Fall 2025

News

Jim Smith and Darryll J. Pines smile at introduction event

UMD Now Home of the Braves’ Former Exec

Smith Brings Leadership and Business Experience to Build on Maryland Athletics’ Success

Explorations

Rot Race

Researchers Help State’s Growers Save Vines, Fruit

Features

Ryan Collins poses on bike, with purple background

Mettle to the Pedal

When his Olympic dreams on the bike came crashing down, Ryan Collins ’16, MBA ’20 struggled to even hold the handlebars. Now he’s racking up records as an elite ultracyclist.

News

view from behind Kermit the Frog as he addresses graduates at UMD Commencement at SECU Stadium

Kermit the Frog to Grads: ‘Leap Together’

At 2025 Commencement, Famed Amphibian Implores Students to Make, Keep Connections

Explorations

purple pencil with cloud, lines and dots

AI Goes to School for Math-Instruction Study

Researchers to Create Database of A+ Classroom Teaching

Explorations

Housing, Reframed

Urban Planner Says Modern Manufactured Homes Could Expand Options for First-Time Buyers

Explorations

green alien on Mars sits on recliner and points remote at TV

Hello, Mars? Quantum Device Could Help Open Communications

‘Green Machine’ Laser Receiver Leverages Quantum Mechanics to Extract Light Particles

Explorations

chatbot with text boxes on screen and magnifying glass

How to Chat ... With a Bot

Ask the Expert: Advice for Real Life

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

00s

Jeff Wallace MBA ’08

Jeff Wallace MBA ’08 became chief financial officer of Space Needle + Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle. He most recently served as vice president of U.S. retail finance at Starbucks.

10s

Tim Ebner M.Jour. ’12

Tim Ebner M.Jour. ’12 was promoted to vice president of communications and marketing at the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI). He was previously director of communications and marketing. Prior to joining CMI, Ebner was communications director and press…

Passings

Libby Spector Wolff ’61

Libby Spector Wolff ’61 of Baltimore died on July 27, 2025, at the age of 85. She graduated from Forest Park High School, later UMD with honors, and served as president of the Pikesville Chamber of Commerce. Wolff was a well-known, leading real estate…

10s

Omar Tarabishi ’13, M.A. ’21

Omar Tarabishi ’13, M.A. ’21, co-founder and president of the nonprofit Leftover Love, was named to The Maryland Daily Record’s 2025 Power 100 List, recognizing the 100 men and women who are shaping the state’s businesses, nonprofits, law firms and other…

00s

Caroline Solomon Ph.D. ’06

Caroline Solomon Ph.D. ’06 was named president of Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf and vice president of the university. She was previously dean of faculty at Gallaudet University. She earned a bachelor’s…

00s

David Brenneman ’05

David Brenneman ’05 joined the law firm Latham and Watkins as a partner in the antitrust and competition practice and a member of the litigation and trial department. Brenneman’s practice focuses on the antitrust aspects of mergers and acquisitions, joint…

Passings

Retired Air Force Col. Vernon A. Sevier ’55, M.A. ’69, Ph.D. ’79

Retired Air Force Col. Vernon A. Sevier ’55, M.A. ’69, Ph.D. ’79 died on July 19, 2025, at age 92. A native of Baltimore, he received his commission as second lieutenant through the Air Force ROTC program at UMD, where he majored in physical education and…

20s

Michael Ravenscroft MBA ’21

Michael Ravenscroft MBA ’21, managing director of the University System of Maryland Momentum Fund, was named among the Baltimore Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Honorees for 2025, a roundup of rising stars in the Greater Baltimore business scene. The…