Many return to UBalt to provide the support that once changed their lives
BY SALLY FREEDMAN
Many University of Baltimore graduates have made the transition from learner to leader right on campus. When this group of alumni returned to UBalt to work, they brought more than expertise—they brought their lived experience. These former students understand the challenges their successors face because they’ve navigated them personally. And their commitment to the values and lessons that shaped them ensures future generations will benefit from the same hard-earned wisdom.
EVERYONE CAN CONTRIBUTE
“I came to The University of Baltimore and I never left,” said Philippia Richardson, B.A. ’98, M.A. ’01. She had a well-established career as a successful visual manager, decorating windows for leading retailers, when she decided to complete her degree. After earning her B.A. in English, she turned right around and got a master’s in publications design.
An editor at heart, Richardson often found herself helping classmates with papers. She credited her instructors for their support and inspiration as they nurtured her natural talent as an educator. By the time she graduated, she was a full-time writing consultant at the University.
In 2017, John Brenner B.A. ’01, MBA ’16, director of Early College Initiatives, convinced Richardson to put her talents to work with a different kind of UBalt student. And until her retirement in 2025, Richardson served as administrator for the College Readiness Academy.
“ I’ve learned that everyone can contribute and has something to offer. Learning is a lifelong endeavor.”
PHILIPPIA RICHARDSON, B.A. ’98, M.A. ’01
The high-school students in her program also inspired her to continue teaching. Richardson sharpened their writing skills while helping the teens navigate a difficult transition. “College can be overwhelming,” said Richardson. “These kids are just starting out and they’re so inquisitive. I wanted to make sure they stayed motivated.
“I truly value the time I spent learning and teaching at UBalt. I’ve learned that everyone can contribute and has something to offer. Learning is a lifelong endeavor.”
APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE
Some people yawn when they see a spreadsheet. Dr. Jan Williams, M.S. ’95, lights up. “I loved accounting in high school. I loved it in college. I loved how the numbers came together. Everything had its place,” she said.
Williams pursued that passion as an undergraduate at Hampton University, as a master’s student in taxation at UBalt, and then in a doctoral program at Morgan State University. With Ph.D. in hand, she returned to UBalt to teach accounting at the Merrick School of Business, where she has taught for 19 years.
As a student, “what I liked about the programs at the University of Baltimore was the application of the knowledge,” she said. “We had hands-on projects where we worked with data to develop tax strategies for real-world situations.”
As a teacher, “I love nurturing the students, getting to know them and helping to create that career pathway,” said Williams. And she leans heavily on that real-world focus, putting students in contact with working professionals. In that regard, she said “it’s a great benefit of being an alum and a faculty member.”
“Teaching allows me to establish relationships with current and future alumni who I can invite back to talk to the students in my classes about the profession,” said Williams. “Then I can connect students with those alums when they are looking for employment opportunities later.”
ETERNALLY GRATEFUL
After earning a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Bloomington, Luann Edwards, J.D. ’00, worked for a major public interest organization, advancing from the regional to the national level. At the organization’s Washington, D.C., office, “I worked with and among many lawyers, and was inspired to apply to law school myself,” she said.
That passion took her to UBalt Law. “I entered as a second-career, first-generation law student,” she said, “and I’m eternally grateful to the faculty, staff and classmates that made me aware of opportunities I likely would have missed on my own.”
Edwards thrived as a student. She was a law scholar under longtime School of Law professor Charles Rees, won a national award for a paper she wrote for her copyright law class, worked as a research assistant and participated in moot court. “I deeply appreciated the luxury of thinking about things just for the sake of thinking about them,” she said.
After graduating, Edwards landed a job with a Manhattan law firm and then returned to Maryland to pursue public interest law, where she spent more than a decade shaping policy that continues to impact the lives of countless Marylanders.
“Education opens up opportunities. It opens up thoughts. It opens up your mind.”
In 2024, her journey came full circle when she returned to work at UBalt and now serves as assistant dean of law career development. Edwards is honored “to be included in a law student’s journey, to celebrate their successes and support them as they navigate challenges.”
I BECAME A LIFER
Sally Reed-Aro, MBA ’03, was working in the human resources department at The University of Maryland, Baltimore when she got the calling to further her career. UBalt offered her the chance to pursue an MBA part-time in the evenings.
As she was completing her degree, a job opened up in UBalt’s own HR department, and the pieces just fell into place. “I graduated in December, in a ceremony at the Lyric, and I started in the HR department three weeks later,” she said.
Reed-Aro went on to earn a master’s in jurisprudence at Tulane University, and was promoted to her present role as UBalt’s associate vice president and chief human resources officer. “At some point in time, I became a lifer,” she said.
From a professional standpoint, her experiences as both a UBalt student and longtime adjunct faculty help her navigate the myriad HR issues that can arise on campus. “I certainly understand the experience of our students,” she said. “And I appreciate the University’s mission, looking for opportunities for underprivileged, for disabled, for otherwise overlooked individuals.”
As both student and staffer, she’s seen the impact a UBalt experience can have. “Education opens up opportunities,” said Reed-Aro. “It opens up thoughts. It opens up your mind.”
‘SUCCESS WILL COME’
Domonique Flowers, B.A. ’05, came to UBalt to study jurisprudence, with an eye toward becoming a lawyer. That experience set him up for success: With a law degree from Howard University,, he now works for the Social Security Administration, reviewing appeals for disability claims.
At the same time, he’s giving back to his first alma mater, UBalt. “I taught legal writing in the School of Law, and then was also hired to teach American legal history in the undergraduate program,” he said.
Flowers also relies on his master’s degree in historical studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as an adjunct faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences. “My interest in history was always profound,” he said, and a stint teaching legal principles to high school students through the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project helped hone his skills as an educator.
As a former student, teacher and current candidate for the School Board in Baltimore, Flowers has embraced the chance to help shape how students view their world.
Take for example, his work on the subject of Edward Draper, a Black man who studied law in the mid-1800s but was denied the right to practice. Flowers recently helped advance Draper’s posthumous acceptance into the Maryland Bar.
Through this experience, “I was able to tell my students about the importance of never giving up,” he said. “I try to impress upon them that it’s OK to fail. That’s going to happen. Success will come down the line.”