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.”
