John Vigna, 57, of Silver Spring, a former Montgomery County Public Schools teacher who pleaded guilty in March to one count of Sexual Child Abuse and three counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor, was sentenced today in Rockville. Vigna was originally sentenced to 48 years in prison in 2017 but that conviction was overturned last year and he was released on bond as he awaited a new trial. (more…)
The Boy Scouts of America, which has multiple troops in Montgomery County, has announced that it will be changing its name to Scouting America.
Talent is one of the most important factors influencing where companies choose to invest, expand, and grow. As competition for skilled workers intensifies, employers are embracing a broader talent strategy: one that leverages partnerships. Last week, almost 120 business leaders, elected officials, and members of Montgomery County’s business community attended the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation’s (MCEDC) panel, “The Talent Advantage: A Growth Strategy for Companies in Montgomery County, Maryland,” to hear how local businesses are capitalizing on the County’s world-class academic institutions, innovation ecosystem, quality of life, and economic development resources to attract and retain top talent.
Moderated by Dr. Anne Khademian, Executive Director at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG), the panel included executives from businesses and institutions across industries, including Lockheed Martin, TrilliumBIO, Thales Defense & Security, Johns Hopkins, Montgomery College, and AstraZeneca, who discussed their companies’ strategies for developing their workforce.
Talent as a Business Strategy
For companies competing in highly specialized industries like the defense industry, access to talent directly influences where they choose to locate and grow. For Lockheed Martin, which employs nearly 1,000 people in Montgomery County, talent is one of the primary reasons the company chose to be headquartered here.
“Talent is in the top one or two reasons why we are in the County,” said Todd Cohen, Senior Lead of Strategic Workforce Development, Lockheed Martin.
According to Cohen, Lockheed Martin begins working with partners to develop their talent pipeline well before students enter the workforce, including partnering with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) on programs such as coding challenges. Lockheed Martin also maintains close relationships with local higher education institutions, including the Universities at Shady Grove (USG).
That local talent pipeline is also an important factor for AstraZeneca, which employs more than 5,000 employees and contractors in Montgomery County. According to Tiffany Lukis, Director of STEM and Community Engagement at AstraZeneca, the company often taps into its alumni base from Montgomery College (ranked #26 nationally among community colleges) and USG (which offers nine different public universities onto one campus), and other local institutions to fill highly technical roles.
Local Companies Are Developing Talent and Not Just Finding It
According to the panelists, investing in existing employees is just as important as recruiting new ones.
At Suburban Hospital, workforce development is closely tied to talent retention. The hospital partners with local educational institutions to provide employees with opportunities to gain new skills and advance their careers. Programs include a Certified Nursing Assistant program through Montgomery College and English as a Second Language classes.
“A huge part of our talent strategy is to prioritize holding on to our top tier talent,” said Corey Lewson, MSW, Program Manager, Workforce Development, John Hopkins Medicine.
For smaller companies, developing talent internally can be especially valuable. Lane Edwards, Vice President of Operations, TrilliumBIO, a biomarker discovery company with fewer than 20 employees based in Rockville, described the challenge of balancing the need for highly specialized expertise with the realities of building a team at an early-stage company.
“When it comes to hiring, we have to be very strategic,” Lane said. “Do we have someone who has the expertise or someone that we can build on?”
The Office of Council President Andrew Friedson issued the following news release on Tuesday, May 7:
Montgomery County Police has released surveillance footage of a suspect wanted in connection to two burglaries that occurred in Bethesda.
We ❤️ Teachers 5K celebrates educators through movement. On race day, runners and walkers across the country will participate in host city races, school celebrations, and virtual events — all in support of teachers and educator wellness. We'll be in beautiful Wheaton Regional Park, Join Us!
Walk it. Run it. Move for the teacher who moved you.
Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda was evacuated following a small fire at approximately 10:30am on Tuesday morning.
Montgomery Parks received $1.15 million in capital funding for four park projects from the state of Maryland during the 2024 legislative session. The funding will be used to renovate parks and playgrounds in legislative districts in Montgomery County.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the 9600blk of Athens Pl in Gaithersburg (Downtown Crown) on Tuesday, May 7 for the report of a fire.
A 24-year-old Rockville man has been arrested in connection with a fatal collision involving a pedestrian that occurred on Veirs Mill Rd in December 2023. (more…)
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to a collision on Tuesday, May 7 in Gaithersburg. (more…)
The MCPD Special Operations Division will be conducting Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) training in the Gaithersburg area on Tues., May 7, 2024, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center, an acute-care hospital in eastern Montgomery County, is adding patient beds to increase its ability to serve patients from across the Washington, D.C., region who seek emergency and inpatient care for medical, surgical and heart procedures.