Tampa Bay Wave Appoints Charlotte Baker as Board Chair
Digital Hands CEO, Charlotte Baker, steps into new role as a long-time entrepreneurial leader, community champion and supporter of innovation in Tampa Bay.
TAMPA, Fla., May 4, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Tampa Bay Wave, Inc. (Wave), a nonprofit technology startup accelerator dedicated to driving opportunity and prosperity in Tampa Bay, appoints seasoned cybersecurity founder, community leader and business woman, Charlotte Baker, as its new Board Chair.
Baker is the CEO and co-founder of Tampa-based cybersecurity firm, Digital Hands, and steps into this leadership role as a 20-year cybersecurity industry veteran, entrepreneur and recipient of numerous personal accolades, including CEO Magazine's "CEO of the Year." Other honors include "Lifetime Achievement Award" from eWomenNetwork, Tampa Bay Business Journal's "Business Woman of the Year in Technology," "Innovator of the Year" from Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) and one of "Florida's Most Influential Business Leaders," the past three years running by Florida Trends.
As a serial entrepreneur, Baker is no stranger to building innovative tech companies. Under her leadership, Digital Hands gained national recognition as a five time TSIA Star Award Winner with the Technology Services Industry Association for its commitment to innovative excellence, as well as the TSIA Star Award Hall of Fame for "Lifetime Achievement for Outstanding Service." Baker currently serves on the advisory board for TSIA's Managed Services discipline and is also a member of the Society of International Business Fellows (SIBF.org). She previously held board and officer positions for WIPP (Women Impacting Public Policy), where she advocated for small businesses before Congress and equipped business owners with resources and information to grow and scale.
Locally, Baker is deeply committed to the Tampa Bay community, currently serving on the Board of Trustees for the University of Tampa and previously holding officer positions for the Tampa Bay Technology Forum. Baker also launched Start-Up Young America, a non-profit designed to inspire children to be the next generation of entrepreneurs by experimenting with micro business plans that culminate in a hands-on annual sales forum.
"We are so honored to have Charlotte chair Tampa Bay Wave's board," says Linda Olson, Tampa Bay Wave founder and CEO. "Tampa Bay Wave is a 'for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs' organization, so to have a strong, female founder with a demonstrated track record of business and community leadership makes her an outstanding asset to the Wave board and the Tampa Bay startup community."
Baker is a frequent guest speaker on topics that include building entrepreneurial companies, promoting women in technology and developing new services within the cybersecurity industry.
With Wave's inaugural CyberTech|X Accelerator program underway and its second TechWomen Rising cohort slated for later this year, Baker's presence as a cybersecurity entrepreneur and female founder will provide invaluable leadership for both Wave and the companies it serves.
"The entrepreneurial spirit is vibrant and growing in the Tampa Bay technology community and I am honored to serve as the Tampa Bay Wave Board Chair," says Baker. "Digital Hands benefited greatly from community support in our earliest founding days, so it is personally important for me to give back to other tech entrepreneurs and help them achieve liftoff. One of the best ways I can think of to do this is to support Tampa Bay Wave and help strengthen their status as a nationally-recognized hub for innovation."
ABOUT TAMPA BAY WAVE:
Tampa Bay Wave, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing entrepreneurs with facilitated access to the resources, expertise, and capital they need to grow vibrant technology-based companies in Tampa Bay. Since March 2013, Tampa Bay Wave has supported more than 300 tech startups thanks to grant funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), plus support from its economic development partners Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa. Tampa Bay Wave also receives support from Bellini Better World, as well as from corporate partners such as the Nielsen Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, A-Lign, Bank of America, EY, Hancock Whitney, Florida Blue, Foley & Lardner, KnowBe4, SYKES Enterprises, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Electric, Trenam Law, and Valley Bank. For more information, visit http://www.tampabaywave.org. Tampa Bay Wave is also a member of the GAN network of accelerators.
ABOUT DIGITAL HANDS:
Digital Hands is a trusted global, award-winning cybersecurity service provider focused on delivering 24/7 security operations and services to mid-tier and enterprise customers. Our mission is to continuously take action to protect our customers' most valuable assets against relentless threats. The Digital Hands Composable Cybersecurity Model allows for custom service design that optimizes the legacy elements of each organization's existing infrastructure investments while allowing for augmentation with today's latest security technologies. For more information about our capabilities and industry leading white glove approach to customer success, visit http://www.digitalhands.com.
Media Contact
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SOURCE Tampa Bay Wave
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