Darla Dee Moore (born August 1, 1954) is an American investor and philanthropist. She is the former president and a partner of the private investment firm Rainwater Inc. and was married to Richard Rainwater, who founded the firm. Early life and education Moore was born in Lake City, South Carolina, to Eugene and Loraine Moore. She was one of two daughters and was born on a farm that produced cotton, soybean, and tobacco. Her father was a schoolteacher and coach and her mother worked at the Methodist Church. In 1972, Moore completed her high school education from Lake City High school. She graduated at the University of South Carolina in 1975 with a BA in political science. Career Early career Moore started her career in 1976, working for the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C., but decided that politics was not the field she wanted to pursue. In 1981, Moore then received an MBA from George Washington University, three years after graduating from the University of South Carolina, and joined the training program at the Chemical Bank. She eventually served as vice-chair and subsequently as the bank's managing director. During the 1980s, Moore made a name for herself while providing debtor-in-possession financing for companies going through the bankruptcy process, specializing in bankruptcy takeovers for the company. In 1996, after running the company that he founded into deep financial trouble, T. Boone Pickens was removed by Moore as the head of Mesa Inc, which mainly dealt with the production of oil and natural gas. Once in control, she then proceeded to make a profit off the company after investing a total of 66 million dollars. Moore was recognized in several media outlets including Forbes, Fortune, Working Woman, Worth, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN. Her cover on Fortune magazine called her "The Toughest Babe in Business". She is credited with dismissing future Florida Governor Rick Scott from Columbia/HCA when a Medicare-related scandal broke. Later career (Rainwater, Inc.) In 1998, Moore took charge of Rainwater, Inc. She served as vice president during the early stages of her marriage to Rainwater and was named president of the company in 1993. A 1997 article in CNN Money by Patricia Sellers states: "To get a picture of Darla Moore, imagine, say, a cross between the Terminator and Kim Basinger, with a wicked South Carolina drawl. Upon first meeting, she can come across as a prima