January 21, 2022
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.
![The ExecMBA Podcast #201: Office Hours Spotlight | In Conversation with Professor Toni Irving]()
January 14, 2022
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.
January 7, 2022
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.
December 17, 2021
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.
December 10, 2021
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.
December 3, 2021
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.
November 26, 2021
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.
November 19, 2021
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.
November 12, 2021
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.
November 5, 2021
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).
