The Center for Global Business has received two coveted state awards — the Secretary’s Citation from Maryland Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson and Governor Wes Moore has honored CGB Executive Director Rebecca Bellinger with the Governor’s Citation. Both awards are in celebration of the center receiving the President’s “E” Award for Export Service as well as CGB’s contribution to the state’s international trade. The “E” Award is the highest recognition a U.S. entity can get for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports. The Center for Global Business received that national award during a ceremony this past May at the headquarters of the federal Department of Commerce.
Maryland Deputy Secretary of Commerce Signe Pringle presented the state awards to Bellinger and Smith School Dean Prabhudev Konana on Sept. 20, 2024. Pringle said international trade and investment are an integral part of Maryland’s economic growth, but CGB’s value to the state goes above and beyond that. It includes, “Educating students, allowing them to get hands-on experience with exporters locally, expanding exports abroad and therefore creating jobs in Maryland.”
Dean Konana accepted the Secretary’s Citation for the Smith School and said, “The award matters a lot to the entire school. It also shows the support we have for Smith from the state and that we’re doing meaningful work for Maryland by serving its population. As Maryland’s flagship university, that's our primary mission.”
Bellinger was overcome with emotion upon receiving the Governor’s Citation. When asked how she felt about having this honor bestowed on her she said, “I’m humbled by this recognition. It has everything to do with the work of the Center, our team, the support that we receive from the Smith community, the University of Maryland community, and all of our partners in the international trade ecosystem across Maryland. It’s about the work that we do collectively to contribute to economic development and competitiveness at the state level.”
The Maryland Citations and the President’s “E” Award acknowledge CGB’s hugely successful adherence to its mission — connecting members of the Smith community to the world and the world to Smith, while at the same time serving as a Maryland resource center for companies seeking to take their goods and services into the global marketplace.
The Center for Global Business is a Center of Excellence and Title VI CIBER (Centers for International Education and Research).
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About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.