Larger Than Yourself

With chapters in Birmingham, Durham, Houston, Miami and Philadelphia, Black Girl Ventures has raised over $1 million for Black and Brown women entrepreneurs. Founder Shelly Bell is a venture catalyst, tech entrepreneur and international speaker who exemplifies the creative spirit and tenacity of her organization.

Facing an addiction to prescription medication and struggles with mental health, Quentin Vennie found his own way out through yoga, meditation and juicing. Through his work as a social entrepreneur, speaker, and author of the memoir Strong In The Broken Places, he aims to guide others down their own path toward a healthy and thriving lifestyle.

For most of her adult life, Erricka Bridgeford has worked to bring peace to the streets of Baltimore. From advocating to repeal Maryland's death penalty in 2009 to founding the Baltimore Ceasefire initiative in 2017, Bridgeford's focus is on fighting violence with compassion, understanding, and inclusiveness. In 2017, she was named Marylander of the Year by the Baltimore Sun.

Building on years of training as a coach and intuitive healer, Londin Angel Winters discovered a modality of intimacy focused on the body instead of the mind. To help modern women reclaim their power, Londin co-wrote the bestselling book, The Awakened Woman's Guide To Everlasting Love and co-created The Yoga of Intimacy with her partner Justin Patrick Pierce.

Author and teacher Justin Patrick Pierce leverages a lifetime of spiritual practice into practical lessons in how to fully embody an honest and meaningful sexuality. Working in tandem with his partner Londin Angel Winters, Justin is the founder of The Yoga of Intimacy, a series of workshops designed to bring tangible change to couples and individuals.

After excelling at track and field in college, Santia Deck embarked on an athletic journey unlike any the world has ever seen. Recently making history by becoming the first female American football player to sign a multi-million dollar contract, she continues to spread her message of personal and female empowerment through books, TV, modeling, speaking, and fitness training. Running full-speed ahead toward her own dreams of success has opened up paths for so many others.

Growing out of Teach For America's commitment to improving educational equity for students in the United States, Teach For All is a global network dedicated to expanding educational opportunities for children. Wendy Kopp, the founder of both organizations, has spent the last three decades working to eliminate systemic inequities in education.

The Maryland Institute College of Art's president Samuel Hoi is committed to amplify the intersection between artistic creativity, education, community action, and society. Through the power and transparency of mission and vision, open leadership, and a listen-first approach, he has empowered students to exercise their social imagination and impact by rethinking the idea of the 'college campus bubble.'

Sarah Hemminger's work weaves a support network that helps young people reach their full potential. The organization she founded, Thread, connects Baltimore City teenagers in the lowest 25% of their high school class with volunteers who do whatever it takes to help them prepare for their future. Through friendship, encouragement, and increased access to resources, Thread provides teens with the strong social fabric they need to thrive.

Bart Harvey, through lessons learned from his visionary mentor—the late Jim Rouse—has dedicated his life to empowering communities by using housing and community building to level the playing field for our country's most underserved populations. Bart helped take Jim's early idea for Enterprise Community Partners and grow it into a billion-dollar organization that reinvests its economic success into the communities that need it most.