Serving Baltimore City and Baltimore County in Maryland
"I am committed to expanding the Maryland Small Business Development Center's services to assist Baltimore City and Baltimore County's entrepreneurs grow and sustain their businesses," says Funn.
Jennifer Smith Funn is the Regional Director for Baltimore City and Baltimore County at the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC). In her role, she has spearheaded immediate responses in collaboration with the SBA to assist businesses affected by the Key Bridge collapse. Her dedication to this cause earned her the 2024 Outstanding Employee Award from the University of Maryland's Department of Research. In addition to her work at the SBDC, Ms. Funn teaches as an adjunct professor at the Community College of Baltimore County. She is an active member of Governor Wes Moore’s Chesapeake Conservation Corps Advisory Board, where she provides insights on service-learning and green job training initiatives.
A former restaurant and catering service owner in a historic Galesville Inn, she also led a transit-oriented development project to revitalize areas surrounding the Prince George’s County Green Line Metro stations. A proud graduate of Virginia State University, she believes that "Entrepreneurship is not a destination; it’s a journey."
Soy de Venezuela, con más de 15 años de experiencia en la industria de la construcción y servicios públicos; ocupando roles en las áreas de seguridad laboral, recursos humanos y gestión de contratos.
Craig Panos has been a business consultant with the SBDC since 2007, with specialties in advanced technology commercialization, business finance and international trade.
Prior to his joining the SBDC, Craig held management and executive positions in the technology, real estate and database marketing industries - most recently as Director of Operations and Chief Financial Officer of Owings Mills-based Noospherics Technologies, Inc. As a multinational business owner himself since 1981, and having been involved with small business operations since the age of 15, Craig has watched many businesses succeed and has had an impact in numerous success stories. He is a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP).
Craig holds a B.A. degree from Western Maryland College and an MBA from Cornell University.
Ivie brings a wealth of entrepreneurial experience which he gained by establishing a food startup while pursuing his MBA at Howard University. Having worn multiple hats in for-profit and nonprofit sectors, Ivie offers innovative insight and creative problem-solving skills with entrepreneurs. Additionally, Ivie helps entrepreneurs focus on creating and sustaining business models developed through an experiential learning approach. His passion is seeing pivotal growth from all sides and angles by utilizing technology and intellectual property to scale higher. Away from the business world, you may find Ivie reading dystopian novels.
Monica Smith has worked in Financial
Services for 20 years. The name Monica means Advisor in Latin. She pursued and
obtained a Finance Degree from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC.
Her career in Corporate America has allowed her to develop a unique skillset
working for several Fortune 500 Companies. Monica has served as a Premier
Banker & Loan Officer for Bank of America, Retirement Consultant for TIAA
and a Financial Advisor for UBS, PNC Investments and Fidelity Investments.
During her career in finance, she became fascinated with residential and
commercial real estate. Monica became a Licensed Realtor for Keller Williams
serving the state of Maryland. She connected the dots between financial
literacy and first-time homebuyers to address the challenges of home ownership
for minorities. Monica collaborated with local banks, mortgage lenders and
credit counselors to host Homebuyer Workshops in Prince George’s County.
Monica also hosted a Talk Show called
Real Talk, Real Estate which was filmed weekly and streamed to thousands of
viewers. She believes in the power of partnership and continues to build her
network with Small Business Bankers, commercial realtors with the CBRE and
local entrepreneurs.
Monica is now serving as a Business
Startup Consultant for the Maryland Small Business Development Center. She’s
inspired by the organization’s commitment to support real people and real
business. Small businesses represent the engine of our economy on a national
and local level. Monica believes Baltimore is fertile ground for amazing growth
opportunities in real estate and beyond. She looks forward to working towards a
brighter and better tomorrow for business owners. Monica has been a resident of
Maryland for 30 years and loves it.
