This past week, it was both my pleasure and my sadness to participate in the graduation of 20

ACTiVATE(R) Class of 2009

incredible women from the ACTiVATE® at UMBC’s Class of 2009. I am sad because we have spent every Monday night of the last year together (OK – we took the summer off!). As with classes before, it’s been a great experience. I felt privileged to witness incredible growth in already strong, accomplished women. Just goes to show – we all have room to grow no matter WHAT stage we’re at!

Dr. Kimberly Brown, ACTiVATE® @ UMBC Class of 2007, did an excellent job at delivering the keynote speech. She talked about what motivates people to make the leap into entrepreneurship – to move from the finite realm of job descriptions to the infinite possibilities entrepreneurship brings. ACTiVATE®, she said, made a difference for her by making the impossible indeed VERY possible. When she joined the program, she was negotiating to buy a business but at a standstill. Some simple advice she received at her interview provided her with the information she needed to move the talks along and purchased a government contract just 2 days into the class. Her company, Amethyst Technologies was born. What started as a 2 person company with 1 client has now grown 20 people with 9 clients, purely through word-of-mouth marketing. Incredible.Getting to know Kimberly through the program and outside of it, I am confident Amethyst is posed for even greater growth and impact under her leadership. Her opportunities are infinite.

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