Emily Demps

Emily Demps, a management major, Ogden Honors College student, and Louisiana Service and Leadership Program Scholar, to name a few, embodies the essence of vision and purpose-driven leadership.

With a passion for leveraging business strategies to combat food insecurity and minimize food waste, Emily’s collegiate journey merges academic prowess with humanitarian ideals. In an interview with Emily, she reflected on how her time in the Rucks Department of Management has taught her many valuable lessons in life and leadership.

“Managers are more than people who are in charge of others. They are people who can positively affect others, who can shape companies and how they go about their everyday business, and who care. They’re not people who sit at a desk every day, looking at numbers, not caring about the human impact.”

Emily translates her academic accomplishments and insight gained in the classroom into a driving force for her dedication and passion to tackle critical issues in the food industry, especially those related to sustainability, accessibility, and equality.

During her time at LSU, Emily’s unwavering dedication to making a tangible impact shines through her work with the LSU Food Pantry, Feeding Louisiana, and Project 225, where she implemented initiatives to combat food insecurity on college campuses. This important work has laid the groundwork for Emily to excel after graduation as Sysco’s first sustainability intern, where she’ll work on projects related to food access, food waste, and equitable food systems.

In the future, Emily envisions a world where business success and social responsibility are inseparable. She plans to pursue a social impact MBA, solidifying her commitment to effecting systemic change. Ultimately, she envisions herself contributing to companies that prioritize community engagement, paving the way for a brighter, more equitable future.

In her advocacy, Emily emphasizes the role of every individual in making a difference. Her advice to LSU students looking to help combat food insecurity is to start by researching and educating themselves online and engaging with others with different perspectives and experiences. Emily adds that small efforts can make a huge impact, such as bringing leftover food to the LSU Food Pantry when students move out of their dorms and working accessibility or hunger walks. “Small efforts add up over time; you don’t have to be on the front page of the news to make a difference.”

Emily Demps is a changemaker and a beacon of hope for a brighter, more equitable future. Her journey reminds us that leaders are not defined by their titles but by their positive effect on their community.