Darden Student Association President Receives Lem Lewis Award for Commitment to Inclusion

In a little less than a year at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, DeMario Moore (Class of 2022) has made the most impressive kind of impact: the kind that stands out to his peers.

The First Year is a member of the Pride at Darden and Black Business Student Association student clubs and Humans of UVA. He is also a member of The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management and was recognized as a Reaching Out MBA Fellow for his efforts to support the LGBTQ+ MBA community.

When he again stepped up to run for president of the Darden Student Association, his First Year peers elected him to lead the organization that advocates on their behalf.

With that depth of commitment to the Darden community, it’s perhaps no surprise his peers chose to recognize him again with one of Darden’s most prestigious awards: the Lemuel E. Lewis Bicentennial Award for Global Leadership, a scholarship award made possible by a philanthropic gift from Lem Lewis (MBA ’72), a member of the Darden Foundation Board of Trustees and a Principal Donor to the School.

The scholarship award recognizes a student who has improved the community by demonstrating a commitment to increase inclusiveness among various economic, political, religious and social groups. Moore applied for the competitive global leadership award, which was ultimately determined by a committee of Darden students led by last year’s winner, Franklin “Tre” Tennyson III.

A consultant for Deloitte Consulting and Kin + Carta for seven years before coming to Darden, Moore said he chose Darden after being “blown away” by the support he received at his first in-person interaction with the School at the Darden Diversity Conference. He says his passion is “to create safe spaces for individuals to be their authentic selves.

“Everyone deserves to be happy and accepted for who they are,” Moore said.

Announcing Moore as this year’s recipient of the award at a virtual ceremony, Tennyson said Moore “explored the depths of his identity” in his application, asking, “Who am I? What does that mean? How can I use that to lead others?” He added that Moore “expanded access and opportunities to those who would have otherwise gone without it.”

Lewis congratulated Moore and noted the amount of change in society and in the world in the four years since the award was created “has been staggering.”

The change has “created need for even greater appreciation of others,” Lewis said, which is why he thinks of the award as a catalyst for “encouraging and facilitating the exchange of ideas and cultures.”