MBAA Officers 2012-2013

The MBAA Board comprises 10 elected officers, including the President, the Executive Vice President, and 8 Vice Presidents.

Richard Ranieri
President 

As the President of the MBAA, Richard is responsible for leading the board as well as defining and executing the team's combined vision. He is a combat veteran having served five years in the US Army, including a fifteen month tour in Afghanistan. His passion for national security prompted him to pursue an MBA with the long-term goal of eventually running a defense contracting company responsible for developing systems that save lives. At Smith, Richard is focusing on a combination of strategy and finance; he is also an analyst for the Mayer Fund investment program. In his spare time, he enjoys football, cooking, and hiking with his dog. He received a B.S. in Business Administration from the Cameron School of Business at UNC Wilmington.

Joy Lee

Executive Vice President

 Prior to coming to Smith, Joy Lee worked in real estate in varied roles, such as property management, project management, marketing, and legal assistance. Her most rewarding legal projects were helping clients qualify for mortgage assistance programs to halt their foreclosure proceedings. While at Smith, Joy previously served as a Track Representative and has also been a first-year board member with the Supply Chain and Operations Club and Smith LGBTA Pride Alliance. Her post-graduation plans include SCM and/or consulting career directions. Her hobbies also include rugby, snowboarding, and sewing. She received her B.A. in Biology and second major in Marketing from Washington University in St. Louis.

Yaeko Okuda
VP, Finance

 As the VP of Finance, Yaeko is responsible for all MBA Association accounts and coordinates funds with Smith departments regarding appropriations and internal budgets. She also presides over the Finance Council, which develops club budgets for the fiscal year and continually strives to increase budget and funding process efficiencies. Yaeko is originally from Japan and has lived in the US for about 12 years, attended high school, undergraduate and graduate schools here. She then worked for 6 years at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu as a CPA and auditor in the US (Dallas) and Japan (Tokyo). Most of all, she likes to organize, motivate, and work as an engaged team member in order to work effectively as a collective group. Her international experience has taught her to work flexibly and comfortably in a diverse and cross-cultural environment. Yaeko likes to spend her free time travelling and playing golf. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration and M.S. in Accounting from Southern Methodist University.

Dila Serpil
VP, Marketing and Communications

As the VP of Marketing and Communications, Dila is responsible for MBAA organizational communications regarding club events and other relevant information. Before coming to Smith, Marc graduated from George Washington University with a B.A. in International Affairs. In the past six years, she has worked in an array of industries including fashion retail, consumer products, international development and financial services both abroad and in the US. Her job functions have ranged from accessories buyer to social media guru. By attending business school, she hopes to continue her passion in marketing and concentrate on retail/consumer products brand management. When she's not in school and enjoying living in DC, she enjoys her hobbies such as listening to music, making jewelry, wine and paint nights and plotting her next trip abroad.

Abhinav Gupta
VP, International Student Affairs

 As the VP of International Student Affairs, Abhinav's duties include being the point of contact between the international student community and administration, as well as bridging the communication gap between domestic and international students. He is also in-charge of leading the International Student Orientation for the incoming class of 2014. He is an engineer by trade and cook by passion. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering. Prior to Smith, he has worked for small-startup companies in Singapore as project lead, client expectations manager and most recently, as a management consultant in Pricing and Revenue Management. At Smith, he is focusing on Strategy and Operations. He is also a student consult for CSVC consulting venture and EVP of the Supply Chain and Operations Club. So far, he has travelled to seven countries and is looking to add a couple more in the next year.

Marcus De Paula
VP, Signature Events

Marcus has come to Smith from working in the Media and Entertainment industries to focus on technology strategy and sharpen his entrepreneurial skills. He has worked for Discovery Channel in the Creative department, edited and produced pieces for Nintendo, The World Bank, Army, and ESPN. At Smith, Marcus has acted in leadership positions in the Business Technology Enterprise Association, Latin American Student Associate, and the Entrepreneurship Club. He is a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Marketing and Communications driving social media traffic through a student experience blog and Twitter account. In a pilot entrepreneurship class format, Marcus' successful start-up company received media coverage from The Economist. Marcus has excelled outside of the classroom winning the national Hilton Honors case competition through the redesign of the Hilton mobile app, as well as the Leadership Under Fire case competition.

Craig Bowden
VP, External Relations
Craig graduated from Loyola University in Maryland with a BA in Economics in 2006. For five years, he held a variety of positions in retirement plan operations at T. Rowe Price. Here at Smith, he is hoping to transition careers: he is concentrating in Finance with an eye towards the healthcare industry. In addition to his position on the MBAA board, he is also on the board of the Healthcare Business Association, a research assistant in the Economics department, and works part-time for a start-up firm in Baltimore. He enjoys spending time with his wife and labradoodle puppy, and hopes to one day be a contestant on the Food Network show Chopped.

Eric Flamer
VP, Professional Development & Ethics

As VP of Professional Development & Ethics, Eric is involved in MBAA as the primary contact with OCS and leading the Career Strategy Council. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in International Studies. Prior to Smith, Eric worked in hotel operations as a front office and guest services manager in Washington, DC. His primary academic focus at Smith is organizational development/human capital strategy. Over the summer of 2012, he interned at the US Department of Education Office of Education Technology, managing two of their open data initiatives. Eric's extracurricular interests include cooking, backpacking, books, and spending time with his two dogs and four cats.

Russ Wilkin
VP, Community Development & Social Value 

 Before Smith, Russ resided in Baltimore (the most charming city in America according to him). His professional background began in sales and left off working in project management at a software firm. While he enjoyed his old job, and specifically working with project teams, he came to Smith in order to refocus his career in marketing. He aspires to work in brand management or product development after graduation. In addition to serving as the VP of Community Development in the MBAA, he is a Smith Student Ambassador, a member of the New Markets Growth Fund, and VP of Marketing in the Professional Communications Club. In his spare time, he tries to play as many social sports as possible whether it be kickball, softball, football or frisbee.

Jessica Joffe

VP, Student Affairs

 Jessica graduated from UVA with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and spent time working in building products and pharmaceutical manufacturing.  Wanting a career with more creativity, she left engineering to become a kitchen designer.  Prior to Smith, she worked for the largest cabinet manufacturer in the US, helping them with sales, marketing, and training efforts.  At Smith, she is focusing in marketing.  Along with being VPSA, she is also a member of the Mayer Fund, The Student Experience Committee, and several clubs.  She enjoys spending time with her family, remodeling houses, cooking, and wood working.  She has more hobbies than time and, to the best of her knowledge, own more power tools than any other MBA student.

MBA Association
The Robert H. Smith School of Business
2324 Van Munching Hall
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland 20742-1815
mbaa@rhsmith.umd.edu