The ExecMBA Podcast

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Rich Diemer. Rich is Managing Director for CAV Angels, a non-profit network composed of UVA alumni, faculty, parents, students, and friends of the University whose purpose is to elevate the entrepreneurial ecosystem for UVA alumni by educating, connecting, funding, and mentoring the extended UVA startup community. In this wide-ranging conversation,...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Izzie Mirghani. Izzie is a recent graduate in UVA’s MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) Class of 2026, and we caught up with him to talk about what attracted him to the MSBA program, how the MSBA curriculum helped him sharpen his communication skills, how AI is integrated into the program, how his career goals evolved over the course of the program and...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Catherine Kelley. Catherine is a student in Darden’s Part-Time MBA Class of 2028, and she is also the Executive Vice President for Darden’s Network of Executive Women student organization. We talk with her about her background, her decision to pursue an MBA, what she’s enjoyed about Darden’s Part-Time MBA program, the Network of Executive Women stud...

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we catch up with two Darden faculty members, Professors Rob Phillips and Manel Baucells. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Rob and Manel about Darden’s PhD program. They discuss the structure and philosophy of the program, what makes Darden’s program distinctive, how someone might know if pursuing a PhD may be right for them a...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jasmine Latour. Jasmine is a student in Darden’s Part-Time MBA Class of 2028, and we recently caught up with her about her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden, navigating the program as a new mom, what she’s looking forward to in the months ahead and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to che...

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 Dr. Tracey Hoke. Dr. Hoke is trained as a Pediatrician and Pediatric Cardiologist, and she is the inaugural health Chair, Innovation in Healthcare Operations at UVA Health. We talk with Dr. Hoke about her medical career, what led her to...

In this special edition of the podcast, we catch up with Nikki Hastings. Nikki is President of CvilleBioHub, an organization founded in 2016 focused on connecting founders, scientists, and investors across Central Virginia, helping life sciences and medtech companies commercialize and grow. We talk with Nikki about what attracted her to the life sciences industry, the biotech scene in Charlottesvi...

The applications for Darden’s Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA classes enrolling August 2027 are now live! To mark the occasion, we catch up with Zoe Mayfield Boykin, Associate Dean of Admissions, Professional Degree Programs, to talk about this year’s applications, guidance on application timing, how a Darden interview works, what happens after an applicant presses submit on their application and...

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 Shane Dikolli. Dikolli is a member of the Darden’s Accounting faculty, and his primary research interests focus on the performance evaluation of CEOs spanning both analytical modeling and empirical analysis. We talk with Dikol...

During this episode, Managing Director of Admissions Brett Twitty shares five tips for Executive MBA applicants targeting Darden’s July 10 deadline. During this episode, Brett shares advice for approaching the application, demonstrating your academic readiness through your application, choosing a recommender, navigating the Darden interview and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Matt Dunovant. Matt is a student in our Executive MBA Class of 2027, and we talk with him about his background, what led him to pursue an MBA, his current entrepreneurial venture, his experience in UVA’s Entrepreneurship Cup (E-Cup) and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden A...

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 Data Analytics Decision Sciences faculty area at Darden, and he teaches Data Storytelling and Media & Entertainment Business to MBA, MSBA, and Executive MBA students. A media sch...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jingjing Li. Jingjing is an Associate Professor of IT and Innovation at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, and she is also one of the Academic Directors for UVA’s MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) program. We talk with Jingjing about Module 4, the module she leads in the MSBA program, how the program is incorporating AI int...

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 Rory McDonald. McDonald’s research focuses on how firms compete and innovate effectively in new technology-enabled markets. Drawing on a mix of in-depth fieldwork and archival data, he studies how executives develop viable str...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Tristan Gess. Tristan is a first year student in the Part-Time MBA Class of 2028, and he is Co-President for his class. We talk with Tristan about his decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, what he’s enjoyed about his first year, how he decided to take on a leadership role and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden e...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Ellen Johnson. Ellen is a recent graduate in our Executive MBA Class of 2026, and she was also a recent member of the Executive MBA Student Association (ESA) leadership board. We talk with Ellen about her decision to pursue an MBA, what it’s like to change jobs during the program, the program-wide student newsletter she curated, The Executive Edit,...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Mike Dorsey. Mike is a first year student in our Executive MBA Class of 2027, and he is the newly elected President fo the Executive MBA Student Association (ESA). We chat with Mike about his background, his decision to pursue an MBA, what he’s enjoyed about his first year, why he decided to pursue a student leadership role, and more. For more insig...

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 Professors Marc Ruggiano and Rob Phillips. In this hour-long conversation, we talk with Ruggiano and Phillips about what Darden means by ethical AI as well as some of the ethical considerations across the AI value chain.  For more insig...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jesse Byrnes. Jesse is a first year student in our Executive MBA Class of 2027, and he is also the newly elected Executive Vice President for the Executive MBA Student Association (ESA). Jesse is a journalist, and he is a recipient of Darden’s Batten Media Fellowship, a full tuition and fee scholarship focused on professionals engaged in the media....

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Raj Venkatesan. Raj is a member of the Marketing faculty at the Darden School of Business, and he is also one of the Academic Directors for UVA’s MS in Business Analytics program. We talk with Raj about the MSBA program, how the faculty keep the curriculum current, the program’s upcoming fifth and final module, some of his favorite MSBA capstone pro...

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 Jared Harris. Harris’ research centers on the interplay between ethics and strategy, with a particular focus on the topics of corporate governance, business ethics and interorganizational trust. In this wide-ranging conversati...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Chris Clark and Rose Khouri. Chris and Rose are First Year students in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2027, and in this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with them about the recent Professional Advancement Course, as well as their decision to pursue an MBA, what led them to Darden, how their career goals have evolved during their first semeste...

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 Justin Hopkins. Professor Hopkins has taught various courses across Darden's programs and at the UVA Law School including electives on financial reporting and financial statement analysis. He has authored a number of cases hel...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jim Collins and Jennifer Windus. Jim and Jennifer are Career Coaches with Darden’s Professional Degree Programs Career team, and we talk with them about the Professional Advancement Course, a required, career-focused course that takes place during January term in the first year of the Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA programs. For more insights, tips...

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Greg French. Greg is a Career Coach with our Professional Degree Programs Career team. We talk with Greg about what led him to career coaching, what he enjoys about his work, as well as what brought him to Darden. Greg works closely with our MSBA students, and he also shares his insights about career resources and outcomes for MSBA students.  For mo...