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Don Fry, PRes. and CEO of GBC

Who is the keynote speaker at the September 16, 2008 HARAMBEE Dinner Club? 

Donald C. Fry is president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC), the central Maryland region's most prominent organization of business and civic leaders. He has been the chief executive of the GBC since November 1, 2002. Since that time he has presented a new vision for the GBC that is taking shape in the form of bold initiatives designed to strengthen the area's business climate.

He has made advocacy for viable regional transportation a top GBC priority, launching a three-pronged initiative that includes lobbying at the state level, monitoring and evaluating new developments and proposals, and working on the federal level to insure that regional transportation plans are funded. The GBC has been instrumental in gaining funding to begin the planning and construction of the Red Line, an east-west rapid transit system from Woodlawn to Inner Harbor East, and expansion of the existing Metro Green Line north from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

Recognizing potential for the region's growth in the emerging bioscience industry, the GBC has emerged as a lead organization supporting the development of two bioscience parks. The University of Maryland Baltimore's BioPark on Baltimore's west side and the Science and Technology Park at Johns Hopkins, coupled with an 80-acre neighborhood revitalization on Baltimore’s east side are projected to generate up to 10,000 new jobs. The GBC has taken the lead role in creating a bioscience community of companies, agencies and higher institutions to build an environment of support for the two bioscience parks and the biotechnology industry in the region.

In 2003, Don Fry unveiled plans for a major new initiative that would "bridge the gap" between large companies and minority-owned companies. This multi-dimensional effort includes seminars, networking, and mentoring efforts designed to create a unified business community with tangible benefits for minority-owned businesses. The GBC has also reached out to women business owners, encouraging their active participation in the organization and has doubled the number of women serving on its board of directors.

Prior to being named GBC president and CEO, Don Fry served as the GBC's executive vice president and general counsel with full responsibility for managing the day-to-day operations. He also oversaw the GBC's economic development and community revitalization efforts on Baltimore's west and east sides and the organization's public safety initiatives including strategies to reduce crime and increase drug treatment availability.

From 1980 to 1999 Fry was engaged in a private law practice in Harford County. During this time he also served in the Maryland General Assembly. He served as a member of the Senate of Maryland from 1997 to 1998 as a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee and its subcommittee on Public Safety, Transportation, Economic Development and Natural Resources. His tenure in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1991 to 1997 included service on the House Ways and Means Committee, Appropriations Committee, chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Transportation and the Environment, and membership on the Capital Budget Subcommittee. He is one of only a handful of legislators, past and present, to have served on each of the major budget committees of the Maryland General Assembly.

From 1988 to 1991, Fry chaired the Transit Advisory Panel, a 28-member group of elected officials, community leaders and transit riders that developed long and short-term recommendations for the future of transit in Maryland for the Maryland Department of Transportation. He also represented the House of Delegates on the Governor's Commission on Management and Productivity. His other appointments included the Joint Transportation 2000 Committee and the Special Joint Task Force on Transportation.

In 2002 and 2003, he served as Chair of the Vision 2030 Oversight Committee, a body of individuals representing citizens, businesses and special interest groups, creating vision statements and strategies for the central Maryland region.

In 2006-2007, Fry was co-chair of transportation transition teams for both Governor Martin O’Malley and Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon. He is a member of Mayor Sheila Dixon’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Property Tax Reform to study Baltimore City's tax and fee structure. Recently, he was appointed by Mayor Dixon to co-chair the Mayor’s Transportation Investment Commission that is charged with developing a strategy to secure transportation funds for Baltimore City.

In 2007 he was appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley as a member of the Maryland Port Commission. His appointment was confirmed by the Senate of Maryland.

He currently serves on the boards of Harford Mutual Insurance Companies, St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association (BACVA), University of Maryland Shock Trauma Board of Trustees, Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, CollegeBound and the Capitol College Board of Business Advisors.

Fry is a 1979 graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law. He earned a B.S. in political science from Frostburg State College. He lives in Harford County with his wife Bonnie and son Matthew.

*Source: www.gbc.org