Smith Profiles
Alumni Profile
At Work, Delivering Innovative Solutions
Stephanie Catherine ’14
Stephanie Catherine ’14 has always sought out the next hard problem to solve, the next challenge. It’s why she so enjoys the work she’s doing at Deloitte, where she works as a manager. The tasks and challenges she faces vary from day to day, and the changing nature of her work, she says, keeps her motivated and intellectually stimulated.
Alumni Profile
Finding Success and Having an Impact, on Her Own Terms
Marguerita “Rita” Cheng ’93
Marguerita “Rita” Cheng ’93 knows what it means to find success on her own terms. Early in her career, she was working at a large firm, when her sales manager expressed a concern. He said she spent too much time listening to clients. “He led me to believe that being empathetic and patient was a liability,” she said. “I was devastated when he told me that I was a lousy financial planner.”
Alumni Profile
Balogun, on Soccer, Business and Making Goals
Yewande Balogun, ’11 and MBA ’16
As a soccer player, Yewande Balogun, ’11 and MBA ’16, has always wanted to play against the best of the best. In the summer of 2021, she got that chance.
Alumni Profile
Maryland Still Has Her Heart
Quinetta Roberson ’99
Villanova management professor Quinetta Roberson, PhD ’99, has always been fast. She won races as a University of Delaware sprinter. And later, during her Smith PhD years, she competed against undergraduates on the Terrapins intramural track team.
Alumni Profile
Seeing Failures As Stepping Stones To Success
Jitin "Miki" Ahuja ’97
Entrepreneur Jitin “Miki” Ahuja ’97, MBA ’02, calls himself a late bloomer. He grew up in Bowie near the University of Maryland and stayed in his comfort zone during his freshman year.
Alumni Profile
Serial Entrepreneur, Driven To Help Others
Jason Cohen ’96
Entrepreneurs beat long odds when they launch a company and sell it to investors. Jason Cohen ‘96 has done it several times.
Alumni Profile
Following a Vision, Becoming a Game-Changer
Kevin Plank ’96
Kevin Plank knows what it means to be a game-changer. He transformed the world of sports apparel when he launched Under Armour in 1996.
Alumni Profile
From Autos to Philanthropy, Driven To Make a Difference
Robert G. Hisaoka ’79
Robert G. Hisaoka ’79 believes building a strong business begins with building a strong team through great communication and measuring performance. Over the span of his career, he’s done just that.
Alumni Profile
Understanding – and Supporting – Entrepreneurship
Bill Boyle ’81
Entrepreneurs can face a multitude of challenges as they take their ideas from concept to startup, and Bill Boyle ’81 understands them all.
Alumni Profile
Climbing Corporate Ladders and Branching Out
Leigh Burnside ’92
Leigh Burnside ’92 has learned what it takes to climb the corporate ladder and succeed in the C-suite. But she’s also learned that careers aren’t just about reaching the next rung on the ladder – they’re about branching out.