Find Our Panelists Online

Shanay "Topcurl" Dudley

 Shanay is the Founder of Topcurl Beauty Academy and Salon Topcurl - a beauty enterprise dedicated to helping beauty enthusiasts become beauty licensed and transition into the beauty industry. Topcurl Beauty Academy provides the essential training, tools, and resources needed to succeed and propel beauty careers. Topcurl's involvement in the beauty industry began at 17 when she became a licensed cosmetologist before graduating from Mergenthaler Voc. Tech High School. As she honed her craft as a hairstylist, she attended Morgan State using the MD tuition waiver for orphans, where she later graduated with a Bachelors in Family & Consumer Sciences concentrating in Fashion Merchandising. Topcurl's passion lies in beauty education, business coaching, project management and financial coaching up and coming beauty artists.

Charles Eddington

Growing up in the Park Heights community my single mother instilled the power of optimism and a can-do attitude. I believe that we don’t have to choose a path of violence or drugs. I graduated from Mervo and Morgan State. My business degree prepared me to reach management level in the federal government. Entrepreneurship came naturally, so I built businesses on the side. Once I followed my passion, I was able to build a multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio and leave my government job. Entrepreneurship provides time and financial freedom. I believe that investing in oneself is the way to success.

Domonique Flowers

I have 13 years of experience as an attorney which includes practicing bankruptcy law where I provided financial and debt management advice to clients. I also have 20 years of experience working with youth primary through mentoring organizations. This includes working as an adjunct professor at several different institutions including Baltimore City Community College and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. One of the courses that I taught for the past 6 years at UMBC is entitled “Introduction to an Honors University,” which was aimed at teaching life skills including career development and financial management skills to first year students.

Quintel Harcum

Born and raised in Baltimore. Graduated from Baltimore City College (c/o 99) and Lincoln University (c/o 03). I launched my first business with friends doing parties in Baltimore back in 2004. I launched Good Part & Co. in 2018. This was my 5th attempt at entrepreneurship and I felt more likely to succeed because I'd already been living a plant-based lifestyle for 6+ years. The business started as a pop-up at my house for proof of concept. Then I moved on to a food festival and finally opened my 1st brick & mortar in Mt. Vernon in 2020 during the pandemic. Within 1 year I secured a partnership with Johns Hopkins, establish my 2nd location, and set up Good Part & Co. as Hopkins new health & wellness cafe.

Shelah Johnson

20 year old junior at Chowan University from West Baltimore, Maryland and founder of a mentoring program called Mentoring Through Basketball Changing Lives where I mentor youth in the right path of life by using basketball. 

Nzinga Mack

Nzinga Mack is a teacher and scientist who was born and raised in Harlem, NY. She graduated from Howard University with a B.S. in biology and earned a PhD in pharmacology from Florida A&M University. Nzinga is an NIH ASPIRE fellow at Johns Hopkins University in collaboration with Coppin and Morgan State Universities. Her research focuses on unlocking the therapeutic potential of compounds naturally produced by the immune system. One of Nzinga’s missions is to address disparities in healthcare outcomes and the STEM workforce. When Nzinga is not working, she can be found growing orchids, doing yoga, and enjoying nature.

Kathleen Mazurek

Kathleen has been exploring the inroads of accessibility, storytelling, and social media design since 2008. Dual-certified in Special Education, Fine Art, and with a design background, she has examined ties between digital communication and metacognition through performance installations and hands-on workshops. Learning how to navigate social media allowed her to pivot midway in her career when she had to apply for FMLA and land back in education through working with communications for Johns Hopkins School of Education’s Neuro-education Institute, design workshops for her startup Decode Me Space, and her current role as adapted art/designteacher at the William S. Baer School. Her additional experience in higher ed and the innovation community has given her perspective in how social media marketing can be a leadership pathway for individuals with special needs and has been securing technology donations for an adapted graphic design transition plan pathway. Her experience has led her to build the first open source media arts curriculum for Baltimore City Public Schools, facilitate professional development for 21st Century Schools, build online platforms for the Visual and Performing Arts Office for curriculum and the FYI Showcase during the onset of the pandemic. She is currently consulting and facilitating workshops with the Maryland State Department of Education, two with the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Girls Scouts of Central Maryland. Her design advocacy work has won grants with Baltimore Office of Promotion and Arts, the Baltimore Hackathon, and Walters Art Bytes Hackathon, iFundWomen, and is currently in the first round of CLLCTIVLY's Adaptive Village Small Grants Program. All of which would not be possible without Baltimore's radical networks of support. She is a native of Northeast Baltimore and currently resides in Upper Fells Point.

Donovan McClain

I am a Queer POC who happens to be Non-Binary (they/them). I'm 16. I attend the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, where I am enrolled in the AFJROTC program. I’m one of AFJROTC's Flag Detail commanders, leaving me in charge of anything concerning any flag. I’m a proud member of Poly's GSA club and I have presented to faculty and staff on the importance of pronouns, and how to address students appropriately. I’m a Youth Advocate with the Organization HeartSmiles MD, where I take on roles in the community of Baltimore, such as a leader and a member of the YFS Network. 

Dana Petersen Moore

Serves as the City of Baltimore's Chief Equity Officer and Director of the Office of Equity and Civil Rights. In these dual roles I am responsible for leading the City enterprise's civil rights mission as well assuring compliance with the City's Equity Ordinance. I am an attorney who was an equity partner in a large law firm as in my own law firm. I previously served as the City of Baltimore's Acting City Solicitor, Deputy City Solicitor, Liquor Board Commissioner, Planning Commission member, and Chair of the City's Ethics Board. But not all at the same time! Through these roles, I have a great awareness of how to enter and navigate career paths, how to survive and thrive in the business world, how the law treats youth as they approach 18, and how to start a business.

Sherida Morrison

Sherida Morrison, MSOD, is a business professor and entrepreneur focused on developing and strengthening individuals and teams in the non-profit, public, and private sectors. She has a demonstrated track record of advancing transformational change through process evaluation, rethinking organizational structure, individual/group coaching, professional development, reframing perspectives, and focused strategies.

Sherida has a knack for making complex situations and circumstances easier to understand and is passionate about improving organizational processes and group dynamics that may impede growth. Her methods encourage leaders to effectively deliver, reflect, reevaluate, reimage, and redesign professional services and personal improvement.

Sherida Morrison serves as a Professor at Coppin State University's College of Business and is the Founder of The Igniters Institute.

The Igniters Institute supports individuals, teams, and small businesses in resolving complex personal and professional matters while creating healthy and productive communities of leaders that advance goals and create viable solutions.

Christina Ralls

Graduated from University of Maryland Baltimore County with a B.A. in Visual Arts (with a concentration in Digital Imaging) in 2007 and went on to receive an M.A. in Community Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2008. Ralls is currently the Director of Workforce Development and Social Enterprise at Art with a Heart and directs HeARTworks, Art with a Heart's Workforce Development Program, which uses marketable art as a vehicle to teach job readiness and life skills to opportunity youth ages 14 to 24.

Jamila Sams, Ed.M

Jamila Sams, Ed.M. is a 3rd generation entrepreneur and an educator with over 20 years of experience in educational leadership, youth development, nonprofit management and strategic partnership development. At the age of 21, Ms. Sams began her career in education as a teacher at West Baltimore's Robert W. Coleman Elementary School. She went on to direct the Malcolm X Youth Center, a workforce development school in Park Heights. Later, she served as Dean of Students at The Crossroads School before becoming Assistant Principal at Commodore John Rodgers. In 2015, Jamila started her own education consulting company, Go to Ms. Sams Inc and in 2020, she launched We Do it for the Culture™, a culturally responsive social emotional learning curriculum rooted in Hip-Hop culture for grades 6-12. As a philanthropist, Jamila serves as Vice Chairman of Words, Beats & Life in Washington D.C.

Paul E. Taylor

With over 25 years of experience, as Director of the City of Baltimore's Small, Minority and Woman Business office I am responsible for creating entrepreneurship programs and providing technical business assistance to Baltimore's citizens. We also provide access to business resources.

Tony Triumph

Tony is a Branding, Media, and Business Development expert with 10+ years of experience. He is Founder of The Triumphant Group, a Baltimore & NYC based branding agency.

A native of 'Charm City', Baltimore, MD, Tony’s story has been documented in numerous books and media, having moved to New York City at 19 with $300 in his pocket, and bootstrapping his agency to success from the ground up. To date, Tony has worked with over 100+ brands, building their products, platforms and strategies, and helping them lay the foundation to reach millions of people, and millions in revenue.

Clients include: PUMA, Red Table Talk, Ben Sherman, Intelligent Nutrients, SONY, Wix.com, Cadillac, and Hyatt Hotels.

Chanel Waller

Chanel Waller is a CEO and Owner. A Baltimore City Native and product of Baltimore City Public School Systems, growing up in the City of Baltimore is not an easy thing to do, it takes a certain type of heart, resiliency and courage to chase your dreams and keep the vision amongst all the trauma, pain, controversy, and unfortunate circumstances that come with growing up in poverty. My brand was started after healing with my own tragedy, my own trauma, fears, and insecurities. Regaining focus on my physical and mental health, aesthetic appearance, developing a self-care routine, going to therapy all of these small things helped lead to the bigger picture and that is helping other women like myself overcome the challenges of feeling beautiful and being well. We are committed to solving beauty challenges, keeping wellness at the forefront and bringing positive change by making a significant and everlasting impact in this age and the age to come.

Trenae Watson

Trenae has over ten years of experience working in workforce development with youth in Baltimore City and surrounding areas. She currently serves as the assistant director for The Choice Jobs Program at UMBC where she assists youth starting their career path. While in this position she honed in on her passion by expanding her knowledge of entrepreneurship. Trenae has successfully created an entrepreneurship curriculum at The Choice Program, which includes a “Shark Tank '' presentation at the end. Her passion for youth and entrepreneurship led her to start her own business, TLW Consulting, where she assists individuals start their own business.

Shaleece Williams

Born and raised in Baltimore I am a homegrown community advocate and non-profit professional with a passion for youth opportunities and civic engagement. Founder and Director of Tree House Project, Inc. and mother of 2.