Meet the Team

Terrill L. Drake, EMBA ‘12
Executive Director

Terrill Drake is the Executive Director for programs and special events overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Office of Smith Programs and Events and the execution of more than 200 conferences, meetings and special events annually supported by the Robert H. Smith School of Business. In this role, he provides leadership and strategic insight for all Smith School events by directing the logistical, creative and planning processes. In addition, he is responsible for the financial modeling and reconciliation, including contract negotiation, to ensure the budgetary success of events. Terrill has over ten years of experience in the industry with a variety of conferences, meetings, special events, reunions, receptions and weddings. His background includes sales, marketing, event management, logistics and operations.

Prior to joining the Smith School, he served as the director of corporate and community events for the University of Maryland Alumni Association. As director, he was instrumental in the grand opening and day-to-day event operations of the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center. His responsibilities included marketing, sales, event management and staff supervision for more than 500 events annually. Terrill is a graduate of the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business with an Executive MBA and earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and Marketing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

He enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, running, biking and playing tennis.

Dakia Kelly Adams
Senior Event Manager

Dakia Kelly Adams is the Senior Event Manager with the Office of Smith Programs and Events at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. In her role, she manages a portfolio of school wide events focused on career services events. In addition, she assists in the development of marketing plans for events, venue marketing for rentals at Smith campuses and other related marketing projects. Dakia has over five years of experience in the industry – managing weddings, conferences, meetings, and special events for social, corporate, non-profit, and educational clients.

Prior to joining the Smith School, she served as the Assistant Director of Events and Marketing for the University of Maryland Alumni Association. In this position, she provided event planning services and managed event logistics for over 100+ events a year at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center. Additionally, she grew the event business through new marketing initiatives for wedding, special event, non-profit, and campus clients. Dakia graduated magna cum laude from Morgan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.

She enjoys spending time with family and friends, healthy eating, yoga, and reading home design blogs and books.

Lisa Manning
Senior Event Manager

Lisa Manning is a Senior Event Manager with the Office of Smith Programs and Events at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. In her role, she manages a portfolio of school wide events and conferences. In addition, she assists in the development of marketing plans for events, venue marketing for rentals at Smith campuses and other related marketing projects. Lisa has over fifteen years of experience in the industry – managing conferences, meetings, and special events for social, corporate, non-profit, pharmaceutical, and educational clients.

Prior to joining the Smith School, she managed her own event planning company and served as Membership Manager for the International Leadership Association. She provided meeting and event planning services for clients ranging from pharmaceutical to non-profit to social. Lisa graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business.

She enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, reading anything and everything, and going to the movies with her husband.

Aubrey McLaughlin
Event Manager

Aubrey McLaughlin is an Event Manager for the Office of Special Programs and Events assisting in the planning, logistics, and execution of over 200 events annually within the Robert H. Smith School of Business. In this role, Aubrey serves as the liaison for a multitude of departments and clients requesting event, conference, and program services. She is responsible for administrative support, room requests and reservations, attendee participation, client and customer service, and the coordination and execution of day of event services. Aubrey has over three years of industry experience managing weddings and non-profit events.

Prior to joining the UMD team, she served as a wedding coordinator for one of the most respected and top ranked wedding companies in Pittsburgh. In this position, Aubrey handled a variety of elaborate weddings of varying cultures, guest counts, and budget needs. Her position involved logistic management, budget forecasting, and vendor and client management. Additionally, her experience also includes recruitment, sales, and account management. Aubrey graduated Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Rhetoric, with special concentrations in Business Administration and Economics.

In her spare time, Aubrey enjoys spending time with family, playing lacrosse, working out, and socializing with friends.

Lindsay Smith
Event Manager

Lindsay Smith is an Event Manager for programs and special events hosted by the Robert H. Smith School of Business. She provides support with event scheduling and room reservations, event planning and logistics, on-site management and event follow-up.

Prior to joining the Smith School, she served as a Catering Coordinator at the Westin Hotel, located in downtown Annapolis, Maryland, where she worked with the Catering, Sales, and Banquets teams planning and executing both social and corporate events. Lindsay has also worked as a Sales Associate with one of the area’s top off-premise catering companies. While there, Lindsay was involved in planning and designing a wide variety of events, including weddings, galas, auctions, meetings and even a few inauguration events at popular venues around the metro area.

Lindsay earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications, with a minor in Business Administration, from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, dabbling in graphic design, exercising, and cheering on her alma mater, the ECU Pirates.