Mike Gill

Mike is a business leader with four decades of experience as an entrepreneur, technology executive, investment banker, and public servant. He was tapped by Governor Larry Hogan in 2014 to lead the Maryland Department of Commerce as its first-ever Secretary and was asked by the Governor to again lead the Department in January 2021.
Mike began his career in 1974 at IBM, where he served as an account manager, regional specialist, and sales school instructor for the company’s Office Products and General Systems Division. He left IBM to join Ernst & Young as a Regional Director of Data Systems. In 1984, Mike founded AMERICOM, a wireless communications company that grew to more than 1,000 team members before Solectron acquired it in 2000. Mike also co-founded First Page USA Inc., which Metrocall later acquired. He was also a key member of the team that acquired leading regional power generator firm Curtis Engine. Today, the firm is known as Curtis Power Solutions and operates from South Carolina through Upstate New York.

Speaking Engagements

Mike has delivered speeches and presentations to hundreds of organizations on topics such as entrepreneurship; innovation; economic development including the impact of education on economic development, the businesses effect on communities, and the importance of partnerships.

Education

Mike earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Towson University in 1974 after first attending Clemson University on a baseball scholarship. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Towson University in 1996. Mike was also inducted into the Calvert Hall, Alumni Hall of Fame in 2017.

Organizations

Mike was chairman of the Towson University Board of Visitors, a member and former chair of the audit committee for the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, and a member of the Clemson University President’s Advisory Board. Mike serves on the board of directors of St. Joseph’s Medical Center, part of the University of Maryland Medical System. He also served as chairman for three years. Mike has twice been recognized as a “Most Influential Marylander” by The Daily Record, and he also is a past recipient of the Baltimore County “Good Scout” award. The Daily Record recently recognized Mike as a member of the “Power 30 in Business.” In 2021, he was named to the Baltimore Sun’s Business and Civic Hall of Fame. In 2022, Mike was named one of Maryland’s Most Admired CEOs by The Daily Record.

Interests

Mike is an avid golfer, whether it’s playing golf or watching it, he will always be a part of it. Mike has learned that in golf, you always need a strategy, and it’s not always optimal to aim for the hole each time. He has been able to transition this into his workday and always has a strategy, whether it be long-term or short term for finding the solution.