The Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO) has named Tom Sadowski as its next executive director. 

Sadowski, who is currently the vice chancellor at the University System of Maryland (USM), will join the state-created organization in early August. He’ll succeed current MEDCO Executive Director Robert Brennan, who is retiring. 

Sadowski is a familiar face in the local tech and entrepreneurial community. With USM, he was the first economic development-focused vice chancellor, and launched the Maryland Momentum Fund, which provides venture funding for university-affiliated startups. And he played a key role as the university system continued to bolster its commercialization and startup formation efforts. Prior to taking the vice chancellor role in 2016, he served as executive director of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore as it bolstered ties into the tech community. 

Not to be confused with TEDCO, MEDCO is similarly a quasi-public state agency. But it takes a wider lens on economic development than just tech, seeking to bolster economic development, giving and workforce development efforts.