Smith Profiles

Alumni Profile
Making the World a Better Place, One Sip at a Time
Jorge Richardson BS ’21
Jorge Richardson BS ’21 originally went to Maryland Smith to follow in his family footsteps, join a big investment bank and put in the years to climb up the ladder. During a summer at the World Bank, he was enamored at the Bank’s ability to catalyze massive sustainable development change through innovation & financing methods, piquing his interest in the climate space.

Alumni Profile
Navigating Finance Through Resiliency - Jeron Davis Forbes 30 Under 30 Profile
Jeron Davis BS ’15
From selling crayons for change in elementary school to investing in the stock market in the 9th grade, Forbes 30 under 30 recipient Jeron Davis BS ‘15 has always had a passion for business.

Alumni Profile
Taking A Passion for Research Outside Academia
Debdatta Sinha Roy, PhD ‘19
When we imagine researchers, we often think about the world of academia in which professors conduct research while taking on a teaching schedule. However, outside of academia, there are a variety of professional research scientists, like Maryland Smith alum Debdatta Sinha Roy, PhD ‘19, who use data to help companies find patterns in customer behavior and optimize future decisions.

Alumni Profile
Changing Lives, Through Social Entrepreneurship
L. Audrey Awasom ’18
L. Audrey Awasom, ’18, is leading an uprising. Her goal? To see a society where every woman has access to good healthcare, affordable housing and sustainable employment.

Alumni Profile
A ‘30 Under 30’ Recipient, on Embracing Challenges
Ali Salhi, MS ’18
For Loop CTO Ali Salhi, MS in Business Analytics ’18, Maryland Smith was a place to learn about the importance of learning through challenges.

Alumni Profile
On Seeing the Bigger Picture, Not the Puzzle Pieces
Kent Baker, MBA ’69, DBA ’72, MEd ’74
He has invested almost 45 years teaching, earning eight academic degrees, including three doctorates, and publishing 35 books and more than 300 academic and practitioner-oriented articles. Yet, H. Kent Baker, MBA ’69, DBA ’72, MEd ’74, says it isn’t yet time for retirement – not, he says, until he can no longer take the stairs to his office at American University.

Alumni Profile
Qualcomm CFO, on Finding a Passion
Akash Palkhiwala, MBA ’99
For Qualcomm CFO Akash Palkhiwala, Maryland Smith was a place to find his passion and adapt to life in a new country.

Alumni Profile
For 5 Siblings, Baking and Making a Family Company
Ronnie ’09 and Johnny ’14 Dubbaneh
There are secrets to baking that also apply to being an entrepreneur. And five Maryland siblings are putting those secrets to work in their latest venture. The Dubbaneh brothers and sisters – Ronnie, Danny, Ronia, Johnny and Deanna – know that to be successful in baking, you have to take care in every step of the process, be patient, give it your time and attention, and love what you’re doing. It’s the same for starting a business.

Alumni Profile
As CEO, Leading by Helping Others Grow
Jennifer Felix ’92
Jennifer Felix ’92 has one goal in mind when it comes to leadership – helping everyone maximize their potential. As president and CEO of ASRC Federal – a Maryland-based government services subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation owned by 13,000 Iñupiat shareholders – Felix has learned firsthand what it means to lead. It starts with empowering others and finding inspiration in every journey, she says.

Alumni Profile
At PBS, Finding a ‘Dream’ and Creating Inspiration
Sylvia Bugg, EMBA ’12
When Sylvia Bugg, EMBA ’12, first applied for a job as an administrative assistant at PBS in the early 1990s, she was excited to join an organization that had supported and broadcast so much important content. “It was a dream,” she says, looking back. Today, she’s PBS’s chief programming executive and general manager of general audience programming, playing an integral role in the broadcaster’s mission.