Former journalist Tia Craddock, PTMBA ’13, did more than pack her bags when she attended the 2012 National Black MBA Conference in Indianapolis. Working with a career coach at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Craddock practiced her pitch and interviewing skills. Then she reviewed her performances on video. “She asked me almost impossible questions, just so I could be prepared for anything,” Craddock says. “So when I got to the conference, I was sharp.”

Change has come fast for Jeff Knabe since he stepped away from his career as an alternative rock drummer in 2000 and enrolled in business school. During his post-MBA journey at PepsiCo, Campbell Soup and now spice manufacturer McCormick and Co., Knabe has guided major consumer brands through multiple marketplace disruptions. “The marketplace keeps changing, so it’s always fresh,” says Knabe, a senior marketing manager who oversees the Grill Mates and Lawry’s brands at McCormick. “That’s what’s kept me so engaged in food and beverage, and that’s why I’ve done it for 15 years.”

Conversation mixes with music as the lunch crowd fills Busboys and Poets on a recent weekday. Books by local authors fill store shelves near the entrance. Paintings by local artists cover the walls. On tap is a full lineup of weekend entertainment: A poetry slam on Friday, the DC Funk Parade on Saturday, and a screening of “Served Like a Girl” on Sunday with guests from the documentary about homeless women veterans.