Smith School Welcomes New Alumni Relations Director: Joyce Jones

Joyce Jones joined the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in July as director of alumni relations for the Office of External Relations and Alumni Affairs. As director, Joyce serves as liaison between the Smith School and the university’s Alumni Association. She also manages the Alumni Chapter Board and alumni-related programs, events and activities. In her short time with Smith, she has witnessed great programs and opportunities for alumni to re-engage with the school and re-connect with one another. But there are many more opportunities available to alumni, says Jones, at least for those willing to tap into their resources within the Smith community.

Building on the tremendous growth the Smith School has recently achieved over the last decade, the Office of External Relations and Alumni Affairs is working hard to re-energize the Alumni Chapter Board in an effort to develop a more active alumni base. “We’d like to help strengthen relationships with our alumni, beginning with our Alumni Chapter Board,” says Jones. “They are our first point of contact to the larger Smith alumni community and the key to the success of building engagement among their peers. Therefore, their active level of participation with the Board is vital.” For alumni, stronger engagement makes networking with one another and re-connecting with the Smith School a much smoother process, adds Jones.

Prior to joining the Smith School, Jones worked as a marketing consultant for The Roan Group, an international brand strategy firm delivering expertise and support to arts non-profits challenged with strategic planning and capacity-building. In addition, she was marketing director for Americans for the Arts, overseeing the National Arts & Humanities Month awareness campaign and annual convention, and project manager for Discovery’s Animal Planet cable network overseeing all national print, radio and online media campaigns and affiliate marketing partnerships. “I’m excited to be a part of the Office of External Relations and the wider Smith community and I’m looking forward to the work ahead,” says Jones.