Welcoming James E. Smith to lead Maryland Athletics

Dear Terrapin community,

Today is an exciting day in the next chapter of Maryland Athletics as we welcome James E. Smith as our new Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics. Jim will oversee the university’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics excellent team of more than 250 full-time staff members who support more than 550 student-athletes.

Jim will become a Terp on July 15 after working in athletics for more than two decades at both university and professional organizations, including the Atlanta Braves, the Ohio State University, the Atlanta Falcons, AMB Sports & Entertainment and the Columbus Crew, among others. 

We are proud of the athletics tradition here at UMD and of the accomplishments of our coaches and student-athletes who represent the red, black, white and gold. As college athletics rapidly evolves, Jim brings valuable administrative and business experience, plus the energy, vision and passion to lead our athletics program to new levels of success and impact.

Jim is coming to UMD most recently from the Atlanta Braves, where he has been serving as the senior vice president of business strategy. In his five-year tenure with the Braves, he has led a team focused on implementing innovative business, brand, marketing and communications strategies to drive revenue, engagement and membership growth. Jim’s visionary leadership and strategy team assisted the organization in rapid growth, resulting in significant increases in annual ticket sales, concessions and retail. He is the Braves’ point person for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park.

Jim was previously with the Ohio State University Alumni Association, where, as president and CEO, he led one of the largest alumni associations in the world, including a team of more than 80 professionals, and oversaw a $17 million budget. He implemented new strategies focused on innovative alumni engagement and outreach, resulting in a 10% annual revenue growth in two years, and 15% increase in alumni participation. He also led the development of a new marketing and communications strategy focused on increasing affinity for the university, including redesigned publications, social media strategy and the launch of an app to enhance alumni communications.

He held a series of senior executive positions at Arthur M. Blank Sports & Entertainment (AMBSE), in charge of all revenue and marketing for the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons, Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United, and the design and development of the $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium project. He developed a strategic revenue generation plan for the stadium, creating a state-of-the-art facility to meet the needs of an evolving industry. He provided oversight of all sales functions for the stadium, including negotiating naming rights, sponsorships and suite sales. At AMBSE, Jim was the driving force in the creation of Atlanta's MLS franchise, Atlanta United, the most successful launch of a soccer franchise in the country’s history.

He is currently a board member for the Mitsubishi Electric Senior PGA, Gwinnett County Chamber, and Arete Scholars. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in sports management from the Ohio State University.

Jim’s arrival at Maryland follows an era of recent successes and milestones for the Terrapins, beginning with the university’s entry into the Big Ten Conference and the Big Ten Academic Alliance in 2014. New facilities, such as the Jones-Hill House Football Performance Center; the new Barry Gossett Basketball Performance Center; and the Barry and Mary Gossett Hall for Academic and Personal Excellence of Student-Athletes, have raised the university’s profile as a leader and innovator in athletics.

In addition, Jim takes the helm at a time when Maryland teams have landed significant achievements. Since joining the Big Ten, Maryland has captured 49 conference championships, the third-most of any school during that span. Additionally, Maryland has secured six of its 47 national team championships over the last decade in the Big Ten. 

Jim brings with him a network of colleagues and consultants who have led elite college athletics. He plans to tap the consulting talents of his former colleague, the retired and legendary athletic director for the Ohio State University, Gene Smith.

I would like to thank the entire search committee, led by Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel Jay Rosselló and Arts and Humanities Dean Stephanie Shonekan, in partnership with TurnKeyZRG, for identifying exceptional candidates.

I also offer my gratitude to Colleen Sorem for her leadership as interim athletic director over the past two months as our Terps finish out their spring seasons. Not only did she provide steadfast leadership during a period of change, but did an exemplary job in the selection and hiring of our new men’s basketball coach.

Please join me in welcoming Jim to the Maryland family, and go Terps!

Sincerely,