The ExecMBA Podcast

ExecMBA Podcast #228: Catching Up with Jack Elsea (Class of 2023) and Matt Gray (Class of 2023)

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jack Elsea and Matt Gray. Jack and Matt are second year students in the Executive MBA class of 2023, and we talk with them about the importance of making connections with classmates prior to the start of school, strategies for navigating the first year of the Executive MBA program, as well as what they are excited about as they move into their second year of study. For prospective students who live outside of the DC metro, Matt is based in Texas, and he reflects upon the experience of traveling to and from Rosslyn for the once-a-month weekend residencies.

ExecMBA Podcast #227: Meet Dr. Lauren Powlovich (Class of 2023), Focused Ultrasound Foundation

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Lauren Powlovich. Lauren is a student in the Executive MBA Class of 2023, and she is also a doctor. Lauren currently serves as the Associate Chief Medical Officer for the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, a Charlottesville-based foundation dedicated to bringing focused ultrasound, an early-stage, noninvasive therapeutic technology, to the treatment of medical disorders. We talk with Lauren about her decision to pursue an MBA, what she has gained from the program so far, her involvement with the Executive MBA program’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee as well as an emerging faith-based student interest group and more.

ExecMBA Podcast #226: Meet Jarred Mack, President, Darden Executive Veterans

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jarred Mack. Jarred is a second year student in the Executive MBA Class of 2023, and he is also a Naval service member. We talk with Jarred about his service in the Naval supply corps, his decision to pursue an MBA and how he has balanced work, life and school in his first year at Darden. He also shares insights about his plans for the Darden Executive Veterans (DEV) student organization in the year ahead and reflects on how the organization seeks to support service members.

ExecMBA Podcast #225: Meet Dr. Billy Petersen (Class of 2023), Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Billy Petersen (Class of 2023). Billy is as second year student in the Executive MBA Class of 2023, and he is also a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at UVA Health. We talk with Billy about his medical career, his decision to pursue an MBA and how he has fit UVA Darden’s Executive MBA program into a very full professional and family life. Billy also discusses the important role his Learning Team played as he navigated his first year as a Darden student.

ExecMBA Podcast #224: Office Hours Spotlight | In Conversation with Professor Manel Baucells

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share the 13th installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Manel Baucells. Baucells teaches quantitative analysis courses in Darden's MBA and Executive Education programs. Baucells' research focuses on incorporating psychological realism into consumer behavior models by considering factors such as reference point formation, mental accounting, psychological distance, anticipation, fatigue, and satiation; and examines how these factors influence risk and time preferences, consumer choices, and managerial decisions. We talk with Manel about his interest in quantifying the unquantifiable, why he’s passionate about the case method, as well as his research around attaining happiness. He also shares insights about Darden’s newly re-launched PhD program as well as his Behavioral Decision Making elective.

ExecMBA Podcast #223: Meet the Darden Executive Fund (DEF)

Over the coming weeks on the ExecMBA Podcast, we will spotlight Executive MBA clubs and organizations. First up is the Darden Executive Fund (DEF). The Darden Executive Fund (DEF) is an independent study providing Executive MBA students hands-on experience researching, pitching, and directly managing a portfolio of active investments in publicly traded assets. Members of the DEF leadership board, CEO Bahara Stapelberg (Class of 2023), CIO Alex Arinsmier (Class of 2023) and Director of Research and Events Jonathan Dengel (Class of 2023) reflect upon their respective MBA journeys as well as their plans for the DEF in the year ahead.

ExecMBA Podcast #222: Office Hours Spotlight | In Conversation with Professor June A. West

In this special edition of the Darden Admission's podcast, we share the 12th installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor June A. West. West is the Marjorie R. Sands Associate Professor of Business Administration, and she specializes in organizational communication, leadership, strategy, and change management. She teaches in Darden’s MBA, Executive MBA, Executive Education programs, iLab Innovation Incubator and the Center for Global Initiatives, where she offers for students a global course that takes place in Bahrain, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. In the year ahead, she will also be teaching the Leadership Communication course in Darden’s newest MBA format, Part-Time MBA. We talk with June about her interest in communications, what led her to Darden, and why she’s so passionate about working with students. She also reflects upon her work with Darden’s Partnership for Leaders in Education (PLE), a program with UVA’s School of Education, as well as her current research interests, including hot topics in communications.
 

ExecMBA Podcast #221: Meet Gopika Spaenle, Career Center Managing Director, Professional Degree Programs

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Gopika Spaenle, the new Career Center Managing Director for Professional Degree Programs at the Darden School of Business. During this conversation, Gopika reflects upon what led her to Darden, why she’s passionate about supporting working professional students, as well as career paths and resources for Part-Time MBA and Executive MBA students. This episode is essential listening for anyone seeking to learn more about career support for working professional MBA students at UVA Darden.

ExecMBA Podcast #220: Spotlight on Darden Graduation 2022

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #219: In Conversation | Alta DeRoo (EMBA ’22), Chief Medical Officer, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #218: ESA Spotlight | Nate Carlson and Sarah Boschung

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #217: In Conversation | Amy Egeli, ESA VP for Careers

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #216: Admissions Tips for May and June Round Applicants

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #215: In Conversation | Professor Raj Venkatesan, Co-Academic Director, MSBA Program

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.

ExecMBA Podcast #214: Colin Wright-Pruski | On Being Right Where You Need to Be

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.

The ExecMBA Podcast #213: Aisha Pridgen | A Personal Passion for Healthcare

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.

The ExecMBA Podcast #212: Alex Merida & Annette Stock – Helping and Supporting Others as First Year Section Reps

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.

The ExecMBA Podcast #211: True Overholt (EMBA ’18) | Applying Private Sector Approaches to Public Health Challenges

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.

The ExecMBA Podcast #210: Building a Brand and Creating a New Story of Farming | Mark Saylor (EMBA ’21)

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.

The ExecMBA Podcast #209: Samantha Shedd (EMBA ’21) | Pursuing an MBA, Gaining a Community

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.

The ExecMBA Podcast #208: Meet Assistant Director of Admissions Ashley Robinson

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.

The ExecMBA Podcast #207: Spotlight on the MS in Business Analytics

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.

The ExecMBA Podcast #206: In Conversation | Professor Vivian Riefberg

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.

The ExecMBA Podcast #205: Kortney Johnson | Cultivating a Passion for Leading Transformational Change

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.

The ExecMBA Podcast #204: Matt Arny (EMBA ’15) | U.S. Navy Leader Reflects on MBA Journey

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.