The ExecMBA Podcast

In this special episode of the Darden Admissions podcast, we spotlight the recent Finals Exercises at the University of Virginia and the Darden School of Business. Every year, the Darden ceremony features student speakers who are nominated and voted upon by their classmates. We’re excited to share the remarks from Alex Smith (MBA ’22), the Full-Time MBA student speaker as well as Joe Stanley (EMBA ’22), the Executive MBA student speaker. You will also hear reflections and introductions from by the outgoing Darden Student Association (DSA) President DeMario Moore (MBA ’22) and outgoing Executive Student Association (ESA) President Catriona Stadtler-Ayer.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Alta DeRoo. Alta is a graduate in our Executive MBA Class of 2022, and she was recently named Chief Medical Officer for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. In this conversation, we talk with Alta about her background as both an OB/GYN as well as an addiction specialist, her decision to pursue an MBA, and how her Darden classes helped her grow as a leader and prepared her for new role. She also talks about how a popular second year elective, Speaking About Business, as well as feedback from her classmates, helped her sharpen and refine her communication style.

In this episode of the podcast, we continue our spotlight on the Executive Student Association (ESA) and catch up with Nate Carlson and Sarah Boschung. Nate and Sarah are first year students in the Executive MBA Class of 2023, and they are the President and the Executive Vice President of the ESA, respectively. We talk with Nate and Sarah about their background, their decision to pursue an MBA, how they’ve balanced work, life and school, and what attracted them to serving as student leaders during their time at Darden. They also discuss their goals for the ESA in the year ahead.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Amy Egeli. Amy is a student in the Executive MBA Class of 2023, and she is also the Executive Student Association's (ESA) Vice President for Careers. We talk with Amy about her career as a Navy aviator, her decision to pursue an MBA, the important role her Learning Team has played as she's navigated the first year of the program and her goals for her term as VP for Careers.

Calling all Executive MBA applicants! In this episode of the podcast, Admissions Committee members and friends of the podcast, Katherine Alford and Ashley Robinson share tips and insights for Executive MBA applicants targeting the remaining deadlines for our Executive MBA Class of 2024, enrolling August 2022 – 10 May, 10 June and 25 June. Topics include MBA timing, test waiver requests, scholarship funding and more.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we catch up with Raj Venkatesan. Venkatesan is a member of the Marketing faculty at Darden, and he was recently named the Co-Academic Director for the M.S. in Business Analytics program, a one-year specialized masters offered by the UVA Darden School of Business in partnership with UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce. Venkatesan’s areas of expertise are customer relationship management, marketing metrics and marketing analytics, and in this wide-ranging conversation, he reflects upon his background, what led him to Darden, what he’s researching currently and why he’s excited about his role at Co-Academic Director. He also discusses the important role communication and messaging play in analytics, and why the human element may matter even more in the data work of the future.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Colin Wright-Pruski. Colin is graduate in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2021, and in this wide-ranging conversation, he reflects upon his decision to pursue an MBA and how his family nudged him to take this step. He also discusses serving as a class leader and how the Darden community transformed his MBA experience and helped him navigate a health scare early in the program. Lastly, he shares how the program has expanded his career options in not just one direction but seemingly every direction. Essential listening.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Aisha Pridgen. Aisha is a second year student in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2022, and in this conversation she reflects upon her decision to pursue an MBA and how she leveraged her Darden experience to secure a new role in the healthcare industry. She shares the tactics and strategies she employed as she explored potential career paths, as well as how her personal background ultimately shaped her passion for healthcare. Aisha is a lawyer by training and has she has spent her recent career working in higher education, and she also discusses how Darden helped her better understand both her strengths and her story.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Alex Merida and Annette Stock. Alex and Annette are First Year students in the Executive MBA Class of 2023, and they have served as section representatives during their first year at Darden. We talk with Alex and Annette about how they decided to pursue an MBA, what led them to Darden and the impact of the program through their first few quarters. They also reflect upon their decision to seek a leadership role within their class, and what they have enjoyed about serving their classmates over the past year.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with True Overholt (EMBA ’18). True was a Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) format student in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2018, and he has spent his career working for DKT International, a charitable non-profit organization that promotes family planning and HIV prevention through social marketing. After graduating from Darden, True moved to Paris to take on a marketing a role for DKT’s WomanCare, a global marketing and distribution platform for sexual and reproductive health products. True is now back in the United States, and we connected with him to talk his MBA journey, what led him to Darden, and how his Darden experience helped him advance his career and sharpen his strategic approach.

In this conversation, we catch up with Mark Saylor. Mark is a graduate in Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2021, and we recently connected with him via Zoom to discuss his MBA journey. Mark arrived at Darden with a deep background in marketing across a number of brands including Toys “R” Us, Frank’s RedHot and Capital One. He has recently taken on a new role as a senior brand manager with Farmer Focus, an agribusiness venture seeking to promote and protect generational family farming. In this wide-ranging conversation, Mark reflects on his decision to pursue an MBA and how his time at Darden helped him grow and advance his career.

In this conversation, we catch up with Samantha Shedd. Samantha is a graduate in the Executive MBA Class of 2021, and we recently connected with her via Zoom to talk about her about her MBA journey, what led her to Darden, how her class built community through the pandemic as well as her new role with Microsoft. Samantha also reflects upon how Darden’s Executive MBA program allowed her not only to expand her professional network but to also form lifelong friendships.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Assistant Director of Admissions Ashley Robinson. Ashley joined our Professional Degree Programs Admissions team in July 2021, and we chat with her about her background, what led her to Darden and why she’s passionate about working with working professionals students. We even find time to talk a little basketball, including whether the Los Angeles Lakers will make the playoffs this year.

In this special edition of the podcast, we spotlight the University of Virginia’s MS in Business Analytics. The MSBA is a 12-month program offered in partnership by the Darden School of Business and the McIntire School of Commerce, and it is designed for working professionals seeking to learn essential and emerging data analysis techniques within a business context. We are joined for this conversation by two Admissions colleagues from the McIntire School of Commerce, Lizzie Batman and Mary Wells, as well as frequent Admissions podcast guest and Darden Admissions Committee member, Katherine Alford.

In this special episode of the Darden Admissions podcast, we’re excited to share a recent installment from our ongoing Women@Darden event series featuring Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions Dawna Clarke and Professor of Practice Vivian Riefberg. Riefberg is a Professor of Practice at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia where she holds a David C. Walentas Jefferson Scholars Chair. She joined the Darden faculty after over 31 years at McKinsey & Company, and she is one of the faculty sponsors for the Women@Darden initiative, teaches in both the Executive and Full-Time MBA formats, and serves on many advisory boards. Riefberg is a Director Emeritus with McKinsey and was also recently named as an Advisory Board Member for the Smithsonian's American Women's History Museum.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Kortney Johnson (Class of 2022). Kortney is a second year student in our Executive MBA Class of 2022, and we recently connected with her via Zoom to discuss her MBA journey. Kortney served in the United States Marine Corps prior to Darden. and during her time in the Executive MBA program, Kortney has had a number of significant life events – having a child, moving across the country, taking on a new job. Kortney shares observations and lessons learned from the past two years, what she feels differentiates Darden from other MBA programs and why she’s so excited about what’s to come in her life and career.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Matt Arny (EMBA ’15). Over the course of his decorated career, Matt has served in a series of leadership positions of the U.S. Navy. In this conversation, Matt reflects upon his time in the Navy – including a stop in the U.S. Embassy in Sweden – as well as his decision to pursue an MBA. He talks about the power of the Darden experience, and the integral role his classmates played in helping him juggle the competing demands of the program and a growing family. Matt is currently charting the next step in his career, and he reflects upon his approach to identifying what’s next – and how Darden is helping him get there.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with two second year students in our Executive MBA Class of 2022, Michelle Amato and Michelle Cobb. Amato and Cobb are entering their last quarter as Executive MBA students, and we connected with them via Zoom to talk about their decision to pursue an MBA, what led them to Darden, and how the program has helped them grow both personally and professionally. They also reflect upon the tight-knit nature of their cohort, the profound impact their classmates have had upon their MBA journeys and what makes the Darden community unique. Fun fact: Michelle Amato recently recruited Michelle Cobb to join her as a co-worker at her company, Workiva.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Second Year Executive MBA student Ann Lowe (Class of 2022). Ann shares insights about her decision an MBA, what led her to Darden, and her advice for students trying to determine the right time to do an Executive MBA program. We also talk with Ann about her career journey, the recent launch of her own consulting company, and her experience working with her classmates on an entrepreneurial venture and participating in the UVA E-Cup.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the 11th installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Toni Irving. Irving is a Professor of Practice at the Darden School, and she teaches several courses in the Strategy, Ethics and Entrepreneurship area, including “Getting in the Room Where It Happens: How to Successfully Navigate the Workplace and Get Things Done”, “Business Ethics Through Literature”, Whose Streets?!: ESG Strategies to Create Competitive Advantage from Wall Street to Main Street” and “Thinking of a Master Plan: Non-Profit Management, Metrics & Impact Making in the Field.” In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Irving about her journey from UVA grad to English and American Literature PhD to English professor to Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for the Governor State of Illinois to founding and launching a social impact fund and now her work at Darden. She also shares insights about her courses and reflects upon what she enjoys about teaching both Full-Time MBA and Executive MBA students.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the 10th installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Marc Lipson. Lipson is a member of the Finance faculty, and he teaches a wide range of courses at the Darden School, including First Year Finance, International Corporate Finance, and Innovators, Designers, and Entrepreneurs in Action. He also recently served as the Associate Dean for the Full-Time MBA program. Lipson’s principal area of research is market microstructure — the study of how market design and organization affects price formation and liquidity. We talk with Lipson about what led him to Darden, what he loves about the Darden classroom, his time as a visiting scholar at the New York Stock Exchange, as well as his passion for art and culture and how these interests inform his work.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Dr. Luqman “Luq” Dad (Class of 2022). Luq is a Radiation Oncologist in the Washington, DC area, and he is a second-year student in our Executive MBA Class of 2022. During this wide-ranging conversation, Luq shares insights about what led him to a general management MBA program, why Darden appealed to him and what the impact of the program has been for him so far. Luq was also instrumental in the founding of the Executive Healthcare Alliance student group as well as the planning of the Executive MBA program’s first annual Global Diversity Event. We talk with Luq about both of these initiatives and how extracurricular engagement has enhanced his Darden experience.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Kate deLacy. Kate is a second year in our Executive MBA Class of 2022, and we recently connected with her via Zoom to talk about her MBA journey, what led her to Darden and much more. During this wide-ranging conversation, Kate reflects on moving from the restaurant world to the investment industry. She also shares insights about how her time in the Executive MBA program has shaped and expanded her career interests.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the ninth installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Casey Lichtendahl. Lichtendahl is a member of the Quantitative Analysis faculty and Co-Academic Director for the MS in Business Analytics program. He is also a Darden alumnus, and in this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Lichtendahl about his background in the beverage industry, how a Quantitative Analysis course with Robert Carraway sparked his passion for data and changed his life, his recent work forecasting for Google, what it’s like to teach at Darden as an alumnus, why he feels the Darden learning environment is truly special and much more. Essential listening.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the seventh installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Dan Murphy. Murphy is a member of the Global Economies and Market, and during this wide-ranging conversation, he touches upon everything from growing up in Denver and his twin passions for policy and economics to affordable housing and his favorite book of all-time.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jonathan Vassil (EMBA ’18). During this conversation, Jonathan reflects upon his MBA journey, including why he was drawn to the case method and the educational experience at Darden. He also shares insights from his career, including his recent work as a SVP/GM at Toast, Inc.. Toast, a Software as a Service company focused on the restaurant industry, recently conducted an IPO at a $20 billion valuation.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we recap the recent Darden Diversity Conference! This year’s conference was hosted virtually, and it marked the fourth occasion of this annual event. We catch up with two students who served on the Diversity Conference planning committee – Full-Time MBA student Khaliyah Legette (Class of 2022) and Executive MBA student Chi Lo (Class of 2022) – to talk about this year’s conference, the planning and preparation that went into the two-day affair, why diversity matters at Darden and more.

This weekend marks the occasion of Darden’s annual Diversity Conference! In this special episode of the ExecMBA Podcast, we share excerpts from some of our favorite conversations with Executive MBA student leaders from the past couple years. Featured organizations include the Network of Executive Women (NEW), the Black Executive MBA (BEMBA) student organization and the Executive MBA Diversity & Inclusion Committee. This episode also features interviews with two panelists from this weekend’s conference – Ron Cook (EMBA ’20) and Nicole Reyna (Class of 2022).

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Second Year Executive MBA student Colin Thomas (Class of 2022). During this conversation, Colin, a real estate entrepreneur, discusses his decision to pursue an MBA and how Darden, including his classmates, faculty, and coursework, have helped him as he has worked to launch and grow his venture.

In this episode of the podcast, we continue our spotlight on life outside the classroom in the Executive MBA program with a conversation all about the Executive MBA Venture Capital Club. A few months ago, we caught up with Barry Hartzberg (EMBA ’21) and Greg Benante (Class of 2022) to talk more about the Venture Capital Club – the club’s origins, the response from their classmates and the organization’s plans for the months ahead. Barry and Greg also discuss their respective backgrounds, how they decided to pursue an MBA, what led them to Darden and more.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the seventh installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Ed Freeman. Freeman is a member of the Strategy, Ethics and Entrepreneurship faculty, and an academic director for UVA Darden’s Institute for Business in Society. We talk with Freeman and his background in philosophy, his work on stakeholder theory, and why we need a new story about business. Freeman also discusses his recent documentary, Fishing With Dynamite, as well as his new podcast, The Stakeholder Podcast. He also shares his top five “desert island” albums. Essential listening.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Andrew McCormack and John Schwartz, two second year students in our Executive MBA Class of 2022. Andrew and John are leaders of the Executive MBA Consulting Club, one of seven official Executive MBA student organizations. We talk with Andrew and John about their MBA journeys, what led them to Darden and what the Consulting Club has planned for the months ahead.

In this special edition of the Admissions podcast, we welcome back Darden faculty member and friend of the pod Greg Fairchild. In this wide-ranging conversation, Fairchild shares insights about one of Darden’s newest scholarship initiatives – the Breakthrough Scholars Program – a scholarship offering focused on creating new opportunities for diverse candidates to thrive in fields of asset management. Fairchild also talks about his new role as CEO and Dean for UVA’s Northern Virginia initiatives as well as a number of Darden-related DC area projects – including the DC Dean’s Fellows, his latest Executive MBA elective and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with two second year students in our Executive MBA Class of 2022, Will Payne and Charlie O’Ferrall. Will and Charlie are leaders of the Executive MBA Entrepreneurship Club (EMBEC), and we chat with them about what attracted them to club leadership and the ways in which EMBEC is creating community and building connections for Executive MBA students with a passion for entrepreneurship.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Nicole Reyna (Class of 2022). Nicole is a Human Resources professional based in the Washington, DC area, and in this wide-ranging conversation we talk with her about her MBA journey and what led her to Darden. We also talk with her about her role on the Executive MBA Program’s Diversity Committee and her new role at work leading her company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative.

In this special episode of the podcast, members of Darden’s Admissions Committee’s and longtime friends of the podcast, Whitney Kestner, Catie Yeilding and Christian West, share tips for researching your target MBA programs. They offer insights and strategies for leveraging virtual events, social media, current students, alumni and more to learn about the people and the communities that will shape your MBA experience. With the COVID-19 pandemic shifting most Admissions events to virtual delivery for the foreseeable future, this episode is essential listening for any prospective student considering any of UVA Darden’s MBA formats.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with four recent graduates from the Executive MBA Class of 2021 – Justin Aydelotte (EMBA ’21), Matt Duffy (EMBA ’21), Peter Frieslander (EMBA ’21) and Barry Hartzberg (EMBA ’21). Justin, Matt, Peter and Barry recently served as second year tutors – a new initiative for the Executive MBA program – providing academic support for first year students in the Executive MBA Class of 2022 across several core quantitative areas including Decision Analysis, Finance and Global Economies and Markets.

In this episode of the podcast, we chat with Briana Apgar (Class of 2022). Briana is a second year student in our Executive MBA Class of 2022, and she is also one of the members of the Executive MBA program’s newly formed Diversity Committee. We talk with Briana about how she decided to pursue an MBA, how servant leadership has informed her career approach, why she is so passionate about diversity, and how her time at Darden has challenged to embrace the idea of “good enough.”

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Chi Lo (Class of 2022), a second year student in the Executive MBA program. Chi is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and he recently started a new position at Tesla. He is also a founding member of the Executive MBA program’s Diversity Committee. We talk with Chi about his background, his decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, and the goals for the Diversity Committee in the year ahead.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we welcome back friend of the pod, Senior Associate Dean Yael Grushka-Cockayne, to talk about UVA Darden’s newest MBA format, the Part-Time MBA. We also take time to check in with Yael about her first year leading the Executive MBA program, what she’s currently researching, why she’s so passionate about project management and how she’s processing England’s recent loss to Italy in the European Championship final.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the sixth installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Lili Powell. Powell is a member of the Communication faculty, and she also has a joint appointment with the UVA School of Nursing. We talk with her about her interest in mindfulness and resilience, as well as what she has learned from her work with healthcare providers. Powell also shares insights about how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped and redefined the ways we communicate with one another.

Senior Director of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Christian West joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about his background, what led him to Darden, why he’s passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion and what he’s looking forward to in the months ahead. We even find time to discuss Christian’s preferred coffee orders and his status as an undefeated southern California karaoke champion.

Director of Admissions Katherine Alford returns to the podcast to share insights about the recently launched application for the Executive MBA Class of 2024. Discussion topics include advice for reapplicants, standardized test strategy, test waiver guidance, crafting your best short answer responses, telling your story through your application, preparing for the Darden interview and more. Essential listening.

Please join our Admissions team for these special micro-podcast episodes giving you a step by step guide to the application process. There are two ways to listen to the playlist... here, on Spotify ► https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2EtyMkjZzi9ErgSjrTxKEl?si=1bffd345fee549ad

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with the newly elected co-Presidents of the Black Executive MBA (BEMBA) student organization, Rex Minnis (Class of 2022) and Jemuir Rivers (Class of 2022). Minnis and Rivers reflect on their decisions to pursue an MBA, how they balanced work, life and school during their first year in the Executive MBA program and what BEMBA has planned for the months ahead. They also share their advice for prospective students seeking to learn more about the student organization.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the fifth installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Mike Lenox. We talk with Lenox about what led him to Darden, why he thinks lecturing is dead, and why he’s so passionate about Darden’s high-engagement learning environment. Lenox also shares insights from his extensive work on climate change and sustainability, including findings from his recent books "Can Business Save the Earth" (2018) and "The Decarbonization Imperative" (2021), both from Stanford University Press.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with two newly elected leaders of the Network of Executive Women (NEW), President Sarah Powell (Class of 2022) and Vice President Hannah Poland (Class of 2022). Powell and Poland share more about their MBA journeys, what led them to Darden, the role that NEW played in their MBA decision-making process, and why they wanted to serve as student leaders during their time in the Executive MBA program. Interested in connecting with NEW? You can reach them at [email protected].

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the fourth installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Greg Fairchild (MBA ’92). We talk with Fairchild about what it’s like to teach at Darden as an alumnus, why he’s passionate about entrepreneurship in rural and inner city communities as well as his work with the Resilience Project and the Darden Prison Program. Fairchild also reflects upon how his personal connection to the Tulsa Race Massacre has shaped his professional interests.

Where some people see problems, other people see opportunities. We chat with Coco Woeltz (MBA ’21) and Isabelle Kayal Larsen (EMBA ’21) about Hummingbyrd, their sports bra and athletic apparel-focused venture. Woeltz and Larsen reflect upon their MBA journeys, what led them to Darden and how the venture courses and resources of the Batten Institute brought them together. Woeltz and Larsen also share insights about the importance of friction points in the entrepreneurial journey and what they are learning as they work to take Hummingbyrd to the next level.

At Verizon, James Hoffman (Class of 2022) works with local governments and communities across Virginia to bring 5G technology to more users. We chat with James about his background, his decision to pursue an MBA, and how he has juggled both starting a new job and a busy Executive MBA program. James also talks about the importance of humility to his learning approach, and how he has intentionally sought out those topics that are new and less familiar to him in the first few quarters of the program.