Live podcast recording of the NoPixAfterDark conversation series at the Baltimore Peninsula!  Aaron Dante, host of the award-winning Baltimore-based podcast, is joined by Kory Bailey CEO of UpSurge Baltimore, Jeff Cherry Independent Board Director, CEO, Business Executive, Venture Investor and Dr. Tammira Lucas CEO of The Cube Cowork,Speaker, Professor, and Expert Business ConsultantRecognized as one of Baltimore's Top 40 under 40

• Kory Bailey: CEO of UpSurge BaltimoreWith over a decade of leadership in both early-stage startups and big tech, Kory Bailey has emerged as a thought leader on equitable economic growth and the biggest advocate for the tech community in Baltimore. A 2022 Technical.ly RealLIST Connectors Award winner and 2023 RealLIST Tech Community Leader of the Year nominee, Kory is the CEO of UpSurge Baltimore, an ecosystem building organization with a vision for Baltimore to be recognized as the first Equitech city in the world. A new model for American innovation. UpSurge's mission is to mobilize the tech ecosystem around startups by strengthening its culture and connectivity, with an intentional focus on strategies that produce better outcomes for Black, women, and other underestimated founders and leaders.

• Jeff Cherry: Independent Board Director, CEO, Business Executive, Venture InvestorJeff Cherry is a seasoned CEO, entrepreneur, corporate executive, startup advisor, venture and wall street investor, speaker and writer with a track record of strategic execution and innovation. Over the last 35 years he has built award winning companies in engineering, design, strategic consulting and investment management. He has been a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 executives, government agencies and startups, with a focus on helping teams understand customers and build dynamic, high-performing organizational cultures.

• Dr. Tammira Lucas: Author, Speaker, Professor, and Expert Business ConsultantRecognized as one of Baltimore's Top 40 under 40, Dr. Tammira Lucas is a thought leader who has quickly emerged as a trailblazer among millennial professionals and a powerful voice for communities locally, nationally, and internationally