Why I Give: Craig ’79 and Lisa Adler, UMD ’79

For Craig ’79 and Lisa Adler, UMD ’79, the University of Maryland (UMD) was just the beginning of their story and they want to ensure it remains part of their legacy.

“When you think about when you're gone and what you want to leave behind,” Lisa said. “How can you give it to something where you know you're going to make some kind of a major impact?” The Adler’s have supported the Smith School for many years but when planning for their estate, they decided to prioritize a significant gift that will create a lasting legacy to keep moving Maryland forward. “I think giving to education has a major impact because that's something that endures,” Lisa said.

“It wasn’t until recently when we ultimately made this larger gift that we said to ourselves, we'd rather go deeper and with a smaller number of beneficiaries so we could really make a difference [for those organizations].” Craig said. “Maryland is our number one and that was the choice that we made together.”

It was during the summer of 1978 while they were both students at the university, they met off campus. They have been together ever since, celebrating over 40 years of marriage.

“I’ve known her for almost half a century,” Craig said. “That’s also a great connection that both of us graduated in 1979. We both love that.”

Craig grew up in Bowie, MD and said his goal was always to attend UMD. He studied accounting as a student at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. After graduation, he spent the early part of his career in public accounting before moving to private industry to work for a client. He was CFO for a few tech companies then ultimately bought a technology company with a business partner which he ran successfully for almost 20 years.

“I really attribute my success to the beginnings of my roots at Maryland,” Craig said. The Adlers kept the university part of their family, taking their kids to games and events on campus when they were younger. They still return to campus to support the Terps and Craig remained involved at Smith, having served as a judge for the Pitch Dingman competition and supporting other Maryland alumni who continue to reach out for networking and career advice. Craig encourages students to invest time in building their Terp network.

Lisa was from New York and transferred to UMD to study TV, Radio and Film. In College Park, she was an active member of Delta Phi Epsilon where she helped with charity events the sorority was involved with. When she graduated, she faced a changing media landscape and shifted her producing and event management skills to the nonprofit world, leading grass roots efforts for substance use prevention for youth and young adults through the Fairfax County School system. She then started her own coalition and eventually went on to create and run the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County, a substance abuse prevention program. Lisa spent 21 years in the industry helping people which she said was very rewarding.

Today, Lisa and Craig spend most of their time giving back to their community. Craig has been volunteering with Second Story, an organization that helps youth and their families with critical tools, housing and communities of support. Craig served as the board president for several years and now he focuses on fundraising for the organization.

The Adler’s gift aligns with a key pillar in the university’s Forward campaign, supporting the trailblazers of tomorrow providing more access to a world-class education. “Not everyone has the money to afford college. It’s difficult and to be able to give assistance like that and help them is extremely gratifying,” Lisa added. Craig started working at the age of 13 and worked through college to fund his education. It’s one of the reasons he wanted to give back to Smith, so that other students would not have to worry about how to fund their education while they are in school.

“We really wanted to donate meaningful gifts so that students could thrive and garner the education they needed to help themselves toward a successful, satisfying career” Lisa said with the hope that scholarship recipients would one day pay it forward.

“It's nice to bring what I've learned from my career and from Maryland, and use that to support and serve,” Craig said.

To the scholarship recipients, Lisa said, “nothing is ever easy, but you forge ahead, and you make something of what you’ve been given.”