WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an ambitious move to accelerate hands-on entrepreneurship and venture building, Bay Atlantic University (BAU) officially convened the founding Advisory Board of its newly established Center for Innovation and Global Entrepreneurship (CIGE) on Friday, October 23, 2026, at its downtown Washington, D.C. campus.
Housed within BAU’s Department of Business, CIGE marks one of the university’s most significant strategic initiatives to date. The Center is designed to bridge academic study with active venture creation, connecting aspiring student founders, alumni, and local entrepreneurs to mentors, capital networks, and international markets.
The inaugural meeting brought together BAU leadership, including President Dr. Sinem Vatanartiran, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Michelle Landa, and Business Department Chair Dr. Bintou Lingani, alongside the newly appointed board members to define the Center’s strategic trajectory ahead of its public debut next month.
“Convening this advisory board represents a defining milestone for Bay Atlantic University, our students, and the broader business community,” said Perliter Walters-Gilliam, Director of CIGE. “Our board members embody the very spirit of innovation, agility, and global perspective we aim to cultivate. With their collective venture-building experience, investor networks, and passion for mentorship, CIGE is equipped to transform our students’ boldest ideas into sustainable, borderless enterprises.”
The five founding members of the CIGE Advisory Board reflect a powerful blend of startup execution, regional ecosystem leadership, and global reach:
- Hyacinth Tucker — Founder & CEO of The Laundry Basket; U.S. Army veteran, 2026 UPS Store Small Biz winner, and recipient of the SBA Baltimore District Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year.
- Nicole L. Turner — Founder & CEO of The Culture Pro®; author, former federal executive, adjunct professor, and university venture competition mentor and judge.
- Guc Ozenci — Director of Founder Institute DMV; angel investor, exited founder, and co-founder of B2B SaaS platform Peoplise.
- Abebe Feleke — Veteran international journalist, AI and cyber governance specialist, founding member of FM Addis 97.1, and Ethiopian community leader.
- Gjergj Dollani — Entrepreneur, two-time author (Grounds, 2026), host of The Enrollment Clinic podcast, and former Chief Growth Officer at Bay Atlantic University.
Following an executive tour of Bay Atlantic University’s downtown facilities, highlighting modern collaborative classrooms and the dedicated 5th-floor innovation suites slated to house CIGE, the board convened for an intensive strategic working session. Led by Center Director Perliter Walters-Gilliam, the discussion mapped out CIGE’s Year 1 operational priorities, focusing on bridging foundational business education with aggressive market readiness.
Central to this initial roadmap is establishing a hands-on startup pipeline designed to serve both student creators and aspiring local entrepreneurs. Key elements reviewed by the board included:
- Venture Building & Incubation: Structuring structured milestone tracks where early-stage concepts can validate problem-solution fit, build minimum viable products (MVPs), and navigate entity formation under the direct guidance of seasoned founders.
- Capital & Accelerator Pipelines: Connecting BAU ventures directly into the broader Washington, D.C. innovation ecosystem, including early introductions to angel investors, regional seed funds, and competitive tech accelerators.
- Experiential Learning & Mentorship: Embedding real-world advisory clinics, cross-disciplinary hackathons, and executive-in-residence mentorship directly alongside BAU’s Department of Business curriculum.
- Cross-Border Growth & Diaspora Reach: Capitalizing on BAU’s international footprint to support immigrant founders and facilitate global market expansion, cross-border business modeling, and diaspora-driven investment.
The foundational meeting directly sets the stage for the Center’s formal university-wide and public debut. Bay Atlantic University will host the Official CIGE Launch Event on Friday, November 20, 2026, from 4:30 – 6:30 PM, opening its campus doors to civic partners, angel investors, tech leaders, faculty, and future student founders from across the Greater Washington metropolitan area.
The upcoming launch will offer the broader community a first look at CIGE’s upcoming venture cohorts, upcoming pitch events, and community-partner engagement models. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the founding Advisory Board, interact with student innovators, and explore partnership opportunities that empower underrepresented and international founders throughout the DMV corridor.
