The University of Maryland Alumni Association (UMDAA) is excited to welcome Bert Williams ’96 to serve as the next president of its Board of Governors (BOG), in addition to 10 new at-large members. In their roles, members guide the UMDAA in its mission to connect, cultivate and channel the power of 422,000+ alums to enrich their own lives, advance the university and impact the greater good.

Get to know these impressive alums below! And as we welcome these new alums, we are thankful for the service of our departing members. Read key takeaways from their time as BOG members.

Williams received his bachelors of arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice in 1996. With more than 25 years of experience in security program management, Williams currently serves as Security Manager at the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), a U.S. government-sponsored entity established to serve the U.S. housing market. He also serves as President of the International Organization of Black Security Executives, where his expertise helps the nonprofit provide resources and education to minority security professionals.

Williams began his service with the Alumni Association as a member of the board’s began his engagement with the Alumni Association in 2012 as a member of the University of Maryland Black Alumni Network. He joined the Board of Governors in 2019 as an At-Large Member.

Jennifer Coatsworth `00 is a partner at Partner at Margolis Edelstein, based in Philadelphia, PA. With more than 20 years of experience in the legal profession, she has presented across legal disciplines, written numerous articles and, recently, served as 2024 Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, representing more than 8500 lawyers in Philadelphia. She is the former president of the Philadelphia Terps Alumni Network and a long-time dedicated Terp volunteer. Coatsworth received her bachelor of arts in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland (UMD) in 2000, and went on to get her Juris Doctorate of Law from Temple University’s James E. Beasley School of Law in 2003.

Dominique Dawes `02 is best known for her numerous Olympic accomplishments: she has won four Olympic medals and became the first African American gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal in women’s gymnastics. She currently serves as the Atlanta Falcons Limited Partner, CEO and Founder of Dominique Dawes Gymnastics & Ninja Academies, and a passionate motivational speaker. The University of Maryland Hall of Fame inducted Dawes in 2022. Dawes received her bachelor of arts degree from UMD in 2002.

Mac Gardner `98 is Founder and CEO of FinLit Tech, an organization with a mission to build a bridge between financial literacy and financial technology based out of Tampa, FL. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial industry and his work to support financial literacy and wellness spans authoring books, public speaking and serving as an original Advisory Council member for the University of South Florida - Personal Financial Planning degree program. Gardner is a dedicated Terp volunteer who started the Houston Terps Network. He received his bachelor of arts in Government and Politics from UMD in 1998.

Sarah Gretczko `01 serves as Head of Talent + Belonging at PayPal, based in New York, NY. Her work in talent management spans more than two decades and includes organizations such as Deloitte, Mastercard, and JPMorgan Chase and Co. She has offered her expertise as a speaker at a New York Terps women’s event and has spent the past 4 years as a member of Leader 50. Gretczko received her bachelor of science from UMD in 2001, and went on to obtain an MBA in Strategy and Change Leadership from the New York University Stern School of Business in 2006.

Pramod Raheja `91 is the CEO and co-founder of Airgility, where he leads the development of the enterprise platform for aerial intelligence that enables autonomous aerial robotics at scale. He has more than 30 years of experience as a pilot and captain at United Airlines and has successfully launched and invested in multiple ventures, including Intelligent Office, a franchise that was a finalist for the Small Business of the Year award. He is an active Terp volunteer, serving on the Engineering Alumni Board, and a recipient of the UMD EnTERPreneur Award. Raheja received his bachelor of science in aerospace engineering from UMD in 1991.

Moniesha Shorter `96 is the Product Lead for NOWINCLUDED at Acclimate, as well as Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Cornerstone Creative Group. She was recently crowned USOA Mrs. Maryland and has served as the DMV Chapter Lead for the Black Product Managers Network for the past 2 years. Shorter is an active volunteer with the UMDAA’s Black Alumni Network and a supporter of the university’s enTERPreneur ecosystem. She received her bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from UMD in 1996, as well as her master of professional studies in Technology Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation in 2020.

Evan Shubin `96 is Co-Founder and COO of Half a Hire, which provides fractional staff solutions to help organizations everywhere operate more smoothly. He has served as the President (CEO) of 4 different companies, the COO of 7 other companies, and a Vice President at 5 other companies. With extensive entrepreneurial experience, Shubin has been involved with 26 different startups and offers mentorship to fellow enTREPreneurs through the Dingman-Lamone Center for Entrepreneurship. He received his master of fine arts in creative writing from UMD in 1996, after receiving a bachelor of arts in psychology and economics from Brown University in 1990.

Jeanne Skinner `93 is a Senior Executive Recruiter at Google, where she is focused on finding the world's best executive level talent that will create and launch the next generation of Google’s products and services. With nearly three decades of experience, she speaks at numerous UMDAA events and supports future Terps alums through the UMD Career Center. Skinner received her bachelor of arts from UMD in 1993 and her masters from Texas A&M University.

Michael Tow `98 is the Senior Vice President of IT at the National Association of Broadcasters, where he has served the nation's radio and television broadcasters for more than two decades. Tow is an active Maryland sports fan and part of a passionate Terp family; he met his wife at UMD and his son will be a first-year student in the fall. Tow received his bachelor of science degrees in biological science and decision information sciences and management science & statistics from UMD in 1997 and 1998, respectively.

Chris Van Bavel `98 serves as Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition Innovations, Programs, and Solutions at Marriott International. He is passionate about supporting the next generation of talent at Marriott, and his talent acquisition career spans nearly three decades. Van Bavel was active in Greek Life and received his bachelor of arts in English from UMD in 1998.