{"id":109323,"date":"2026-03-23T16:22:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T20:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=109323"},"modified":"2026-03-23T16:22:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T20:22:04","slug":"umw-alumnus-lou-marmo-94-named-2026-commencement-speaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/23\/umw-alumnus-lou-marmo-94-named-2026-commencement-speaker\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW Alumnus Lou Marmo \u201994 Named 2026 Commencement Speaker"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_109327\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-109327\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/23\/umw-alumnus-lou-marmo-94-named-2026-commencement-speaker\/marmo\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-109327\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"109327\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/23\/umw-alumnus-lou-marmo-94-named-2026-commencement-speaker\/marmo\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmo-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1707,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Business Executive and University of Mary Washington alumnus Lou Marmo &amp;#8217;94 will be UMW&amp;#8217;s Commencement speaker on Saturday, May 9, 2026.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmo-200x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmo-683x1024.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-109327\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmo-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Business Executive and University of Mary Washington alumnus Lou Marmo '94.\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmo-200x300.jpg 200w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmo-683x1024.jpg 683w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmo-768x1152.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmo-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmo-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmo-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-109327\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Business Executive and University of Mary Washington alumnus Lou Marmo &#8217;94 will be the school&#8217;s Commencement Ceremony speaker on Saturday, May 9, 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From the classroom to the C\u2011suite, Lou Marmo\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s 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,\u201d said Marmo. \u201cNo matter the career, you\u2019ll be successful with these characteristics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He adds, \u201cYou are better off making a bad decision, getting more information, and then making a good decision, than sitting around waiting for something to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201994, who he counts as a friend for life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe thing I remember most from Mary Washington is the people \u2013 all of the friends,\u201d he said. \u201cWe also got to know every professor on a personal level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>While finishing his MBA at night, he worked in human resources and then finance, while also adding Wall Street to his r\u00e9sum\u00e9. He then found a mentor who helped him advance into a CFO role. He\u2019s been a CFO, COO or CEO for a half dozen companies, stepping in and up whenever needed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:7,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/23\\\/umw-alumnus-lou-marmo-94-named-2026-commencement-speaker\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:230672515}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 294px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"294\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 439px; height: 294px;\" data-original-width=\"439\" data-original-height=\"294\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/23\/umw-alumnus-lou-marmo-94-named-2026-commencement-speaker\/marmos-at-2023-celebration-of-giving\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"435\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"290\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109328\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmos-at-2023-Celebration-of-Giving-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark IV&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1670322764&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.02&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmos-at-2023-Celebration-of-Giving-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmos-at-2023-Celebration-of-Giving-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmos-at-2023-Celebration-of-Giving-scaled.jpg?w=435&#038;h=290&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmos-at-2023-Celebration-of-Giving-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmos-at-2023-Celebration-of-Giving-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmos-at-2023-Celebration-of-Giving-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmos-at-2023-Celebration-of-Giving-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmos-at-2023-Celebration-of-Giving-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Marmos-at-2023-Celebration-of-Giving-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" width=\"435\" height=\"290\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"435\" data-original-height=\"290\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of Lou Marmo with his wife Jill Marmo \u201994 at the 2023 Celebration of Giving event.\" style=\"width: 435px; height: 290px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Lou Marmo and Jill Marmo \u201994 at the 2023 Celebration of Giving. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 222px; height: 294px;\" data-original-width=\"222\" data-original-height=\"294\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-small\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/23\/umw-alumnus-lou-marmo-94-named-2026-commencement-speaker\/lous-mwc-tattoo\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"218\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"290\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109326\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lous-MWC-tattoo-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.7&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;SM-G930V&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1524075246&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.2&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0166666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Lou&amp;#8217;s MWC tattoo\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lous-MWC-tattoo-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lous-MWC-tattoo-768x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lous-MWC-tattoo-scaled.jpg?w=218&#038;h=290&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lous-MWC-tattoo-scaled.jpg 1920w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lous-MWC-tattoo-225x300.jpg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lous-MWC-tattoo-768x1024.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lous-MWC-tattoo-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lous-MWC-tattoo-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" width=\"218\" height=\"290\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"218\" data-original-height=\"290\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"Lou&#039;s MWC tattoo\" alt=\"Photo of an arm with a tattoo that includes an eagle and the letters MWC.\" style=\"width: 218px; height: 290px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> It\u2019s clear that Mary Washington left a mark on Lou Marmo&#8217;s life, so much so that he has a tattoo of MWC on his arm to commemorate it. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 439px; height: 294px;\" data-original-width=\"439\" data-original-height=\"294\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/23\/umw-alumnus-lou-marmo-94-named-2026-commencement-speaker\/lou-marmo-with-reunion-group\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"435\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"290\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109325\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-with-Reunion-group-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark IV&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Reunion Weekend 2024; alumni; ball circle; chris houchins; lou marmo; meghan shepherd carter; picnic&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685680778&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-with-Reunion-group-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-with-Reunion-group-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-with-Reunion-group-scaled.jpg?w=435&#038;h=290&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-with-Reunion-group-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-with-Reunion-group-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-with-Reunion-group-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-with-Reunion-group-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-with-Reunion-group-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-with-Reunion-group-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" width=\"435\" height=\"290\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"435\" data-original-height=\"290\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of a group of people at a picnic table during reunion weekend in 2024 on Ball Circle that include Lou Marmo and his college roommate Chris Houchins.\" style=\"width: 435px; height: 290px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Lou Marmo &#8217;94 with his college roommate, Chris Houchins \u201994 and fellow alums at a picnic on Ball Circle during Reunion Weekend in 2024. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 489px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"489\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 732px; height: 489px;\" data-original-width=\"732\" data-original-height=\"489\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/23\/umw-alumnus-lou-marmo-94-named-2026-commencement-speaker\/lou-marmo-at-homecoming\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"728\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"485\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109324\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-at-Homecoming-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark IV&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1729834929&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;60&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-at-Homecoming-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-at-Homecoming-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-at-Homecoming-scaled.jpg?w=728&#038;h=485&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-at-Homecoming-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-at-Homecoming-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-at-Homecoming-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-at-Homecoming-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-at-Homecoming-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-at-Homecoming-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" width=\"728\" height=\"485\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"728\" data-original-height=\"485\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of Lou Marmo at Homecoming with UMW Chief of Staff and Vice President of Strategy Jeff McClurken.\" style=\"width: 728px; height: 485px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Lou Marmo &#8217;94 catches up with UMW Chief of Staff and Vice President of Strategy Jeff McClurken &#8217;94 at Homecoming. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 368px; height: 489px;\" data-original-width=\"368\" data-original-height=\"489\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/23\/umw-alumnus-lou-marmo-94-named-2026-commencement-speaker\/lou-marmo-2018-business-alumni-award\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"364\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"485\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109331\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-2018-Business-Alumni-Award.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,1066\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-2018-Business-Alumni-Award-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-2018-Business-Alumni-Award-768x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-2018-Business-Alumni-Award.jpg?w=364&#038;h=485&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-2018-Business-Alumni-Award.jpg 800w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-2018-Business-Alumni-Award-225x300.jpg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Lou-Marmo-2018-Business-Alumni-Award-768x1023.jpg 768w\" width=\"364\" height=\"485\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"364\" data-original-height=\"485\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Photo of Lou Marmo on stage speaking after receiving an award\" style=\"width: 364px; height: 485px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> In 2017, Lou Marmo &#8217;94 received a Distinguished Business Alumni Award from Mary Washington&#8217;s College of Business. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>In 2017, he received a Distinguished Business Alumni Award by the College of Business in a ceremony held during Homecoming that year.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>He still recalls the days of his own senior year and Commencement at Mary Washington.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was ready to graduate and get out in the real world. I should have just enjoyed it,\u201d 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\u2019s mindful that the families will be there for their graduates, and that the soon-to-be alumni have their minds full about what\u2019s ahead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s such a huge day in their life. But 30 years later it\u2019s just one step. Soak in the day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s going to be his approach as he processes down Campus Walk for Commencement, taking in the moment and the place. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI loved campus. I fell in love with it from day one,\u201d he said. \u201cI still walk around campus when I\u2019m here and feel all those memories rushing back. It puts a smile on my face.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>UMW\u2019s 2026 Commencement Ceremony will be held Saturday, May 9, beginning at 9 a.m., with a livestream available. For more information, visit the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/commencement\/\"><em>UMW Commencement website<\/em><\/a><em>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the classroom to the C\u2011suite, Lou Marmo\u2019s 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. 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