Dean’s Student Advisory Council
Dean’s Student Advisory Council
Your Voice, Your Vision, Our Smith Community
The Dean’s Student Advisory Council (DSAC) is a student organization composed of 11 undergraduate students who continually meet with Smith faculty, advisory boards, students, and leaders to elicit ideas and facilitate the implementation of meaningful, productive changes. Every decision we make has been strategically calculated, deliberated, and implemented only after in-depth presentations and meetings with upper-level faculty and administrators.
By advising and collaborating with the Smith community, DSAC aims to enhance the academic experience, further administrative initiatives, and shape a meaningful Smith journey for our students.
- Academics: DSAC aims to enhance the direction of Smith’s academic curriculum to ensure that our faculty are providing world-class programming that addresses the needs of our students.
- Engagement: In collaboration with Smith’s administrative departments, DSAC is committed to ensuring that students are receiving the community resources and guidance they need to succeed.
- Community: DSAC works to build a sense of belonging in Smith by identifying opportunities to bolster the needs of specific communities and providing strategic guidance to Smith’s administration.
Career Discovery Task Force
The Career Discovery Task Force aims to evaluate the range and quality of professional opportunities available to Smith undergraduates. The team will also assess how these opportunities are communicated to ensure equitable access. By aligning student interests with employer needs and Smith's strategic goals, the task force seeks to enhance professional development at Smith.
Task Force Members: Michael Zhao ‘25, Faith LeBrun ‘26, Eileen Chen ‘26
Freshmen Mentorship Task Force
The Freshmen Mentorship Task Force aims to evaluate the quality and engagement of Smith's mentorship programs, such as Smith Start. By analyzing current programs, surveying freshmen, and gathering sentiment data, we hope to enhance resource allocation and help freshmen integrate into the Smith community. The task force will focus on developing mentorship goals, supporting freshmen in their academic and career journeys, and fostering connections between freshmen and Smith’s opportunities.
Task Force Members: Emily Davis ‘27, Pranav Katakam ‘26, Joanie Morningstar ‘26, Christopher Yeh ‘26
Extracurricular Evaluation Task Force
The Extracurricular Evaluation Task Force aims to assess the student engagement and impact of Smith clubs and organizations, both SUSA-affiliated and non-affiliated. By gathering data, the team will identify key actions to reduce barriers for clubs and organizations seeking to join SUSA.
Task Force Members: Grayson Vintz ‘25, Elijah Thompson ‘25, Amol Ajmera ‘25
Internal Transfer Task Force
The Internal Transfer Task Force seeks to streamline and improve the transition process for transfer students at Smith. By collecting data, conducting interviews, and surveying students, the team will identify challenges and develop strategies to enhance the transfer experience and support student success.
Task Force Members: Peter Mitrione ‘25, Selorm Kpodo ‘25, Maya Moore ‘25, Kethaka Yattogoda ‘25
- Smith Minors: DSAC has influenced the length and brand strategy of the Smith Minors program, for which we serve as a strategic advisor to faculty and administration. Learn more.
- Undergraduate Oversight Committee: Members of DSAC currently sit on the Undergraduate Oversight Committee (UOC), which reviews and initiates changes that ensure excellence in the undergraduate business curriculum.
- Lunch and Learn: DSAC created a series of lunches to allow students to interact with faculty outside of the classroom.
- Alumni Speaker Series: DSAC has hosted a speaker series with alumni every year, with topics ranging from "How to Fail" to "Standing Out Without Burning Out".
- Senior Cruise: DSAC created the idea for the Senior Cruise, which serves as an end-of-year celebration of a senior's undergraduate experience.
- 100 Days: DSAC contributed to the creation of 100 Days, a series of events that bring together Smith seniors to celebrate their final 100 days until graduation.
We are proud to say that since DSAC’s inception in the fall of 2012, student leaders under the guidance of the administration, specifically Dean Mullins, have implemented various new programs that have focused on academic, admissions, engagement, and community aspects of the life before, during, and after the students’ undergraduate experiences at the Smith School. The numerous changes facilitated by DSAC, coupled with the strategic mission and continued devotion by the undergraduate team are helping to make our students the very best, which in turn propels our Smith School of Business into becoming one of the best institutions of its kind in the world!
All Smith majors and minors are eligible to apply for DSAC. Our application cycle occurs annually in March and April and consists of an application and interviews. We will host information sessions about DSAC starting in February! Please continue to check this page for updated recruitment information
2024-25 DSAC Members
Amol Ajmera
Class of 2025
Finance & Accounting
Eileen Chen
Class of 2026
Finance & Information Systems
Emily Davis
Class of 2027
Marketing, Operations Management & Business Analytics
Pranav Katakam
Class of 2026
Information Systems, Operations Management & Business Analytics
Selorm Kpodo
Class of 2025
Accounting & Marketing
Faith LeBrun
Class of 2026
Information Systems &Management
Maya Moore
Class of 2025
Finance & Business Management
Joanie Morningstar
Class of 2026
Finance & International Business
Peter Mitrione
Class of 2025
Finance & Information Systems
Elijah Thompson
Class of 2025
Business Management & Information Systems
Grayson Vintz
Class of 2025
Finance & Accounting
Kethaka Yattogoda
Class of 2025
Finance & Information Systems
Christopher Yeh
Class of 2026
Information Systems & Supply Chain Management
Michael Zhao
Class of 2025
Finance & Computer Science
2023-24
Eric Blackman, Anisha Kosuri, Faith LeBrun, Peter Mitrione, Zoe Nicholson, Siri Rao, Neena Sengupta, Alexa Stimpson, Ore Toluwani, Jacob Uwimana, Grayson Vintz, Abby Wexler, Michael Zhao
2022-23
Alexia Ayuk, Ishaan Kapur, Emmanuel Corporal, Aaliya Husain, Namra Shaikh, Anisha Kosuri, Eric Blackman, Siri Rao, Miranda Chung, Zoe Nicholson, Neena Sengupta, Michael Zhao
2021-22
Eric Blackman, Caroline Fleetwood, Natalie Hirsch, Emmanuel Corporal, Abe Browne, Katish Sussman, Ally Merwitz, Siri Rao, Alexia Ayuk, Katherine Robinson
2020-21
Angela Yang, Faaiq Zarger, Dan Alpert, Ally Merwitz, Joshua Chen, Alex Kristal, Julia O'Malley, Nathan Yuen, Sarah Alkon, Kunal Harmalkar, Katherine Robinson
2019-20
Alex Bergman, Ariana Riske, Nikhil Modi, Sophie Lin, Mario Menendez, Jared Remien, Brooke Rankin, Angela Yang, Faaiq Zarger, Dan Alpert, Ally Merwitz
2018-19
Derek Xiao, Dan Alpert, Faaiq Zarger, Ariana Riske, Jacob Lapidus, Lauren Black, Brandon Lucas, Aaron Yang, Zachary Azrael, Parker Rist, Alexandra Bergman
2017-18
Cece Ukejianya, Lina Bauer, Aaron Yang, Jordan Arndt, Zachary Azrael, Parker Rist, Helen Liu, Alexandra Bergman, Malik Sulieman, Jacob Vietch, Edmond Lee, Chad Gruzin
2016-17
Cece Ukejianya, Jordan Arndt, Gopal Srinivasan, Allison Leap, Bobby Crumbaugh, Kelly Cosgriff, Jessica Lewis, Nicole Lopez, Lina Bauer, Mimi Verdonk, Ben Hawtof, Aaron Yang
2015-16
Liya Ai, Michael Barnett, Dina Broydo, Kelly Cosgriff, Robert Crumbaugh, Cindy Liu, Beidi Luo, Bridget McManus, Yash Mehta, Praneet Puppala, Christopher Riggs, Chetachi Ukejianya
2014-15
Connie Chou, Robert Crumbaugh, Alex DoQuang, David Engle, Anh Le, Bridget McManus, Yash Mehta, Obed Molina, Claire Naylor, Stefani Pappas, Khalil Pettus, Praneet Puppala, Snigdha Rao, Ittie Rehani, Kayla Santos, Travon Sawyer, Lindsey Weilminster
2013-14
Steven Asifo, Antoine Battle, Austin Carroll, Connie Chou, Lindsay Djuhadi, David Engle, Stephanie Graf, Ehson Kashfipour, Austin Lee, Yash Mehta, Khalil Pettus, Praneet Puppala, Kushaan Shah, Mambwe Sumbwe, Geoff Wang, Lindsey Weilminster
2012-13
Antoine Battle, Hayley Brown, Connie Chou, Michael DeLucia, Pratik Dixit, Aaron Fagan, Brooks Gabel, Chris Grant, Brija Johnson, Julia Klein, Manas Kulkarni, Yash Mehta, Zach Nerenberg, Kishore Radhakrishnan, Hayley Thometz, Mendel Zecher
How to Become a Member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council
All Smith majors and minors can apply for DSAC. Applications open in March and April each year, including an application and interviews. The 2024-25 application cycle is closed. The 2025-26 cycle will open in Spring 2025.
Contact Us
If you would like more information about the
Dean’s Student Advisory Council, please contact:
Rachel DiDonna
Assistant Director, Smith Undergraduate Experience
Program Coordinator, Dean’s Student Advisory Council
rdidonna@umd.edu