Charm City Dreamers

Before we were selling wild kombucha in over 400 stores across 5 states, we were three friends making kombucha out of the side of a juice shop in Baltimore. We have continued to grow in our new brewery over the past two years, and have since been able to give back. As a proud supporter of the National Wildlife Federation, every bottle of Wild Kombucha helps protect wildlife habitats.

Ryan Odom is the head basketball coach of UMBC. In a six-day span, UMBC won an America East Conference title at prohibitive favorite Vermont and followed up by engineering the first victory for a No. 16 seed over a No. 1 seed in NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament history.  UMBC overwhelmed the tournament’s top overall seed, Virginia, 74-54, in Charlotte, N.C., earning an ESPY nomination for the “Best Moment” of the year.

Marilyn Ness is a two-time Emmy, Peabody, and DuPont Award winning filmmaker, is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and works as a producer and a director.  Most recently, she directed CHARM CITY which will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival 2018. Before that, she produced CAMERAPERSON (dir.Kirsten Johnson) premiered at Sundance 2016, was released by the Criterion Collection, and was shortlisted for the 2017 Academy Awards. TRAPPED (dir. Dawn Porter), which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, received the Jury Prize for Social Impact Filmmaking, broadcast on PBS, and was awarded a Peabody. She also produced Katy Chevigny and Ross Kauffman’s feature documentary E-TEAM, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2014 and was bought by Netflix Original, and later earned two Emmy nominations. Ness also produced Johanna Hamilton’s feature documentary 1971 which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2014, broadcast on Independent Lens in 2015, and earned an Emmy nomination. She

Mr. Selby is the Executive Director for Year Up Baltimore and Interim Executive Director for Year Up Greater Philadelphia, a national non profit organization that provides workforce development for young adults 18-24 years of age. A native of Baltimore and an alumni of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Morgan State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. Mr. Selby attended Howard University School of Divinity in pursuit of a Masters of Divinity degree. Recently, Mr. Selby completed the Georgetown University Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate Program in the Summer 2018 Cohort. Prior to joining Year Up, Mr. Selby was a senior manager consultant with IBM leading various business units and large programs such as the Quality Assurance team for the Express Scripts project and the Quality, Risk, Issue, and Delivery team for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Mr. Selby is a Project Management I

Jessica Watson is the President and Creative Director of Points North, a graphic design studio based in Baltimore. She is a Brand and Communications Strategist who partners with CEO’s, executives and entrepreneurs to transform them from where they are into where they want to be. With over a decade of experience working in marketing for diverse companies, global foundations and startups, Jessica knows what truly drives brand loyalty and conversions—and it’s not about jumping on the bandwagon of the latest trend, it’s about the passion you have for your work and how well you connect with the people you serve.   Jessica has landed coverage in several print and broadcast outlets, including ABC2 News, FOX 45, The Baltimore Business Journal, Baltimore Magazine, CityBizList, MyCity4Her, and The Baltimore Sun. She has served as a manager for B’More Creatives and the Baltimore Women in Tech networking groups. Additionally, Jessica is big on giving back to her community. She hosts the global campaign 28 Days of Kindnes

Marcus L. Wang, Esq. is the Co-Founder, President and General Manager of the Baltimore-based ZytoGen Global Genetics Institute, a CAP-accredited genetics testing company driving successful pregnancy outcomes for patients worldwide through its proprietary preimplantation genetic screening platform. ZytoGen has experienced rapid growth and achieved profitability within two years of its inception in 2014. Mr. Wang’s international business and legal experience covers both the U.S., where he practiced corporate law at the Manhattan office of DLA Piper, as well as China, where he spearheaded the development, execution and launch of Under Armour’s China market entry in 2011. Mr. Wang continues to advise U.S. businesses concerning China market entry and partnerships, providing guidance on go-to-market strategy, regulatory issues, brand development, and product localization.

Alicia went from a trade highschool in East Baltimore, to becoming the youngest and first African American partner at Gordon Feinblatt, and today she is the Sr. VP of impact investment and Sr. Legal Counsel to the Port Covington Development team where she was the lead negotiator in the passage the largest Tax Increment Financing Bill in US history at the time of $660 Million.

Jay A. Perman, MD, became the sixth president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) in July 2010. A pediatric gastroenterologist, Perman continues to practice medicine through his weekly President’s Clinic, where he teaches team-based health care to students of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, law, and social work. Interprofessional, team-based care is a priority of Perman’s: In 2013, he established the Center for Interprofessional Education to train all UMB students to provide high-quality, affordable health care and human services within a team-based model. Dr. Perman is strengthening UMB’s role in improving the health and well-being of its closest neighbors. In 2014, he established the Office of Community Engagement to coordinate UMB’s varied outreach projects — with special emphasis on West Baltimore — and to leverage resources so that the University may respond quickly and effectively to identified community needs. In fall 2015, Perman opened the UMB Community Engagement Center in West Ba

Marc has served as the professional leader of the Associated system since 2003 and is one of only six individuals who have held this position over the Associated’s 100-year history. In this important leadership capacity, Marc has provided vision and practical strategies to enhance community building, resource development and deployment and the fostering of alliances with a wide array of strategic partners.

Van Brooks is the founder and executive director of the Safe Alternative Foundation for Education. He was a three-sport athlete who, at the age of sixteen, broke his neck while attempting to make a tackle. As a result of this injury, Van was initially paralyzed from the neck down, unable to talk, eat or feel. In spite of such a tragedy, Van did not let this stop him. He went on to graduate from Loyola Blakefield and later from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications; all the while still working hard at therapy, making a miraculous recovery. Van was recently appointed as Director of Governer's Office on Service and Volunteerism. We hope this story inspires you to overcome your toughest obstacles.

Rebecca Alban Hoffberger is the founder, director and principal curator of the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM). As a life-long devotee of the power of intuition and fresh thought, Rebecca is constantly challenging the status quo. In this episode we explore how Rebecca founded the museum, delve into her view on the art world, and share her vision for the future.

Verlando Brown was born and raised in West Baltimore. He is committed to using his story and experience to uplift other first generation college students. Verlando was a thought partner on Michelle Obama's Reach Higher Initiative. ​

Fostering Change Network’s expertise in child welfare begins with Founder and CEO Shalita O’Neale, a highly trusted and nationally recognized professional both inside and outside of both social work and foster care circles. Shalita’s ultimate goal is to dispel the stigma of foster care by highlighting the contributions of alumni of the foster care and providing them with the resources, tools and peer network that will allow them to excel.

James Piper Bond is the CEO and President of the Living Classrooms Foundation. His mission is to strengthen communities and inspire young people to achieve their potential through hands-on education and job training, using urban, natural, and maritime resources as "living classrooms."

Judge Friedman is an Associate Judge on the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, 8th Judicial Circuit. She was the first female orthodox judge in the state of Maryland and has been leader and role model for inspiring change. Among many accomplishments Judge Friedman was listed in Maryland's top 100 women by the daily record.

MaryBeth Hyland, founder of SparkVision, believes that when you connect people through purpose, there’s no limit to what they can do. Her organization crafts culture, and designs experiences to strengthen the bonds that help people accomplish extraordinary things together. SparkVision creates environments where people thrive. MaryBeth is most proud of her role as a foster parent and volunteer work in the community.

Artist entrepreneur and innovator behind the creative labs. Richard is redefining how we use space in Baltimore by expanding the city's art ecosystem! Learn more about his unconventional story from military service to art entrepreneur. For more on his project visit createbmore.com

Panagis is a pulmonary and critical care physician at Johns Hopkins. He is focused on tackling health disparities across Baltimore though his organization Medicine for the Greater Good (MGG).

Seth Franz is a social entrepreneur driven by his passion for Baltimore. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Volunteering Untapped. Seth believes that building an informed and engaged citizenry is central to understanding a city’s problems well enough to develop solutions. Through Volunteering Untapped, Seth accomplishes this in Baltimore by connecting young professionals to the nonprofits that are doing the greatest good across various cause areas.

Dejuan Patterson is the executive director of the BeMore Group. He was named as "Baltimore's Walking Angel" by Elite daily. Dejuan has overcome being robbed and shot in the head as a teenager to become a businessman, public servant, and community organizer. His goal in life is to leave this world a better place than when he entered.