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.  Most recently, she directed CHARM CITY a documentary focused on police and community relations. Before that, she produced CAMERAPERSON premiered at Sundance 2016, and was shortlisted for the 2017 Academy Awards. TRAPPED, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, received the Jury Prize for Social Impact Filmmaking, broadcast on PBS, and was awarded a Peabody.

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.

Jessica Watson is the President and Creative Director of Points North, a graphic design studio based in Baltimore. She partners with CEO’s, executives and entrepreneurs to transform them from where they are into where they want to be.

She hosts the global campaign 28 Days of Kindness in February, and The Have A Nice Day Project, a quarterly community gathering in Baltimore where people write positive messages on coffee cup sleeves that are then donated to local cafes.

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.

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, is the sixth president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB).

A pediatric gastroenterologist, Perman continues to practice medicine through his weekly President’s Clinic. In 2013, he established the Center for Interprofessional Education. Dr. Perman is strengthening UMB’s role in improving the health and well-being of its closest neighbors and was named one of Maryland’s Most Admired CEOs in 2013 by The Daily Record, Perman is focused on creating a dynamic University cul

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. Van was recently appointed as Director of Governer's Office on Service and Volunteerism. We hope Van's story and wisdom inspires you!

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.