Howard Community College

Mike Smelkinson was named the Director of Athletics effective December 1, 2021 having held down the job on an interim basis for six months prior to that and after two years of serving as the Assistant Athletic Director and head coach of the men's basketball team at Howard Community College.

Smelkinson was named the successor of Erin Foley after her decision to step down from the position. In his previous role as the Assistant Athletic Director, his responsibilities included eligibility, compliance, supervision of coaches, managing the day-to-day operations, and facility management. In addition, Smelkinson returned to the head coaching position for the men's basketball team where he previously had remarkable success.

In his first season back at Howard CC, coach Smelkinson won more games in the 2019-20 season then the program had won in the previous four years combined. The Dragons went a perfect 17-0 at home which included three wins in the Region 20 tournament hosted at Howard CC where the Dragons won their first regional championship since 2013. The season included two wins against top 10 nationally ranked teams and averaged outscoring their opponents by more than 24 points per game. The team earned the #8 seed in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Danville, IL before the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

At Harford Community College, Smelkinson leaves a school he had spent five years at where he started as the Manager for Athletic Compliance & Student-Athlete Success and was eventually promoted to Associate Athletic Director. Smelkinson was responsible for the eligibility and compliance for 250+ student-athletes per year for the 13 Fighting Owl varsity teams. He was a big contributing factor to the academic success of Harford as the overall athletics GPA was significantly raised in his time managing the academic progress.

Over the past decade, Smelkinson has established himself as one of the premier coaches in Region 20 and Md Juco with a combined record of 152-92. After inheriting a Harford Community College team with 5 wins in 2013-14, Smelkinson led Harford to two Md Juco regular season titles, two conference tournament championships, back-to-back Region 20 titles, and a trip to Hutchinson, Kansas for the D1 NJCAA National Tournament in his five year stint. 

Smelkinson is no stranger to turning around programs, as he has had similar successes at Howard Community College prior to leaving for Harford. In his first stint at Howard, Smelkinson doubled the win total from the previous year with 13 wins in his first season and improving in each successive season with 17 and 19 wins respectively. In those three years at the DII NJCAA level, Smelkinson garnered a conference regular season championship, Region 20 title, and a trip to the national tournament in Danville, Illinois.

Before accepting the Howard CC job, Smelkinson served as the varsity coach at Marriotts Ridge High School in 2010-11 for a single year in which he took over a team who was winless the year before and coached them to eight victories including a playoff upset against Southern High School of Anne Arundel County.

Smelkinson started his career as an assistant coach at his alma mater, St. Mary's College of Maryland, from 2008-10 during which time the Seahawks were a combined 47-9. He assisted in all coaching duties, including recruiting, scouting, player development, game management; and served as head coach of the JV squad. Smelkinson played his final two years of eligibility at St. Mary's College, helping the team to a 2008 NCAA DIII Sweet 16 appearance. The Seahawks won the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament while Smelkinson led the CAC in assists. He started his collegiate career at NCAA DII's California University of PA, playing in every game from 2004-06 and helping the team to back-to-back winning seasons.

As a standout at Long Reach High School, Smelkinson was a three-time first team all Howard County selection as well as Howard County Player of the Year in 2004. He currently stands as the school's all-time leader in points and assists.

Smelkinson graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in human studies. He earned his master's degree in education from Walden University in 2013. He and his wife, Amber, reside in Columbia with their daughters Skyler and Summer.