chairman and CEO, The Northeast Maglev (TNEM) and Jeffrey Hirschberg, vice chairman, The Northeast Maglev (TNEM).