Abbott Award

REUNION WEEK

19–24 APRIL 2021

More than 1,200 alumni from 35 countries registered for the virtual Darden Reunion Week. Reunion giving from alumni in their official reunion years had topped $7.2 million by the start of the week.

CHARLES C. ABBOTT AWARD

Darden Bestows Highest Honor on 2 Alumni, Including First International Recipient

Thomas J. Baltimore Jr. (MBA ’91) and George Tahija (MBA ’86) were recognized with the Charles C. Abbott Award 24 April at the conclusion of the virtual Darden Reunion Week. The award is the highest honor the Darden School bestows upon alumni and is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions of time, energy and talent.

Baltimore was lauded for his “extraordinary leadership” as a member of the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees and Darden Racial Equity Cabinet. The president, CEO and chairman of Park Hotels & Resorts frequently serves as a guest lecturer in Darden’s perennially popular “General Managers Taking Action” class. He is a member of Darden’s Principal Donors Society and created a named fellowship to provide scholarship support to Black students at Darden.

“I love Darden. Darden changed my life, it changed the growth path of my career and I’m eternally grateful,” Baltimore said. “My parents stressed the ‘three Ts.’ Give your time, talent and treasures. I have tried to do that and support our beloved Darden in many ways.” Tahija, who was Darden’s first student from Indonesia, became the first international recipient of the Abbott Award. The commissioner of PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya Tbk has served on Darden’s Board of Trustees and Global Advisory Council, is honorary chair of the School’s Powered by Purpose capital campaign, and is a frequent guest lecturer and speaker in Darden classes and events. He and his wife, Laurel, created a fellowship to provide scholarships to students from Indonesia. The Tahijas, members of the School’s Principal Donors Society, provided foundational support for the Darden Institute for Business in Society and a lead gift to support the creation of a new arboretum and botanical gardens on Darden Grounds.

“I’m honored to be the 2021 recipient of this most distinguished award and would like to express my heartfelt appreciation,” Tahija said. “In my personal transition from studying to embarking on my life mission in Indonesia, Darden provided me with the education and confidence I needed.”

Thomas J. Baltimore (MBA '91)

George Tahija (MBA '86)