As the nation observes National Veterans and Military Families Month, the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business is recognizing military-connected students while honoring alumni and service members whose legacies continue to shape the school community.
This fall, Smith recognized four students through two award programs that reflect the school's longstanding support for veterans, active-duty service members and military families: the 2026 Lamana-Cranford Memorial MBA Fellowship Fund and the inaugural Robert L. Edwards '39 Military Veteran Leadership Award.
Remembering Through Scholarship
The Smith School established the Lamana-Cranford Fellowships in memory of Navy Lt. Eric Cranford and Navy Lt. Michael "Scotty" Lamana, both part-time Smith MBA students who were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon. The fellowships support military-affiliated students pursuing graduate business education while honoring the memory of two members of the Smith community. A third Smith alumnus, LCDR Ron Vauk (MBA '93), also lost his life that day.
This Year's Honorees
Earlier this year, the Smith Vets Remember 2026 campaign renewed support for the fund, and the school selected the 2026 Lamana-Cranford Memorial MBA Fellows: Marcus Mack, a Baltimore-based Navy veteran and Sonos account manager pursuing a Flex MBA to further develop his leadership skills and advance his career in technology and strategy, and Ryan Harris, a Maryland Army National Guard member and Hilti Group account manager pursuing an Online MBA as he prepares for future leadership responsibilities in both his military and professional careers, including Officer Candidate School in 2027.
Smith also recently announced the first recipients of the Robert L. Edwards '39 Military Veteran Leadership Award: Mahi Shah, a Southern Maryland native and Army National Guard military intelligence officer pursuing a Master of Management degree to strengthen her leadership skills, and Peter Yamasaki, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Marine Corps officer instructor for the Maryland Naval ROTC Consortium, who is pursuing an online MBA to broaden his perspective beyond the military and learn from business leaders across sectors.
The award honors Robert L. Edwards '39, a University of Maryland business graduate who served as a B-17 bomber pilot in World War II, flying 35 missions over Germany and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and seven Air Medals.
After the war, Edwards built a successful career in law and real estate while remaining committed to expanding educational opportunities for future generations. His daughter, Sara Chase Carlson, continues that philanthropic legacy. Inspired by her father's belief that education is a lifelong source of opportunity, Carlson helped establish the leadership award to recognize military-connected students who demonstrate leadership, service, and academic promise.
Ryan Harris
Marcus Mack
Mahi Shah
Peter Yamasaki
Continuing the Legacy
According to Frank Goertner, director of federal and veteran affairs and of the Graduate Program in Technology Management, both awards reflect the Smith School's broader commitment to supporting military-connected students and preserving the legacy of those who came before them.
“At Smith, we talk a lot about the Old Line legacy of sacrifice, service and lifelong leadership that we, as military-connected Terps, inherit,” Goertner said. “Robert Edwards, Scotty Lamana, and Eric Cranford were each members of that Old Line, and these scholarships help us both remember and extend their impact.”
Smith’s fellowship and leadership award programs connect current students with that legacy and recognize individuals whose military service, academic achievement, and leadership reflect the values embodied by the awards' namesakes. Relatedly, the Northrop Grumman Foundation-sponsored Smith Armed Forces Association Scholarship provides fellowships to military service-connected Smith MBAs.
Goertner said this year's honorees also demonstrate the strength of Smith's military-affiliated community and the leadership potential veterans and service members bring to the classroom and beyond. “Maryland has always attracted our nation's finest, especially when the stakes are high. You see that in every Smith Vet on our Honor Roll and in each of this year's scholars and fellows. Marcus, Ryan, Mahi, and Peter are here to lead for all the right reasons. I'm excited to see where that takes us."
For more information, go to the Smith Vets Scholarships page.
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About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in business education and cutting-edge research. The school’s world-class faculty facilitate experiential learning opportunities rooted in the real world. Smith students learn to think like entrepreneurs, prepared to drive positive impact. The school offers undergraduate, online and on-campus business master's, full-time, part-time, online and executive MBA, plus PhD and DBA degree programs, and non-degree and executive education programs. Where Smith leads, the future follows.