Smith Business magazine-summer24-paperturn - Flipbook - Page 17
“If you have a good idea—
you know you can do it
better than anyone else
and you have the drive and
entrepreneurial spirit—
you have to overcome
some of the challenges.”
—U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Senate Small
Business & Entrepreneurship Committee,
at the May 7 entrepreneurship talk
rhsmith-editor@umd.edu
Spring CEO at Smith
Bennie F. Johnson, CEO of the
American Marketing Association,
spoke to students at CEO at Smith
in spring 2024. He said young
professionals must believe that
they “deserve to win the future.”
Pitch Dingman Competition
Journiy, a chronic disease
management app created by
Mildred Diggs, MBA ’24, took
home the $25,000 Quattrone
Tech Track grand prize at the
2024 Pitch Dingman Competition.
Spring 2024 Commencement
The Smith School’s commencement
ceremonies were held on May 22.
Dr. Wendy R. Sanhai, MBA ’09,
delivered the keynote to graduate
students. Bill Boyle ’81 spoke at
the undergraduate ceremony.
Photo by Mike Morgan
Photo by Mike Morgan
More than 300 alumni and friends
gathered for the Smith School’s
Silver Jubilee Grand Gala on
Oct. 27, 2023 to celebrate the
legacy of benefactor Robert H.
Smith ’50 and mark the 25th
anniversary of his naming gift.
Photo by Mike Morgan
25th Anniversary Grand Gala
Photo by Ross Lewin
Speakers included Congressional
Budget Of昀椀ce Director Phillip
Swagel, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (DMd.), and other government of昀椀cials,
White House appointees, impressive
scholars and industry leaders.
Michael Faulkender, Dean’s
Professor of Finance and former
assistant secretary for economic
policy at the U.S. Treasury
Department, served as host and
moderator for the events.
“In the spirit of academia, we
present these civil conversations to
the student body as another way
to help them continue growing
as thought leaders,” said Dean
Prabhudev Konana.
“We ask them to look at the
evidence, listen to different
perspectives and draw conclusions.
That’s the type of intellectual
curiosity that we seek to provide
with this event,” he added.
Former Washington Post publisher
Donald Graham brought career
insights to a fall 2023 CEO at
Smith event. He spoke about
leadership: “The very best leaders
develop a sense of clarity about
where the organization is going.”
Photo by Tony Richards
Fall CEO at Smith