President’s E Award to Smith’s Center for Global Business

The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded a 2024 President’s “E” Award for Export Service to the Center for Global Business (CGB) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

A founding member of the MAPIT Alliance (Maryland Partners in International Trade), Smith’s CGB was recognized for significant contributions over the past four years to expand U.S. business in international markets — contributing to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.

“The ‘E’ Award is the highest national honor given to providers of services to exporters and is much deserved by the Smith School’s Center for Global Business,” says Prabhudev Konana, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. “Our center is making a significant impact to promote export and for students to be part of that experience — especially through the Maryland Global Consulting Program and “Maximizing Maryland Internship Program,” both of which support trade development objectives while providing valuable job training for the next generation of trade professionals.”

The CGB’s Maryland Business Adapts program to support local exporters during the COVID-19 pandemic also was significant to the award presented to the Smith School and its CGB by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on May 14, 2024, at the Department of Commerce Headquarters. “Trade impacts the lives of every American worker, business and community,” said Raimondo. “I am proud to recognize this year’s President’s “E” and “E Star” award recipients for their efforts and contributions to increase economic prosperity across our country and further position the U.S. private sector as the partner of choice in markets around the globe.”

The aforementioned initiatives are part of the center’s broader action scope of “regularly organizing and supporting seminars, workshops, and conferences that aim to increase participants’ knowledge of global markets, macro-economic trends affecting those markets, exporting best practices and trade policies,” says CGB Executive Director Rebecca Bellinger. “And as part of the international trade ecosystem here in Maryland, our aim through these programs is to support SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) scaling and growth through exports and contribute to economic growth in the state and region.”

The awarding committee also evaluated CGB’s Distinguished Speakers in International Business Series (DSS), the Annual Forum and Lightning Talks. The latter is ongoing as a series of virtual discussions on business resilience and how companies can prepare for future global shocks. It’s presented collaboratively with nine other U.S. Title VI CIBER programs. The three series collectively have provided macro perspectives on the issues affecting global markets where exporters conduct business.

With Smith’s Bellinger a member of the Maryland-D.C. District Export Council (DEC), the CGB also has collaborated with the council in delivering export events and training programs including Maryland Export Day (2021, 2022, 2023), ExporTech (2021), Explorer Webinar Series: Explore North Africa & the Middle East (2021), Virtual Trade Talk on Shipping Challenges and Port Congestion (2021) and Building Bridges to Global Markets (2022).

Created in 1961 by Executive Order of the President, the President’s “E” Award is the highest recognition a U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.

The Center for Global Business is a Center of Excellence and Title VI CIBER (Centers for International Education and Research).

Read more about Smith’s Center for Global Business.