faculty
SDF ORIGIN STORY
In the Fall of 2008, Marketing Professor Mary Harms and Design Professor Ruth Lozner created the Design and Innovation in Marketing Undergraduate Fellows Program, now known as the Strategic Design Fellows Program. As the Fellows Program approaches its 20th year, we are indebted to their vision and dedication to developing career-ready skills in design, branding, and marketing.
MARY BETH FURST
SDF Faculty Champion
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Mary Beth Furst joined the Smith School in 2018 and assumed responsibilities as the Faculty Director for the Strategic Design Fellows in 2024. Professor Furst teaches a variety of marketing fundamentals and strategy courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as product design and innovation, customer relationship development, marketing ethics, consumer behavior, and brand management.
Professor Furst earned her undergraduate and MBA degrees from Loyola University of Maryland and her doctorate in education from Johns Hopkins University. Her passion for student-centered design is evident in the curriculum and programs she teaches.
BETH BAGLEY
Adjunct Faculty
Elizabeth Bagley is an Adjunct Professor with 17+ years of experience working in the creative industry, primarily with nonprofit marketing and creative teams. She teaches computer graphics courses, guiding students on how to develop their design skills and combine business best practices with create design decisions. Professor Bagley she has professional certifications in UX Design and Accessibility Design from the Interaction Design Foundation.
She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in Graphic Design and Photography from the University of South Alabama and her master's in Design Management and Communications from Georgetown University. Additionally,
In addition to her experience in the creative industry, Beth has taught at multiple levels of education from teaching elementary through high school English in South Korea, to most recently as an Adjunct Instructor at Southern New Hampshire University, facilitating the senior portfolio course which guides students on how to build a brand identity and creative portfolio in preparation for their professional design careers.
Beth is currently the Assistant Director of Design & Branding for the American Geophysical Union in Washington, DC.
LANCE WAIN
Adjunct Faculty
Lance Wain is the adjunct professor for the capstone course in the program. When not in the classroom, his full-time responsibility is that of Principal, President of Grafik Marketing Communications, a top Washington, D.C.-based branding agency. Clients for his agency include Accenture, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, T. Rowe Price, British Telecom, Gannett Digital, The Baltimore Ravens, Verizon Wireless, The Prostate Cancer Foundation and Software AG.
Lance is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a B.A. and a Masters in International Management. He’s also a faithful follower of UMD athletics.