Smith Profiles
Alumni Profile
Raising Awareness About Disabilities in the Workplace
Alan Grantham ’05
For many people, work can be stressful. Between the deadlines, meetings, presentations and other responsibilities to be managed, the professional world can be tough to navigate. And it can be made that much harder for people who suffer from a disability.
Alumni Profile
From Student to CEO, Solving Problems
Carly Fiorina, MBA ’80
When Carly Fiorina, MBA ’80, looks back over the arc of her career, what stands out for her isn’t a single achievement or experience. That’s not what defines her. So what does stand out for her as she looks back?
Student Profile
Studying for her MBA, Eying a Career in Impact-Driven Consulting
Lee-Ellen Myles
Lee-Ellen Myles believes businesses are ideally positioned to leverage their influence to make impactful change. It’s a belief that has been validated in her coursework at UMD and Maryland Smith, and during her 2021 summer internship with Council Fire, a consulting firm that works to help purpose-driven organizations thrive by creating lasting economic, social and environmental value.
Student Profile
After the Marines, Finding a Passion in Marketing
Octavia Davis
Octavia Davis couldn’t picture herself going to college right after high school. She hadn’t yet decided what she wanted to do with her life, with her career. Joining the military, she thought, would give her time to decide what she wanted, while giving her a rich, worldly experience.
Alumni Profile
Leading at Morgan Stanley, Driven To Make an Impact
Etim Edim
Etim Edim’s path to becoming CFO of Morgan Stanley's Technology, Operations and Firm Resilience divisions started with a realization – he wanted to make an impact.
Alumni Profile
Championing Others on the Way to a Successful Career
Terrill L. Drake, EMBA ’12
At Maryland Smith, Terrill L. Drake, EMBA ’12, envisioned the next stages of his career through the pursuit of a more inclusive community. Now, he’s taking the lessons he’s learned to Harvard Business School where he will become its first chief diversity and inclusion officer.
Faculty Profile
What Teaching Means to Zeinab Karake
Zeinab Karake
Hailing from a lineage of educators, Maryland Smith’s Zeinab Karake always believed she’d find a career in the classroom. To her, teaching isn’t just a profession, it’s a calling.
Alumni Profile
Climbing the Ladder, Making a Difference Along the Way
Sherika Ekpo, MBA ’09
From the earliest days of her professional life, working as a business analyst for JPMorgan Chase, Sherika Ekpo, MBA ’09, was determined to keep one goal in mind: to ascend in her career, making a difference in every step.
Alumni Profile
Cracking the Case and Succeeding in Entrepreneurship
Ryan Hogan ’13
Ryan Hogan ’13 loves a good mystery. So much so, in fact, that he has made them a career. But his success is no secret or enigma – it’s a product of years of trial and error.
Student Profile
Finding Smith, And the Plus 1 Program
Gelila Aderaye ’21
Gelila Aderaye ’21 always knew graduate school was in her future but didn’t know exactly what her plans were – that is, until she attended Maryland Smith. Initially starting her undergraduate career at Montgomery College, Aderaye came to Smith with a penchant for accounting.