Tony Danko, MBA ’15, has always known he wanted to start his own company. He knew an MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business would help him with his dream.

The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business hosted government, civic, and business leaders at a celebration in Van Munching Hall on Nov. 1 honoring veteran-owned businesses and the impact they have in the state of Maryland and beyond. The event was co-sponsored by the Maryland Governor’s Office of Small, Minority and Women Business Affairs; the U.S.

Giving back and being an advocate has always been part of Secretary Anthony Woods’, EMBA ’15, career. 

“It’s moving to me that our project will in some small way impact the future of veteran care. Isn’t that what we all want in life, to leave our corner of the world a little better than we found it?”

With over 20 years of service in the U.S. military and upper echelons of the federal government, Eric Hamlin, EMBA ’20, is well on his way to completing his latest mission—transitioning to a successful private sector career in business development.

The U.S. National Defense Strategy released this past October emphasizes a strong need to accelerate the Pentagon’s ability to deploy emerging and disruptive technologies vital to America’s military superiority over advanced competitors. At the Smith School, a unique mentorship is helping make this goal a reality.

The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business has a proud legacy of educating and promoting U.S. military students and veterans in business. To further advance that legacy, Maryland Smith has established a new Military Veteran Fellows & Scholars Program for its next generation of full-time MBA candidates.

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.