Being Black in

Being Black in Entrepreneurship

IN HONOR OF Black History Month, the Dingman Center partnered with the Maryland Smith Office of Undergraduate Programs, Office of Diversity Initiatives and the Student Success Leadership Council to host the Being Black in Entrepreneurship: Fireside Chat, a soldout panel event that highlighted black Terp founders and provided insight and inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs of color.

“Since 2018, I have had the honor of serving as chair of the faculty and staff committee for diversity and inclusion at Maryland Smith. Our group meets monthly to address inequities and bias within the Smith community and encourage celebration of our differences. One outcome of this work has been launching a new event featuring successful black Terp entrepreneurs. In the wake of continuing violence against African-Americans, these efforts are more important than ever. The Dingman Center is committed to doing more to spotlight black-owned businesses, help them raise capital, and support our students of color as they seek to launch and grow their own ventures.” —SARA HERALD, MBA ’11, DIRECTOR OF VENTURE DEVELOPMENT

AT THE DINGMAN CENTER

Panelists

Michael A. Echols ’87, CEO of Max Cybersecurity, LLC. | Moderator Echols launched Max Cybersecurity LLC after serving seven years at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He is currently on the Health and Human Services CISA Cyber Awareness Task Force.

Brittany McCoy, Founder and Designer of the Brittany Christina Collection As a student at Maryland, McCoy launched her first brand, Dynasty By Brittany, and started the now annual Fashion Week on campus. Brittany has been featured in several fashion events including D.C. Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week.

Chad Hall, Founder and CEO of Remodelmate Hall is the Founder and CEO of Remodelmate, a startup that can completely renovate your bathroom for $12K in 3 weeks. Remodelmate just finished a successful seed round of $525,000.

Jasmine Snead ’17, MBA/MPP ’21, Co-Founder and CFO of Aurora Tights As a figure skater of color unable to find tights in her skin tone, Snead launched her own athletic apparel brand, Aurora Tights. Snead participated in Terp Startup and Ladies First Founders, won the grand prize of $15,000 at the 2019 Pitch Dingman Competition, and has been featured in DC Inno’s 25 under 25.

Kendall McKoy ’16, Founder of BRUNCH GODS A year after graduating from Maryland, McKoy founded BRUNCH GODS, a brunch-themed catering, pop-up and delivery service that prides itself on superior customer service.