Access2Alumni
The college's award-winning career mentoring and networking event, Access2Alumni connects undergraduate ARHU students with successful ARHU alumni to explore the variety of exciting and vital professional paths available to arts and humanities majors. Get career-ready at Access2Alumni.
Access2Alumni (A2A) is a career mentoring event that features insights and advice from successful ARHU alumni and is coordinated by the ARHU Chapter of the Alumni Association. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with alumni from various industries to discuss their career goals and ask questions.
A2A helps students chart a path forward with support and assistance from former ARHU students who are now successful alumni. The event includes several small-group break-out sessions led by alumni. A2A is a great place to develop your networking skills—all of the alumni attending are friendly and want to help students succeed. This free event is open to all UMD students, regardless of major or year. ARHU majors are specifically encouraged to attend both the in-person and Zoom events.
Fall 2025 Dates
A2A is moving to the fall for the 2025-26 academic year. Registration is now open and we hope you can join us for both events:
- Register for In Person: Tuesday, November 4, 2025, from 4-6 p.m. in Riggs Alumni Center, Orem Hall
- Register for Virtual: Wednesday, November 5, 2025, from 5-6:15 p.m. on Zoom
Keynote Speakers
Attorney, educator, sportscaster and advocate Len Elmore ’74 will be the keynote speaker for the in-person session and filmmaker and producer David Bonnett ’10 will be the keynote speaker for the virtual session. Both were English majors at UMD.
Contacts
Students - For career advising and A2A questions, contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu
Alumni - For information and involvement, contact Greg Schofer at gschofer@umd.edu
Fall 2025 Alumni Participants
Session 1: Tuesday, November 4 • IN-PERSON
- Carlos Acosta, English, B.A., M.A. – Montgomery County Circuit Court, Judge • LinkedIn
- Kraig Ahalt, History and Criminal Justice – US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, Attorney • LinkedIn
- Scott Berger, Communication – Scripps, Vice President, Advertising Partnerships • LinkedIn
- Hope Brown, English – Calvert/Morgan Stanley, Chief Compliance Officer • LinkedIn
- Manique Buckmon, Art History – Creative Compass, Founder, Artist & Educator • LinkedIn
- Billy Cannon, M.F.A. Creative Writing – Offit Kurman, Managing Principal • LinkedIn
- Nelson Chen, Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies – University of Maryland, Prospect Research Analyst • LinkedIn
- Dan Cronin, Business, M.B.A., Ph.D. Communication – Maryland Institute College of Art, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer • LinkedIn
- Emily Dammeyer, Journalism – Lumina Corps, Executive Vice President • LinkedIn
- Kevin Davis, English, B.A., M.A. – Caplin & Drysdale, Member • LinkedIn
- Anjelica Dortch, Philosophy – Independent Community Bankers of America, Vice President • LinkedIn
- Len Elmore, English – Attorney, Educator, Sportscaster and Advocate • LinkedIn
- Gail Elmore, French and Spanish – wexYa llc, Co-Founder • LinkedIn
- Artis Hicks, Communication – DMI, Project Manager • LinkedIn
- Latoya Jenkins, Communication – University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Vice President, Enrollment Management & Student Experience • LinkedIn
- Veda Johnson, Communication – U.S. Department of Commerce, Social Media Specialist • LinkedIn
- Dani Leopold Bogage, Communication and Government & Politics – Glen Echo Group, Senior Director • LinkedIn
- Danielle Miller, Communication – Maryland Office of the Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General • LinkedIn
- Jeffrey Oguamanam, Communication – Under Armour, Lead Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion • LinkedIn
- Michael Olmert, English, B.A., Ph.D. – University of Maryland, Professor, Playwright & Screenwriter • LinkedIn
- Paul Plymouth, Communication – Verizon, Director, State Government & Local Engagement • LinkedIn
- Linda Roth, Communication – Linda Roth Associates, President (Keynote Speaker) • LinkedIn
- Veronica Segovia, Communication – AARP, Program Management Director, Family Caregiving • LinkedIn
- Evan Shubin, M.F.A. English – Candlelight Partners, President & Founder • LinkedIn
- Matt Sincaglia, Communication – RedPeg, Vice Presdient of Brand Strategy & Analytics • LinkedIn
- Jeanne Skinner, English – Google, Executive Recruiter • LinkedIn
- Noah Teates, English – Constellis, Chief Strategy Officer • LinkedIn
- Marilyn Thompson, Radio, Television & Film – C-SPAN, Freelance Announcer • LinkedIn
- Chris Van Bavel, English – Marriott International, VP, Global Talent Acquisition • LinkedIn
- Jonathan Wilan, History – Sidley Austin, Partner • LinkedIn
- Sarita Williams, Communication – U.S. Senate, Press Secretary • LinkedIn
*Participant list current as of 10/14/2025
Session 2: Wednesday, November 5 • VIRTUAL
- Aldo Bello, Radio, Television & Film – Mind & Media, Inc., EVP & Chief Creative Officer • LinkedIn
- Lisa Berglund, English and Communication – EAB, Director of Research People, Performance, and Operations • LinkedIn
- David Bonnet, English – Filmmaker and Producer, "The Baltimorons" (now playing)
- Marguerita Cheng, East Asian Languages, Business – Blue Ocean Global Wealth, Chief Executive Officer • LinkedIn
- Kristina Friedgen, Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies – Sitar Arts Center, Director of Innovation & Engagement • LinkedIn
- Sadie Koeppel, Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies – Salesforce, Manager, Employer Brand Comms & Content • LinkedIn
- David Leinwand, History – U.S. Department of State, Staff Attorney
- Christina Martin, Spanish and Business – SourceUP, Founder & CEO • LinkedIn
- Lexi Neaman, Communication – Uber, Senior Client Partner • LinkedIn
- Jared Paul, Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies – Faculty Productions, Chief Executive Officer
- Jessika Portney, Italian and Communication – Journey On, CEO and Founder • LinkedIn
- Julia Ring, English and Education – Empowered Nonprofits, Empowerment Officer • LinkedIn
- Jessica Roberts, Communication – UMD Alumni Association, Senior Executive Director • LinkedIn
- Alexi Spector, Communication – Buffalo Sabre, Director of Social Media • LinkedIn
- Alyssa Toro, Art, Graphic Design – Connelly Partners • LinkedIn
- Pattie Yu, Journalism, MA Communication – The Yu Crew, Principal • LinkedIn
*Participant list current as of 10/14/2025
Top Tips for Attending Access2Alumni
- Ask questions and share your career interests as well as your uncertainties. A2A is a friendly atmosphere to explore your career goals and discover interesting career directions. You don’t need all the answers—this is where you start finding them.
- Bring an open mind—explore a variety of career fields. You never know who you will meet or where their network might take you. You may be surprised to learn about doors to careers you never knew existed.
- Dress well, but prioritize attendance. Attending is more important than attire, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to dress to impress (business casual).
- Follow-up with the alumni you meet as well as those you do not. Alumni will enjoy hearing from you. Connect on LinkedIn and/or send an email to say thank you, ask further questions, request a resume review or inquire about a job or internship.
Access2Alumni Spring 2025 In-Person Keynote Video
Access2Alumni Spring 2025 In-Person Event Photo Gallery
Past Keynote Speakers
View Keynote Speakers by Year
Spring 2025: Linda Roth, president, Linda Roth Associates; Tuliza Fleming, interim chief curator of visual arts, National Museum of African American History and Culture
2024: No keynote speaker
2023: Randy Lord, actor, producer and lawyer; Jared Paul, music industry executive
2022: Erek Barron, US attorney for Maryland; Jimmy Roberts, NBC sportscaster
2021: Carol Brown; Charlotte Triefus; Rep. Jennifer Wexton, congresswoman
2019: Jason Reynolds, author and poet
2018: Brett Wein, sales executive, SnapFish
2017: Michelle Singletary, columnist, The Washington Post
2016: Adam Shapiro, actor
2015: Cary Hatch, marketing executive, MDB Communications
2014: John Kelly, columnist, The Washington Post
2013: Domonique Foxworth, former NFL player and analyst, ESPN
2011: Norman Steinberg, producer, writer, director
2010: Harlan Weisman, healthcare executive, And-One Consulting
2009: Gail Berman Masters, producer and entertainment executive, The Jackal Group
2008: David Baggett, CEO and software creator, INKY
2007: George Pelecanos, author