Smith’s Mayer Fund Celebrates 20 Years“The good news,” says Mayer Fund portfolio manager Ryan Turner, “is this year we made over $300,000. The bad news is we don‘t get to keep a penny of it.” 

It was a sultry summer evening in New York City. Mike Cerrone ’06  was out for dinner with fellow Terps John Williams ’02, John Brennan (Computer Science ‘06) and friend Warner Siebert in the Village. The restaurant’s wait list was long, the bar was full, and when Brennan asked the host to text him when their table was ready so the group could go get a beer elsewhere, he received a flat ‘no.’ As the group whiled away their time on the hot sidewalk, conversation turned to the annoyance of waiting for a seat at a restaurant.

Pratik Dixit BS ’13 (finance, information systems) could have chosen a glamorous study-abroad locale such as Amsterdam, Dubai or Paris. Instead, he jumped at a 12-day consulting opportunity in rural Nicaragua. Calling it a “perfect blend of service and business,” Dixit says, “Having this experience on my resume helped me say I’ve done real consulting work. … Companies are very impressed by that.” Deloitte evidently was — Dixit has been working there as a consultant since graduation.

Malcolm Gillian ’95, MBA ’00, has always been a snappy dresser. That’s what you’d expect of the CEO of Second Button, a bespoke shirt company headquartered in New York City. 

WHAT I DO: Chief Marketing Officer, Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media, Turner Broadcasting Inc. Manage a multimillion dollar budget and staff of 140 people; responsible for marketing, creative and strategy for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang, seen in 100 million households.

Meet Doug Wink, renaissance man. Maryland National Guardsman. Smith Global Equity Fund analyst. Tailor. Human trafficking researcher. Epic proposal planner. Drug-busting prosecutor. And most of all, world traveler.  If Smith gave an award for most traveled student, Doug Wink would surely be a leading contender for the title. With 65 countries under his belt, Wink, MBA/MS ’14, UMD ’03 is one of Smith’s most intrepid adventurers. He has traveled extensively in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and most points in between. 

Brenda Freeman '87, MBA '91 Excerpt from Smith Business magazine, spring 2014 WHAT I DO: Chief Marketing Officer, Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media, Turner Broadcasting Inc. Manage a multimillion dollar budget and staff of 140 people; responsible for marketing, creative and strategy for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang, seen in 100 million households.

Welcome to the Smith MBA Report, the monthly podcast that features the events, news and newsmakers of the the full time and part time MBA programs at the Robert H. Smith School of Business.

The 9th Annual Cupid’s Cup is almost here! Watch competitors vie for the coveted Cupid's Cup and a shot at $115k on April 4. Get your tickets now at www.cupidscup.com. 1. Don’t be afraid to fail. “If you’ve been dreaming of starting your own business, make 2014 the year you take the risk -- even if you fail. Whatever happens, you’re guaranteed to learn a lot in the process.” — Elana Fine, managing director, Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship

Top-tier schools go head-to-head in world’s largest student competition, competing for $1 million in start-up funding to solve President Clinton’s Healthcare Challenge  Two full-time MBA student teams from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business have advanced to the regional finals of the fifth annual Hult Prize competition.