The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) hosted the 10th annual Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame (MCBHOF) on October 26, in an annual event that honors top business leaders and raises funds to support scholarships for students who attend programs at USG each year.
This year’s prestigious list of Business Hall of Fame inductees included:
- Tim Chi, Co-founder of WeddingWire and CEO of The Knot Worldwide
- Bonnie Fogel, Founder, Imagination Stage
- Jeff Galvin, CEO and Founder, American Gene Technologies
- Haroon Mokhtarzada, Co-founder and CEO of Truebill (now Rocket Money)
Through the annual event, the Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame has been able to raise more than $1.6 million for scholarships at USG. Hundreds of students who attended USG and who are currently in the Montgomery County and regional workforce have been able to benefit from the Hall of Fame’s efforts in the past.
Student speaker at this year’s event, Nadine Dogbo, a 2022 graduate from Towson University’s Early Childhood Education program at USG, shared how the Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame’s support helped relieve her of the financial stress, so that she could focus more on doing her best academically. Dogbo is now proud to be a kindergarten teacher in the Montgomery County Public School system, a grade she has always wanted to teach.
Mokhtarzada, who graduated from Blair High School and went on to attend the University of Maryland before launching a series of successful business ventures, stated during his induction speech that he is proof that “scholarship programs matter.” He noted that his family immigrated from Afghanistan when he was a young child and that he had benefited from the availability of financial aid resources and programs, including the free and reduced meal program when he was a young student in the public school system.
In her closing remarks, USG Executive Director Anne Khademian noted: “The Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame recognizes business leaders who are a vital component of a strong workforce.” She thanked business leaders for the support of the event and challenged them to increase their investment in scholarships, in order to serve even more students, adding: “Together, we can build pathways to meaningful employment and great careers for all students.”
Watch the replay of the livestream from the October 26 event below. A copy of this year’s program book from the event can also be found below. In this booklet you will find bios for this year’s honorees, a list of past honorees, our sponsors and more.
Want to help further educational access and opportunity for students? It’s not too late to make a tax deductible donation to the MCBHOF to benefit the scholarship programs at USG.