Darlena Moore ‘85

Darlena Moore ‘85

Francine M. Delany Alumni Award for Service to the Community

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A member of the class of 1966, the University’s first baccalaureate class, and the University’s first African-American graduate, Francine contributed a lifetime of service to Asheville and the surrounding community in support of childhood education. This award recognizes one alumnus/a (degreed or non-degreed) for exemplary service to their community, state, or nation.

Darlena Moore ’85 is president of Mountain Girl Initiative, a foundation for funding scholarships for students involved in the foster care system. Moore found herself in foster care as an older teen after her mother’s death, and she has continually sought to support youth in that situation. Her efforts are also in honor of her beloved foster parents, Dick and Mary Gilbert. Darlena enjoyed a successful career in marketing and created the Gilbert Scholarship initially with the proceeds from a granola business. She now focuses her efforts on fundraising to provide scholarships for foster care youth to help them achieve their college dreams.