Demond Martin ’97

Distinguished Alumni Award

Demond Martin has distinguished himself as a successful businessman, investor, philanthropist and dedicated servant to upward mobility in support of the underserved. As an ardent supporter of UNC Charlotte, he believes in the transformative power of education.

Demond is a partner at Adage Capital Management in Boston, where he has invested in the consumer sector for more than 20 years and serves on the Obama Foundation’s Board of Directors. Prior to that he held positions at B2EMarkets and Arthur Anderson. Demond started his career in the Clinton White House, serving as an assistant to White House Chief of Staff, Erskine Bowles.

He and his wife Kia ‘98, have focused their philanthropic efforts on addressing the gaps created by racial and social injustice, with emphasis in education and healthcare. They established the UNC Charlotte Martin Scholars Program, a leading merit scholar opportunity supporting high-achieving students who have the highest level of financial need. In addition to tuition support, the scholarship program offers a professional development component. In 2016, Demond joined with Karen Popp ’80 to make a generous gift to UNC Charlotte and the student union was officially named the Karen A. Popp and Demond T. Martin Student Union. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Demond made contributions to the Student Emergency Fund, established to aid Charlotte students dealing with the difficulties of the pandemic.

Through their family foundation, Demond and Kia Martin have engaged in many initiatives, including the King Boston memorial, the Tonia Taylor Fund for Health Equity at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the BSI program at Berklee College of Music. Demond is currently a trustee of the Berklee College of Music and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Previously, he served on the UNC Charlotte Foundation Board.

Demond received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Belk College of Business and an MBA from Harvard Business School.