Charm City Dreamers

In this episode we interview the executive director, Joshua Day, Director of Development, Wes Jamison, and one of their strength ambassadors Corey. MissionFit aims to destroy barriers of access and knowledge that prevent our youth from achieving health, and to build a community that makes health and wellness possible and a priority for everyone.

Caryn York is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF), an independent, statewide nonprofit organization that promotes policies and programs to help low-wage workers advance to high-wage jobs. Caryn is JOTF’s youngest CEO and the first African American female to lead the twenty-three-year organization.

Chris Riehl is the owner and president of Baltimore Rent-A-Tour. Since purchasing the company in 2007 he has worked with hundreds of visitors to the Baltimore region helping create unforgettable experiences. He's passionate about sharing stories that showcase just how special a place Baltimore is and believes that the tourism and hospitality industry plays a key role in supporting jobs and economic development in our city. He's produced a series of "BALTIMOREientation" videos (available on YouTube) highlighting fun and interesting sites around town and even wrote and recorded a song about the city appropriately titled "Baltimore!" He is also the president of the Baltimore Tourism Association (www.baltimoretourism.com) and sits on the board of both the Maryland Tourism Coalition (www.mdtourism.org) and Federal Hill Main Street (www.fedhill.org).   

Ali and Andres are two of the co-founders of the Holistic Life Foundation.  Through their work at the Holistic Life Foundation they have helped develop and pilot yoga and mindfulness programs at public and private schools, drug treatment centers, juvenile detention centers, mental crisis facilities, and retreat centers, nationally and internationally. Their work with the Holistic Life Foundation has been featured on Making a Difference on the NBC Nightly News, CNN, and CBS, as well as O the Oprah Magazine, The Washington Post, Upworthy, Mindful Magazine, Yoga Journal, Shambala Sun, and many other publications.

Antonia came to Homeless Persons Representation Project (HPRP) as its Executive Director in 2007. She is responsible for providing strategic leadership for Maryland's only legal services and advocacy organization dedicated to eliminating homelessness; communicating the mission, programs, and need of its clients to the public; developing and maintaining sound relationships with collaborators, supporters, funders and other stakeholders; providing efficient management and direction to staff and volunteers; ensuring fiscal responsibility and leading fundraising efforts; and reporting to and supporting the work of HPRP's board of directors. 

In 2015 Will Gee co-founded Balti Virtual, a creative studio that has designed augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences for clients including Under Armour, PayPal, Stanley Black and Decker, Sagamore Development, and NBCUniversal. He was recently honored as one of the Baltimore Business Journal's "Tech10." Prior to Balti Virtual, Will contributed titles such as "European Air War," "X-Com Enforcer," and "Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes," for MicroproseSoftware.  

Michelle Geiss is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Impact Hub Baltimore. As a community workspace for 230+ social entrepreneurs, Impact Hub Baltimore and its members are building an innovative local economy that advances equity and addresses the city’s complex challenges. Ms. Geiss is a specialist in program design and strategy for social innovation and social enterprise. She draws on fifteen years experience managing public health, social marketing, and collective impact initiatives to narrow health and wealth gaps. Her career has spanned four continents and she holds an MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

Thibault Manekin is one of the co-founders of Seawall Development and original founders of Peaceplayers International. Learn how Thibault has been uniting communities through creative ideas and re-developing the built environment.

Fred "Big Fred" Watkins is a comedian, actor and show producer from Baltimore, MD. Known most notably as a member of “The Empire” on Oxygen Tv’s hit show “Last Squad Standing”. Fred is the founder of “Lil Laughs” which is an anti-bullying based mentoring program for kids that directly addresses public speaking, confidence, and various other enrichment opportunities. 

In this episode we shared the live panel interview recording from the first ever Charm City Dreamers Gala. The panel features 6 past guests Alicia Wilson, Van Brooks, Rebecca Hoffberger, Chris Wilson, MaryBeth Hyland and  James Bond

In March 2000, after practicing law for 14 years, Randi Pupkin founded Art with a Heart. Art with a Heart is a non-profit organization that provides 14,500 interactive visual art classes annually to children, youth and adults in Baltimore’s most compromised communities. In addition to its core classes, Art with a Heart’s efforts include a workforce development program, a leadership program, community service initiatives, large-scale public art projects and a retail/social enterprise store called, HeARTwares located in Baltimore, Maryland.

Joseph T. Jones, Jr. is founder of the Center For Urban Families, a Baltimore nonprofit service organization established to strengthen urban communities by helping fathers and families achieve stability and economic success. Mr. Jones is a national leader in workforce development, fatherhood and family services programming, and through his professional and civic involvement influences policy direction nationwide. Mr. Jones has received numerous awards and honors including the Johns Hopkins University Leadership Development Program’s Distinguished Leadership Award, the Walter Sondheim Public Service Award, the White House Champion of Change and was a 2013 CNN Hero. He served on President Obama’s Taskforce on Fatherhood and Healthy Families and several boards including: the Open Society Institute-Baltimore, the Baltimore Workforce Development Board, and the National Fatherhood Leaders Group. He was a community advisor on fatherhood issues to Vice President Al Gore and contributed to First Lady Laura Bush’s Help

Funlayo Alabi and her husband co-founded Shea Radiance, a natural beauty brand dedicated to transforming hair, skin, thinking and lives into something beautiful. She believes in the power of economic access and what can happen when women reach out to lift other women, regardless of their differences.

The grandson of four Holocaust survivors, David has made it his life purpose to leverage the power of collective memory to inspire collective action towards a world of “Never Again.” David is the founder and CEO of Together We Remember (TWR) a non-profit focused on empowering the next generation to transform remembrance into action. TWR hosts dozens of live vigils around the world that brings people together from lines of difference to build resilience against hatred in all its forms.

Brian Levin is a Baltimore based filmmaker who recently returned from a decade in Los Angeles. He has created content for Disney/Time Warner/Lionsgate/Comedy Central and many other film/tv companies.  He has just wrapped up his directing debut on his new film, which was shot in Maryland and had many cast and crew from the area.  The film will now be submitted to festivals around the world as it begins its journey to theaters.

Mary Miller spent 26 years in the investment management industry with T. Rowe Price in Baltimore. She was Director of the Fixed Income Division and also served on the firm's management committee, asset allocation committee, and as a trustee of the T. Rowe Price Foundation. After the financial crisis, Ms. Miller was recruited to serve at the Treasury from 2010 through 2014, first as the Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets and then as the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance under President Obama. Today Ms. Miller focuses her time and energy on helping figure out solutions to help finance growth in Baltimore.

Maimouna Youssef is a global citizen, a musical healer, a cultural philanthropist and a community pillar. As she states "knowing your heritage gives you a different kind of purpose with your life". Maimouna Youssef has shared stages with music giants such as Sting, Nas, Common, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Ed Sheeran, Queen Latifah, and many others.

Delshan Baker is the head of investment for Thread. In this episode you will learn about Delshan’s story and how she is helping Thread create a movement that will change the nature of how we define family & communities.

Learn all about the Baltimore Jazz scene with saxophonist David Diongue. He moved to Baltimore at age 5 and discovered music through saxophonist and educator Carl Grubbs. With the help of local musicians, Diongue was accepted to Baltimore School for the Arts where he studied with Tim Green and Dr. Chris Ford.  Diongue went on to Oberlin Conservatory to study with Gary Barty, critically acclaimed saxophonist and Baltimore native.  Additionally, Diongue studied with Jamey Haddad, Jay Ashby, and Dan Wall. Diongue is currently based in Baltimore and has worked with David Murray, Lafayette Gilchrist, and Jamal Moore.

Chris grew up under extremely difficult circumstances. Poverty, drug addiction, and gun violence was the everyday norm in his community. At the age of 17, he was charged with a crime, convicted, and sentenced to natural life in prison. It was during times of isolation that he decided to not only to turn his life around, but to make a difference in the lives of people who currently live in poverty-stricken communities similar to his childhood surroundings. "Many years ago,  I committed my life to self-improvement and helping others. I sat in a dark cell and wrote up what I now call my Master Plan. A plan to build a business empire and help others." You can now pre-order his book Master Plan