From the classroom to the C‑suite, Lou Marmo’s career has been defined by adaptability and decisive leadership. The University of Mary Washington alumnus and 2026 Commencement speaker will return to campus on Saturday, May 9, 2026, to share lessons drawn from his journey as an executive, husband and dad. These insights, he hopes, will guide graduates as they take their first steps beyond Commencement and navigate the decisions that follow.
“It’s so much less about having a plan, and more about having a mindset centered around three simple concepts: being conscientious, being responsive to people and being decisive,” said Marmo. “No matter the career, you’ll be successful with these characteristics.”
He adds, “You are better off making a bad decision, getting more information, and then making a good decision, than sitting around waiting for something to happen.”
The decision to move from New Jersey to Virginia happened twice for Marmo, first as an undergrad to attend what was then Mary Washington College, and again in his professional life to find a home base in Richmond. That move was in part to be closer to his friends, including his college roommate, Chris Houchins ’94, who he counts as a friend for life.
“The thing I remember most from Mary Washington is the people – all of the friends,” he said. “We also got to know every professor on a personal level.”
Marmo still had some of his contacts on speed-dial, it turns out, when upon his return to the region, a quick email to then Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker led to a call and numerous connections that helped kick off his networking efforts in Virginia.
Marmo majored in business administration and nearly added a double major in geography by taking all the classes he could that were taught by the late Professor Emeritus of Geography Richard Palmieri. After graduation, he took a job with a company where he had interned and briefly pivoted into education as a substitute teacher and coach, before going back to the business world.
While finishing his MBA at night, he worked in human resources and then finance, while also adding Wall Street to his résumé. He then found a mentor who helped him advance into a CFO role. He’s been a CFO, COO or CEO for a half dozen companies, stepping in and up whenever needed.
In 2017, he received a Distinguished Business Alumni Award by the College of Business in a ceremony held during Homecoming that year.
During a brief retirement in 2022, he joined the UMW Foundation Board of Trustees, helping advance its mission to support the University and provide opportunities for students, faculty and staff. He’s currently finishing up an interim CFO role for a manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, and will be joining Green Air, a commercial HVAC business in Ashland, Virginia, as COO at the end of April.
He still recalls the days of his own senior year and Commencement at Mary Washington.
“I was ready to graduate and get out in the real world. I should have just enjoyed it,” he now says, recalling how his family came to campus for the ceremony, many of them for the first time. Now a father of two, he has a daughter in college and a recent college graduate, who has given him clear instruction to keep his speech short. He’s mindful that the families will be there for their graduates, and that the soon-to-be alumni have their minds full about what’s ahead.
“It’s such a huge day in their life. But 30 years later it’s just one step. Soak in the day,” he said.
That’s going to be his approach as he processes down Campus Walk for Commencement, taking in the moment and the place. It’s also clear that Mary Washington left a mark on his life, so much so that he has a tattoo on his arm to commemorate it.
“I loved campus. I fell in love with it from day one,” he said. “I still walk around campus when I’m here and feel all those memories rushing back. It puts a smile on my face.”
UMW’s 2026 Commencement Ceremony will be held Saturday, May 9, beginning at 9 a.m., with a livestream available. For more information, visit the UMW Commencement website.
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