The ExecMBA Podcast

ExecMBA Podcast #302: Looking Back on the Fall Semester | Melissa Thomas-Hunt & Yael Grushka-Cockayne

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Melissa Thomas-Hunt and Yael Grushka-Cockayne. Melissa is the Senior Associate Dean for Darden’s Residential Full-Time MBA program and Yael is the Senior Associate Dean for Darden’s Professional Degree Programs. We talk with Melissa and Yael about the fall semester, highlights from the past few months, what they’re looking forward to in the spring, their advice for prospective students and more.

ExecMBA Podcast #301: Alumni Spotlight | Taylor Bennett (EMBA ’23)

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Taylor Bennett. Taylor is a recent graduate in our Executive MBA Class of 2023, and he is currently the Chief Development Office for Pizza Hut. We talk with Taylor about his decision to pursue an MBA, the impact of his Darden experience, his favorite Darden classes, as well as the independent study he did focused on his classmate's restaurant concept in Birmingham, Alabama.

ExecMBA Podcast #300: Alumni Spotlight | Patrick Clancey (EMBA ’20)

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Patrick Clancey. Patrick is a graduate in Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2020, and we talk with Patrick about this decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, how his Learning Team shaped his Darden experience, how he balanced work, life and school as an Executive MBA student, what he’s been up to since graduation and more.

ExecMBA Podcast #299: Alumni Spotlight | Stephen Beaudoin (EMBA ’22)

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up Stephen Beaudoin. Stephen is a graduate in Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2022, and he has built his career in the performing arts. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Stephen about his decision to pursue an MBA, the impact of his Darden experience, what he’s been up to since graduation, his new role as the President and CEO of the Music School of Delaware and more.

ExecMBA Podcast #298: Faculty Spotlight | Ayana Younge

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #297: Faculty Spotlight | Allison Elias

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).

ExecMBA Podcast #296: Alumni Spotlight | Liz Brunette (EMBA ’23)

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #295: Meet Ryan DeVito, Admissions, Professional Degree Programs

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!

ExecMBA Podcast #294: Mythbusters with Brett Twitty and Ali Torres

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.

ExecMBA Podcast # 293: Alumni Spotlight | Matt Kemph (EMBA ’23)

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #292: In Conversation | Interim Dean Jeanne Liedtka

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #291: Meet the Darden Executive Veterans Student Organization

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #290: Meet the Black Professional MBA Student Organization

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #289: Academic Spotlight | Part-Time MBA Electives

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #288: Meet Sarah Sowden, President, Network of Executive Women

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #287: Meet Erin Colwell, Assistant Director, Academic Advising and Student Affairs

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #286: Meet Lauren Lopez-Maurer, Assistant Director, Academic Advising & Student Affairs

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #285: Re-Air: Office Hours with Bob Bruner

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.  

ExecMBA Podcast #284: Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA Application Launch

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #283: Office Hours Spotlight | In Conversation with Professor Tim Laseter

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.”

ExecMBA Podcast #282: Meet Ali Torres, Assistant Director of Admissions

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #281: Global Residencies Spotlight

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #280: Alumni Spotlight | Andrew Moore, Founder, Narrative Public Affairs

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #279: Event Spotlight | Executive MBA Alumni: In Conversation

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #278: Office Hours Spotlight | In Conversation with Professor Yiorgos Allayannis

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.