–pictured above, the speakers of Ignite Howard County #7
This year’s Ignite Howard County at Jailbreak Brewing Company took place on Monday, October 24, 2022, and was a sold-out success! Of course, we can’t say that we’re surprised.
The first Ignite took place in Seattle in 2006 and since then the event has become an international phenomenon. In 2015 Ignite came to Howard County and C3MD took over as organizer for the annual event in 2018. It’s been growing in popularity ever since.
Now in its seventh year, #IgniteHoCo continues to be a smash hit beyond our Conscious Capitalism chapter members which also happens to be the goal of the evening – to inspire conversation and collaboration amongst the community. This not-so-small feat has been achieved year after year thanks to the great speakers that work hard to enlighten our ever-growing audience and the generous sponsors that continue to support the event and spread the word.
Some of the speaker topics at Ignite Howard County #7 ranged from race equity and human rights to non-alcoholic beverage inclusivity, entrepreneurship to ancestry stories, and dealing with trauma to magical moments. But the audience was hooked the moment our first speaker, Kashonna Marrow, spoke. One of the speakers told a touching story about how an unexpected diagnosis led him to a new perspective on life. Another shared an unbelievable story about her lineage, and several others spoke to moments of finding new purpose in the midst of tragedy, change, love, and burnout. Laughs were shared, tears were shed, and more than a few handshakes (and business cards) and even some hugs were exchanged.
“It’s hard to put succinctly into words what the vibe of the evening is,” said Wendy Baird, one of the organizers and the emcee for the event. “It’s really kind of magical, from the speakers to the conversations to the attention paid and the reactions of the audience. Hard to describe, but so wonderful to be part of. Tracy [Turner] and I just kind of create the framework and then get out of the way!”
One of this year’s speakers, Beth Harbinson said, “I came away from this year’s event with more questions than answers. And I intend to pursue the answers. When an event that is this much fun can encourage exploration, I’m ALL IN!”
Another speaker, Anjula Batra, said, “Participating in Ignite helped push me to the edge of my comfort zone, and reminded me of the power of community and connection. It felt like I was talking to a room full of friends.”
At the end of the evening, C3MD conducted a charity donation drawing. Each event speaker submitted a charity of their choice into the drawing for the chance to win a $500 donation. The charity selected? Speaker Ashok Kapur’s charity of choice, The American Red Cross of Howard County.
We encourage anyone who has a story to tell to apply to be a speaker for next year’s Ignite Howard County. After all, yours might be exactly the story our community needs to hear to initiate change, start conversations, and impact lives.
While Ignite Howard County #8 won’t take place until October 2023, we are accepting speaker applications now. And, if you missed this year’s event, don’t worry. Look for presentations from this year’s speakers on the Ignite Howard County YouTube channel, along with some of our favorites from years past.
To learn more about Ignite Howard County, including how to apply as a speaker or become a sponsor for #IgniteHoCo8, visit their website.
A big THANK YOU to our 2022 event speakers:
Brooke Barrick Abercrombie
Laura Bacon
Anjula Batra
Tori Boats
Tom Burtzlaff
Erika Chavarria
Mark Donnelly
Beth Sandbower Harbinson
Ashok Kapur
Kashonna Marrow
Michael P. Scott
Winifred Summer
And to the sponsors of Ignite Howard County #7, without whom none of this would be possible:
Luminary sponsor: Maryland Innovation Center
Blaze sponsor: insight180 Brand Consulting & Design, & Indigo Ink Printing
Flame sponsors: The Wendy Slaughter Team at Elevate Real Estate Brokerage, Multicorp Commercial Cleaning Systems, Culture Principles, Data Canopy & Conscious Collaboratory
Spark sponsors: Web Mechanix, Kevin T. Howard, CPA, Arthur Stein Financial with Tanya Rapacz, CFP, & First Citizens Bank
Here are some photos from this year’s amazing event:
Pictured in the post above are speakers Laura Bacon on stage, and Beth Harbinson and Mark Donnelly posing with sponsors and audience members.
Organizers Wendy Baird and Tracy Turner with Jailbreak Brewing Taproom/Foodworks Assistant and General Manager Hilary White:
Speakers Erika Chavarria and Michael P. Scott:
And a view of the soldout event:
Feel free to reach out to us via email, and/or follow us (and engage) on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook.
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Join us for our next virtual Coffee & Collaboration in September, where we’ll focus on Conscious Culture. Register here.