Lou Marmo ’94 earned a business administration degree at Mary Washington that propelled him from the classroom to the C-suite. He has led a successful career serving in leadership roles for over a half dozen companies, all while being a dad, a husband, and a dedicated alum.
Before he took the stage as this year’s Commencement speaker, Lou shared his story as a guest on the What Matters Most With President Paino podcast.
“It was really great to take my experiences from my private life and the business world and get to apply them at Mary Washington,” said Lou, who joined the UMW Foundation Board of Trustees in 2022 to help advance the University’s mission and has established several scholarships for first-year students with his wife, Jill.
What Matters Most, which débuted last fall, features Paino as its host, interviewing members of the UMW community about what drives their curiosity and fuels their sense of purpose as well as their thoughts about campus life, favorite hang-out spots, and future plans.
“We’re always looking for ways to share the exciting things our students, faculty, staff, and alumni are doing,” Paino said shortly after the podcast first launched. “With so many people now getting news and entertainment from podcasts, this medium lets us communicate the power of a Mary Washington education in a new way.”
The monthly episodes are taped in the podcast studio in UMW’s Digital Knowledge Center with communication and digital studies students working behind the scenes, honing the skills that will prepare them for their lives and careers after Mary Washington.
Previous epsiodes have featured student leaders, faculty members, and two of the seniors who’ve served as UMW mascot Sammy D. Eagle. Last spring, Paino spoke with men’s basketball captains Jay Randall ’27 and Kye Robinson ’28 before the team’s run to win the NCAA D-III national championships.
Professor of Theatre Gregg Stull ’82, now director of the School of the Arts, shared his own journey from a first-year theatre student to leading arts initiatives at his alma mater, including building the new theatre complex and arts and music renovation plans.
During Reunion Weekend, Donna Sheehan Gladis ’68, a member of the UMW Foundation Board of Trustees, and husband Steve, an executive leader and author, participated in the podcast’s first-ever live recording, held in the UMW Underground.
Donna told Paino about attending Mary Washington when it was still a women’s college before becoming a co-ed institution in the early 1970s.
“There was a lot going on in the world, but this campus was very calm … and a great place to be,” Donna said. Her experiences and those of her classmates, many of whom lost loved ones in the Vietnam War, inspired her husband’s recent novel, The Brides of War, chronicling the lives of four young women attending Mary Washington during the late sixties.
The couple also discussed their commitment to Mary Washington through their volunteer leadership, philanthropy, and support for UMW’s Center for AI and the Liberal Arts, led by Professor of Communication and Digital Studies Anand Rao, another recent podcast guest. And they shared their thoughts on lifelong learning, leadership, resilience, community, the importance of staying engaged, and what they love about UMW today.
“The feeling of family, community…,” Donna told Paino. “You foster it by being so friendly to the students … and [facilitating] close relationships with the professors. It’s just more of a family feel, and I hope that always stays.”
What Matters Most With President Paino is available to listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube.
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