Our Founder

Darold Hamlin is a founding partner of the Emerging Technology Consortium (ETC) which is a group of companies and individuals dedicated to ensuring the benefits of technology reach all communities.  He is also a former part-owner and Senior Executive for Logistics Systems Incorporated (LSI), a Federal consulting firm located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.  Prior to launching these entrepreneurial ventures, he served as Chief Information Officer (CIO) for both the City of Philadelphia and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in Atlanta, GA.  He is a retired military officer who served as a CIO for the United States Army Reserves and Departmental Chair at Fordham University in New York City.

Mr. Hamlin started the Emerging Technology Consortium (ETC) because he recognized that technology is the equalizer.  He understands that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) is the foundation for next-generation industries, but ownership of that technology is the empowering factor.  Ownership closes the wealth gap.  As America now resembles the rest of the world demographically, there is no more important mission than ensuring that all communities are economically represented.

The Emerging Technology Consortium’s accomplishments include:

•          Publishing Technology Incubator Study for the District of Columbia, Economic Partnership;

•          Sponsored Emerging Technology Opportunity Development Act for the District of Columbia Government;

•          Created the HBCU Plan, Toyota North America;

•          First Round Awardee, Minority Business Development Agency, Broad Agency Announcement, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation for the HBCU Path to Sustainability;

•          Partnered with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.  to establish the HBCU NDAA Advisory Board;

•          Advisor to Congressional Black Caucus and HBCU Caucus for defense issues (NDAA) that increased HBCU MI Appropriation from $20M to $100M (2020).

ETC introduced the District of Columbia’s Emerging Technology Opportunity Act of 2007.  The legislation followed the New Economy Transformation Act of 2000 (NET 2000), which led to an increase in the number of technology companies relocating to the city.  As part of the implementation of the Emerging Technology Opportunity Act of 2008, the DC Economic Partnership charged the ETC to conduct a technology incubator study, which identified the technology assets in the District and determined the requirements to capitalize on the research conducted in and for the technology assets in the City.  Darold is a Norfolk State University graduate with advanced degrees from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and Fordham University.  He is a certified school business official in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.