(BALTIMORE – November 9, 2023) – When you bring together Dr. Tyrone Taborn and his brilliant wife, Jean Hamilton, in the same room as “Fearless” CEO Delali Dzirasa, and add City’s MBE Chief Chris Lundy, along with local media and tech moguls like Rondy Griffin, LaKisha Greenwade, and CTEC’s Michael Smith, brace yourself for an extraordinary experience. Luna Del Sea on Pratt Street set the stage for this spectacle as Dr. Taborn hosted the inaugural event heralding the return of BEYA38 to Baltimore in February 2024.

The BEYA STEM Community, over 10,000 strong, offers K-12 students, college students, corporate, government, military professionals, business, and industry employers with three (3) days of learning, networking, celebrating excellence, and showcasing STEM career opportunities. Join us each February for the BEYA Experience. The 2024 BEYA STEM Conference continues the Digital Twin Experience (DTX) to allow attendees to participate in-person or digitally.

A stone’s throw away, the Inner Harbor was abuzz with talk about P. David Bramble, the Princeton-educated developer and scion of the Baltimore Times Newspaper owners, planning a transformative touch for the beloved Harborplace.

Dr. Taborn, Chief Lundy, and Dzirasa all champion a more viable future for Baltimore. While Lundy focuses on business, Taborn and Dzirasa’s gaze is fixed on the realm of technology. Just weeks ago, President Joe Biden labeled Baltimore a tech hub, but the truth is, it has been a tech hub for years. Yet, having these three iconic figures in one room showcased the power of collaboration among Black leaders. The evening was nothing short of remarkable.

From his Pratt Street headquarters, Dr. Taborn has been at the forefront of closing the digital divide for Black and brown communities in America. With childhood summers spent on Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, the Chicago native has been publishing Black Engineer and Hispanic Engineer magazines for four decades. Additionally, he has presented the Black Engineer of the Year Awards, BEYA, for 38 years—an ultimate experience for anyone in STEM.

After over a decade, BEYA is making a triumphant return to Baltimore in three months, and Taborn is leaving no stone unturned to ensure its success. The recent event is part of his strategic plan to promote BEYA38, earning him the nickname ‘Captain Kirk’ from his employees.

Dzirasa, younger than Taborn, leads the region’s largest software developer, embodying authenticity and a “Fearless” culture where people come first—a company referred to as “the purple cow.” It stands out, with employees driven by the intention of using their skills and talents to strive for excellence daily. Their directive is to authentically show up, push boundaries, and redefine corporate responsibility.

The event’s power may have surpassed the attendees’ realization. Stepping back, one sees a broader perspective. Despite Baltimore City’s challenges and global technological disruptions, Taborn’s business mixer serves as a clear reminder that the Black community in Baltimore possesses everything needed to propel progress. With Black leaders in key positions and some of the brightest minds in business, media, and technology, the city is poised for greater heights.

While politics can be messy, the prospect of Black leaders aligning for the often overlooked and underfunded Black Agenda in a predominantly Black and brown city suggests inevitable progress. As downtown converges with Sandtown, Historic East Baltimore, Belair-Edison, Edmondson Village, and Park Heights, Baltimore inches closer to its full potential. The racial scars of the past meet the indelible impression of today’s true heroes, everyday people from a “Fearless” perspective.