In this special edition of the podcast, we catch up with Ayana Younge. Younge is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Leadership and Organizational Behavior area at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and her research lies at the intersection of emotions, social hierarchy, and interpersonal processes. We talk with Younge about her journey to Darden, what it’s like to teach in Darden’s core curriculum, her elective – People, Purpose and the Power of Relationships, as well as her work with the PhD Project. Founded in 1994, The PhD Project seeks to diversify corporate America by diversifying the role models in the front of classrooms. Learn more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Allison Elias. Elias teaches courses about communication and negotiation in Darden’s MBA and Executive MBA programs, and we recently connected with her to discuss her journey to Darden, her elective – Women, Gender and Work – as well as her 2022 book, The Rise of Corporate Feminism. Elias was a nominee for the 2022 Outstanding Faculty Award at Darden, and her elective, Women, Gender, and Work, was rated among the top 10% of all Darden electives (according to student ratings regarding course content and instructor quality).

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Liz Brunette. Liz is a recent graduate in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2023, and we recently connected with her about her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden, how she managed her time during the Executive MBA program, what it was like navigating the program with a newborn, what she’s been up to since graduation and much more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Ryan DeVito. Ryan is the newest member of our Admissions team supporting Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA students, and we recently connected with him to discuss his background, what led him to his current role, what he enjoys about working with professional degree students and more. As you will learn from this podcast, Ryan is also a big Billy Joel fan!

In this special edition of the podcast, Managing Director of Admissions Brett Twitty and Assistant Director of Admissions Ali Torres debunk frequent Executive MBA- and Part-Time MBA-related myths! In this wide-ranging conversation, Brett and Ali share application tips, offer insights about the working professional student experience, detail career support for Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA and much more. Essential listening.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Matt Kemph. Matt is a recent graduate in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2023, and we connected with him to talk more about his decision to pursue an MBA, how a class visit experience shaped his interest in Darden, as well as the impact of his time in the Executive MBA program. We also discuss his venture, Velocity Rating, which is on a mission to revolutionize the world of college athletics and brand partnerships by providing the most comprehensive and accurate NIL assessments for college athletes.

In this special edition of Darden Admissions’ podcasts, we’re excited to share a recent conversation between Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions Dawna Clarke and Interim Dean of the Darden School of Business Jeanne Liedtka. In this wide-ranging conversation, Liedtka reflects upon her tenure at the Darden School, what drew her to the field of Design Thinking, what she loves about Charlottesville, the impact of the Darden academic environment and more. This episode is essential listening.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with the leaders of our Darden Executive Veterans (DEV) student organization, Kevin O’Neill and Bret Leach. Kevin and Bret are second year students in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2024, and we talk with them about their decision to pursue an MBA, what they’ve enjoyed about the Executive MBA program, their advice for prospective students, DEV’s plans for the months ahead and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with three leaders of our Black Professional MBA student organization – Mike Shipp (Executive MBA Class of 2024), Linda Hartman (Executive MBA Class of 2024) and Steven Daley (Part-Time MBA Class of 2025). We talk with Mike, Linda and Steven about their backgrounds, their decision to pursue an MBA, what led them to Darden, their plans for the Black Professional MBA, their advice for prospective students and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Senior Associate Dean, Professional Degree Programs Yael Grushka-Cockayne and Callie Thompson, Assistant Dean for Academic Operations, Professional Degree Programs, to talk about electives in UVA Darden’s Part-Time MBA program. Yael and Callie discuss how the elective lineup is developed, the courses that have been offered to the Part-Time MBA Class of 2025 in their first elective quarters, how the elective registration process works and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Sarah Sowden. Sarah is a second year student in Darden’s Part-Time MBA Class of 2025, and she is also the President of Darden’s Network of Executive Women (NEW) student organization. We talk with Sarah about her background, how she decided to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden, and what she’s enjoyed about being in Darden’s first Part-Time MBA class. We also discuss NEW’s plans for the coming months.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Erin Colwell. Erin is the Assistant Director, Academic Advising and Student Affairs for UVA Darden’s Professional Degree Programs, and we talk with her about her background, what led her to Darden and what she enjoys about supporting working professional students. Erin is the advisor for students in the Executive MBA Class of 2025, and we also discuss how she works with these students.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Lauren Lopez-Maurer. Lauren is the Assistant Director, Academic Advising and Student Affairs for UVA Darden’s Professional Degree Programs, and we talk with her about her background, what led her to Darden and what she enjoys about supporting working professional students. Lauren is the advisor for students in the Part-Time MBA Class of 2026, and we also discuss how she works with these students.

We’re excited to re-share one of our favorite conversations from earlier in the year – our Office Hours interview with Dean Emeritus Bob Bruner. As a financial economist, Bruner is best known for his research on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and financial panics. He served as dean of the Darden School from 2005 to 2015, and, this May, he retired from the Darden School in May after 41 years of service and leadership. In this conversation, we talk with Bruner about what led him to Darden, his passion for the case method, his interest in financial crises, what the panic of 1907 can tell us about financial crises generally, his thoughts on the recent Silicon Valley Bank collapse and more.  

The Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA applications are now live! During this episode, Brett Twitty and Ali Torres highlight the new applications and share tips and insights for applicants targeting our classes enrolling August 2024.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Tim Laseter (MBA ’94, PhD ’03). Laseter is a member of the Technology and Operations Management faculty, and he teaches courses in operations strategy, innovation and emerging technology at Darden. He maintains his connections with practitioners by serving clients as a senior advisor, speaker, workshop facilitator, and expert witness. In this conversation we talk with Laseter about his background, what led him to Darden for his MBA, what he enjoys about teaching, as well as how he discovered his interest in operations. We also discuss several of his courses, including Operations Strategy, Digital Operations, Emerging Topics in Technology & Operations, his Darden Worldwide Course and a new course he has helped develop for Darden Executive Education, “Unlocking Value of AI, Blockchain and Digital Assets.”

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Ali Torres. Ali recently joined our Admissions team as an Assistant Director, Professional Degree Programs, and we talk with her about her background, what she enjoys about working with students, why she’s so passionate about Darden, her advice for Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA applicants and more.

In this episode, we catch up with two members of Darden’s Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) team, Ladi Carr and Maggie Nelsen. We talk with Ladi and Maggie about recent global residencies, upcoming locations, plans for the Executive MBA Class of 2025 and more. Did you know? The only difference between Darden’s EMBA and GEMBA formats is the number of required global residencies. EMBA format students are required to participate in one global residency. GEMBA students are required to participate in four global residencies.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Andrew Moore. Andrew is a graduate in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2020 and a repeat guest on The ExecMBA Podcast. We talk with Andrew about his MBA journey, what he enjoyed about his time at Darden, how his Darden experience continues to impact his life and career after business school and more. We also discuss Narrative Public Affairs, a strategic communications and public affairs firm Andrew founded in 2020.

During this episode, we share the audio from a recent webinar featuring several Executive MBA alumni – Meghan Azevedo (EMBA ’18), Skip Calvert (EMBA ’19), Emma Kinnucan (EMBA ’20), Sean Spence (GEMBA ’18) and David Waidelich (EMBA ’20). The panelists reflect upon their decision to pursue an MBA, what led them to Darden, how their career goals evolved during their time at Darden, how they continue to leverage their MBA in their work and more.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Yiorgos Allayannis. Allayannis is member of the Finance faculty and an expert in corporate finance, risk management, financial institutions and international finance. His work has examined the impact of derivatives on risk and firm value, corporate governance and its influence in a firm's use of derivatives for hedging, as well as firms' financial and operational hedging strategies. Other work has examined volatility and its implications for firm value distinguishing between earnings and cash flow volatility. In this conversation, we talk with Allayannis about what led him to Darden, teaching Finance through the case method as well as his popular elective, Financial Institutions and Markets. We also discuss a number of the cases he has written across a wide range of topics, including crypto, decentralized finance, green bonds, fintech and more.

During this episode, we share an admissions update for applicants interested in joining our Executive MBA class enrolling this August. We talk with two members of our Executive MBA Admissions Committee, Katherine Alford and Ali Torres, about our Executive MBA application process, where things stand with our incoming Executive MBA class, tips for Executive MBA applicants, where to get started if you are looking to move quickly on an Executive MBA application and more.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we catch up with Professor Raj Venkatesan. Raj is a member of the Darden Marketing faculty, and he is also a co-Academic Director for UVA’s MS in Business Analytics, a partner program between the Darden School of Business and the McIntire School of Commerce. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Raj about his background, what he loves about the MSBA program, how the program’s curriculum keeps pace with technological advancement, what skills will define the analytics professional of the future and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we continue our ongoing spotlight on entrepreneurship at Darden with a conversation with Matthew Boyd, a recent graduate in our Executive MBA Class of 2023, and his wife Jon’ll Boyd. Matthew and Jon’ll discuss Boyd Cru Wines, their wine venture featuring wines that are locally grown with sustainable practices in Maryland, with a niche focus on creativity and blends. They reflect upon the inspiration for Boyd Cru Wines, how things are going so far, how Matthew’s time at Darden helped them refine their business plan, how things are going so far and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we continue our ongoing series on the learning experience at Darden with a conversation with six students in the Part-Time MBA Class of 2025 who comprise Learning Team 5 – Zoe Chan, Kory Kiesel, Hieu Le, Falin Patel, Katherine Lee and JP Pitarque. The team discusses how they work together, how the Learning Team has helped them manage their coursework, the surprisingly close bonds they’ve formed during the first year of the program and more. Did you know? All Darden students are assigned a 5-6 person Learning Team, and this team is an important academic resource, particularly during the core curriculum.

In this episode of the podcast, we continue our ongoing spotlight on the learning experience at the Darden School of Business with a conversation with three Darden faculty members – Robert Carraway, Lynn Isabella and Marc Lipson. We talk with Robert, Lynn and Marc about how they prepare for class, what it’s like to lead a case discussion, the developmental impact of Darden’s pedagogical approach, their advice for incoming students and more. This episode is essential listening.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Omar Garriott, Executive Director for UVA Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology. We talk with Omar about his background in education-focused technology, what led him to Darden, his plans for the Batten Institute, what he’s looking forward to in the months ahead and more. He also discusses his book, Linked, a step-by-step guide to leveraging LinkedIn and building a career in a digital world.

During this episode, we continue our spotlight on learning through the case method with a conversation with three first year students in our Executive MBA Class of 2024 – Tessa Grubb, Eboni Brown and Salah Al-Chanati. In this conversation, Tessa, Eboni and Salah talk about their reasons for pursuing an MBA, their approach to time management, the role their respective Learning Teams has played in their Darden experience, their favorite case they’ve read thus far and more. This episode is essential listening.

During this episode, we continue our spotlight on learning through the case method with a conversation with three second year students in our Executive MBA Class of 2023 – Allan Barmak, Aly Searles and John Forbes. In this conversation, Allan, Aly and John reflect upon their MBA journeys, the impact of their Darden experience, what a weekend residency is really like, how their approach to case prep has evolved over their time in the program and more. This episode is essential listening

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Rachel Smolkin and Matthew Vann. Rachel and Matthew are second year students in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2025, and they are both journalists. Rachel is Senior Vice President of Global News for CNN Digital and Matthew is a Senior Producer for ABC News. In this conversation, we talk with Rachel and Matthew about how they decided to pursue an MBA, the impact of their time at Darden, their favorite memory from the Executive MBA program, their advice for journalists considering an MBA and more. 

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jeff McNish and Gopika Spaenle to discuss recent career-related updates in our Part-Time MBA and Executive MBA programs. Jeff is the Assistant Dean for UVA Darden’s Career Center and Gopika is the Career Center’s Managing Director for Professional Degree Programs. In this conversation, Jeff and Gopika discuss the recent Employment Report for the Executive MBA Class of 2022, the impending launch of the Professional Advancement Course (PAC) for the Part-Time MBA Class of 2025, early returns on the Executive MBA Class of 2024’s experience in the new Professional Advancement Course (PAC) 2 and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jon Dengel. Jon is a second year student in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2023, and he is based in Michigan, where he works for a healthcare company. We talk with Jon about his MBA journey, what led him to Darden, why he thinks students should do as many global residencies as possible, the impact of his Darden experience and more.

In this very special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with dean emeritus Bob Bruner. As a financial economist, Bruner is best known for his research on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and financial panics. He served as dean of the Darden School from 2005 to 2015, and, this May, he will be retiring after 41 years of service and leadership at Darden.  In this conversation, we talk with Bruner about what led him to Darden, his passion for the case method, his interest in financial crises, what the panic of 1907 can tell us about financial crises generally, his thoughts on the recent Silicon Valley Bank collapse and more.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Anthony Palomba. Palomba is a member of the Communication faculty at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and his teaching interests are focused on how business professionals can present data results and actionable insights to key stakeholders through storytelling. In this conversation, we talk with Palomba about his interest in communication and media, his Storytelling Through Data elective, current challenges and opportunities in the streaming video on demand marketplace, what it takes to lead an entertainment company today and more.

During this episode, we continue our spotlight on learning through the case method with a conversation with three first year students from our Part-Time MBA Class of 2025 - Zoe Chan, Aman Dar and Zach Gore. In this conversation, Zoe, Aman and Zach reflect upon their MBA journeys, what they enjoy about learning through the case method, what it’s like to participate in a case discussion, how they prepare for class, the impact of their Darden experience and more.

Have you ever wondered how a Darden case comes together? In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Gerry Yemen. Gerry is Senior Research and Executive Director of the Darden Case Writing Research Group at the Darden School of Business, and she has interviewed protagonists and written or co-authored over 400 cases, teaching notes and technical notes featuring leading business executives nationally and internationally since joining Darden in 1998. In this wide-ranging conversation, Gerry discusses her background, what led her to Darden, how a case is developed, what it’s like to see a case you’ve written discussed in class and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we talk with Hayden Wilson. Hayden is a first year student in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2024, and in this wide ranging conversation, Hayden reflects upon his decision to pursue an MBA, adjusting to life as an Executive MBA student, the role his Learning Team has played in his learning experience, his favorite memory from the program so far and more. Hayden is also a member of the Executive MBA Running Club, and, as you will learn from this podcast, a Tom Petty fan.

In this episode of the podcast, we’re excited to share the audio from a recent webinar all about UVA Darden’s relaunched PhD program. During this conversation, Professor Michael Lenox, Senior Associate Dean and Chief Strategy Officer, and Christian West, Senior Director of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Recruiting explore the structure and design of the PhD program. Additional topics include research resources for PhD students, admissions insights, and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Joy Weber. Joy is a second year student in our Executive MBA Class of 2023, and she is also a lawyer by training. We talk with Joy about her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden, her efforts to promote wellness and build connection within her class and more. Joy also discusses her global residency in Morocco.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Michael Thorne-Begland. Michael is a first year student in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2024, and he is Vice President, Chief Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Officer at Altria Client Services. We talk with Michael about his decision to pursue and MBA, what led him to his current role at Altria, the impact of his Darden experience so far, his advice for prospective students and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Amy Jackson. Amy is a second year student in our Executive MBA Class of 2023, and she recently began a new role as Chief Early Learning Strategy Officer at Primrose Schools, a national system of accredited private preschools that provides premier early education and child care experience for children and families. During this conversation, Amy reflects upon her MBA journey, what led her to Darden, how Darden has helped her navigate her new role and more.

During this episode, we catch up with Erika Keough. Erika is a second year student in our Executive MBA Class of 2023, and we recently connected with her to talk about her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden, what she loves about her classmates, as well as how the program pushed her to explore an entrepreneurial path. Erika also discusses her new venture, Le Breton Group, a people and talent advisory and consulting services for Early Stage to Series B startups.  

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Billy Hughes. Billy is a GEMBA format graduate in our Executive MBA Class of 2020, and he is currently an AVP for Anti-Corruption and Third-Party Risk Management for Victoria’s Secret. We recorded this episode in Spring 2022 when we first saw Billy’s job update on LinkedIn, and during this wide-ranging conversation, Billy discusses his MBA journey, his passion for ethics and compliance, how the GEMBA format has helped him in his work with Victoria’s Secret and more.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Peter Debaere. Debaere is a member of the Global Economies and Markets faculty at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and he is an international economist with a focus on international trade, multinationals and trade policy. He is also a water expert. In this conversation, we talk with Debaere about his interest in Economics, what led him to Darden as well as his elective courses – The Economics of Water and Managing International Trade and Investment. He also discusses, To America and Back Again¸ the new book he co-wrote his brother about their grandmother’s exceptional life.

Boldly going where no Darden podcast episode has gone before. Our first podcast conversation with a Learning Team! In this episode, we catch up with five (of seven) second year students in the Executive MBA Class of 2023 who are on Learning Team 2 – Johnny Carpenter, John Grant, Catherine Kenney, Kuleen Mehta and Remington Roth. The students talk about how their team formed, set norms, developed their work approach and most importantly supported each other during the program. As is noted during the conversation, learning at Darden is a team sport. Did you know? All Darden students are assigned a 5-6 person Learning Team, and this team is an important academic resource, particularly during the core curriculum.

Big news! Welcome to our first podcast interview with two students from Darden’s newest MBA format – the Part-Time MBA. In this conversation we catch up with Parker Lapeyre and Max Godwin, first year students in UVA Darden’s Part-Time MBA Class of 2025 and co-Presidents of the Part-Time MBA Student Association (PSA). We talk with Parker and Max about their backgrounds, what led them to Darden, how things are going for their class, their goals for the PSA, their advice for prospective students and more. Essential listening!

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Luca Cian. Cian is a member of the Marketing faculty at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and his research area is consumer behavior, with a focus on sensory marketing, aesthetics, and human-machine interaction. In this conversation, we talk with Cian about his background, his passion for teaching, his research in artificial intelligence, “word of machine” recommendations and more.

In this special edition of the podcast, we are excited to share another installment from our ongoing Women@Darden event series featuring Professor Mary Margaret Frank. Frank is the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development, the John Tyler Professor of Business Administration and the Institute for Business in Society Academic Director at the Darden School of Business. Her expertise is in the integration of business and public policy, including cross-sector collaborations. She is a former board member of Veru Inc., (formerly known as the Female Health Company), which works with public-private partnerships that empower women to fight HIV globally, especially in Africa. She is also an expert in regulated disclosure focusing on tax, financial accounting and patent reporting. During this conversation moderated by Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions Dawna Clarke, Frank reflects upon her background, how she helps prepare faculty to teach at Darden, her passion for her students, her experience leading Darden Worldwide Courses in Africa and more.