(BALTIMORE – February 12, 2026) – In my world of media, Dr. Tyrone Taborn is a living legend. He is one of the largest melanated print publishers in the world. He publishes several magazines, including Black Engineer. His roots include Chicago, Los Angeles, and, interestingly, Tulsa’s Black Wall Street. He came to Baltimore, and thanks to people like Billy Murphy, Esq., he stayed. And he built.
Today, he and his queen of a wife, Jean Hamilton, own and operate one of America’s greatest gems, Career Communications Group (CCG). Located on Pratt Street, those offices are a part of Baltimore’s Black History that many overlook. Think about it. A business in Baltimore on the harbor with a 40-year track record. And it’s run by a brother. That’s not just Black History — that’s a world-class demonstration of resilience, tenacity, and the indomitable spirit for freedom. In this case, digital freedom.
You could call “Doc” a digital freedom fighter who, for the last 40 years, has fought so that communities with people who look like him have the same access to digital technology as every other community in America.
Doc is also an advocate for the Latino community. That’s why he publishes Hispanic Engineer. In all, between his books, his ventures, travel, and producing 40 years of conventions that have featured Fortune 100 CEOs, Admirals, and Generals — this man is on fire. Baltimore should be so very proud of this man. He has been fighting for us in spaces we know nothing about. Quantum physics and 8″ wafer technology, data centers in space, algorithmic precarity — these are topics that Doc wants our young people exposed to at an early age.
Lauryn Hill said it best on her album cover: “In my travels all over the world, I have come to find that the only thing that differentiates one child from another is not ability, but access. Access to education, access to opportunity, access to love.”
Thank you, Doc, for 40 years of a liberating love for digital freedom to destroy digital apartheid.
BEYA40: The Conference That Proves the Point
And today — February 12, 2026 — that 40-year mission comes full circle as the BEYA STEM Conference opens at the Baltimore Convention Center and Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor for its landmark 40th year. The theme is unmistakable: Excellence comes with responsibility.
BEYA40 is not just a conference. It is a convergence — HBCU engineering deans, Fortune 500 employers, military leaders, pre-college students, educators, and seasoned STEM professionals all under one roof, all pushing toward the same goal: ensuring that the future of innovation is as diverse as the nation it serves.
The Man Behind the Movement
Tyrone D. Taborn’s journey to this moment is extraordinary by any measure. A Cornell University alumnus who majored in government, he was one of 32 academic scholars honored with membership in the prestigious Telluride Association and a member of the Senior Honor Society “Quill and Dagger.” In 1978, he served as the first LBJ Congressional Intern in the office of the late Congressman Julian C. Dixon.
He holds honorary degrees from Morgan State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Johns Hopkins University.
CCG, the minority-owned media services company he built, has forged lasting partnerships with America’s leading corporations, government agencies, and universities through its magazines, digital platforms, and signature conferences. But Taborn’s vision has always extended beyond the corporate world. He founded the Foundation for Educational Development, which raises awareness of technology literacy in minority communities through programs including Black Family Technology Awareness Week, La Familia Technology Awareness Week, and The Native American Family Technology Journey — initiatives designed to bring entire families into the digital age.
He is the founder of STEM City USA, advancing STEM engagement and media coverage across the country. He was a contributing author to The Covenant With Black America, the 2006 New York Times bestseller compiled by Tavis Smiley, penning the essay “Closing the Racial Digital Divide.” He has been named one of the “50 Most Important Blacks in Technology,” received a Congressional Black Caucus Honor as a Pioneer in Publishing from Congressman Major R. Owens, and was honored by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley with a 2008 Living History Award in Engineering, Science, and Innovation. HistoryMakers.com has recognized him as an influential historical figure whose accomplishments continue to impact the African American community.
With roots in both the Latino and Black communities, Taborn has spent his career ensuring that communities too often left behind are not just included in America’s STEM future — but leading it.
Three Days That Matter
The three-day conference is packed with programming that reflects the urgency of the moment.
Thursday, February 12 opens with a powerful focus on HBCUs and national security. Sessions tackle cybersecurity skills and opportunities, AI in K-12 outreach, Africa as a national security partner for AI, federal research funding opportunities for HBCUs in the 2026 fiscal year, and cutting-edge AI and quantum research happening at historically Black institutions. Professional development seminars on artificial intelligence adoption and digital leadership round out the day. The evening features the BEYA Welcome Reception and “An Evening with BEYA’s Leading Voices” — a showcase of STEM innovators delivering thought-provoking TechTalks.
Friday, February 13 brings the full force of the career fair, career enhancement labs, and a robust pre-college program — including sessions on AI prompt generation, cybersecurity, the metaverse, data analysis, and workforce development. Maryland Senator Cory McCray delivers a featured address, “The Apprenticeship that Saved My Life.” Corporate seminars from Lockheed Martin, Amazon, and Microsoft anchor the afternoon. Organizational leadership tracks cover coaching for impact, self-accountability, high-performance teams, and agile leadership. The sold-out Technology Recognition Luncheon and the AMIE Design Challenge highlight the evening, alongside the Stars and Stripes mentoring breakout sessions and the BEYA Stars and Stripes Networking Reception.
Saturday, February 14 features the HBCU Engineering Deans’ Breakfast, Boeing’s provocative panel “The Elephant in the Room: Declaring Excellence in Disruption,” Diamondback Energy’s industry panel, and deep dives into quantum computing, post-quantum cryptography, and the future of AI. Leadership seminars address intrusive leadership, confident leadership, strategic leadership, and vision-driven leadership. The day — and the conference — culminates with the signature BEYA Awards Ceremony and After Party.
AI, Quantum, and Tomorrow’s Workforce
A defining feature of BEYA40 is its comprehensive AI and quantum computing track, offering CEU credits across sessions that range from introductory courses on artificial intelligence to advanced explorations of machine learning, generative AI, robotics, and post-quantum cryptography. These sessions don’t just cover the technical — they wrestle with the ethical, policy, and workforce implications. It’s the kind of holistic approach that has always set BEYA apart.
This is what Doc has been talking about for four decades: our young people need to be in these rooms, learning these languages, shaping these futures. Quantum physics. Algorithmic precarity. Post-quantum cryptography. These aren’t abstract concepts for someone else’s children. These are the conversations that will determine who leads and who follows in the next century.
Baltimore’s Own
It is fitting that BEYA40 takes place in Baltimore — the city Taborn chose, the city that chose him back. From that Pratt Street office to the Baltimore Convention Center, CCG has been quietly, powerfully shaping the national STEM landscape for four decades. Thousands of attendees will experience the conference both in person and through the Digital Twin Experience (DTX), which allows online participants to share the same experience as those on the ground.
At 40 years, BEYA is not slowing down. Under Tyrone Taborn’s leadership — with Jean Hamilton by his side — the conference continues to evolve, embracing new technologies, confronting new challenges, and holding fast to the principle that started it all: excellence, regardless of race, gender, or background.
BEYA40 is where STEM leadership, talent, and opportunity converge. And in 2026, the stakes have never been higher.
For more information, visit the BEYA STEM Conference website. BEYA40 takes place February 12–14, 2026 in Baltimore, MD.
