In this conversation, we catch up with Kristian Robinson. Kristian is the Associate Director of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Recruiting at the Darden School of Business, and we recently connected with him via Zoom to talk about his journey to Darden. Kristian has a background in mental health counseling and he is currently working on a Ph.D at Virginia Commonwealth University, and in this wide-ranging conversation, he shares how his background and research interests led him to pursue a role in higher education, and Admissions specifically. Fun fact: Kristian was instrumental in planning and executing this year’s Darden Diversity Conference.

In this episode of the podcast we catch up with Tyler Kelley and Moriah Horner. Tyler and Moriah are First Year students in the Full-Time MBA Class of 2023, and they are also newly elected leaders of the Darden Student Association (DSA). Tyler is the DSA President and Moriah is DSA Executive Vice President, and we talk with them about their backgrounds, how they decided to pursue an MBA, how their first year has gone and what they hope to accomplish as DSA leaders in the year ahead.

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 Hemant Das. Hemant serves as the Principal Advisor for India Initiatives through Darden's partner Sannam S4. Hemant works collaboratively across the Darden Enterprise, leading efforts to advance the school’s impact and engagement in India and the region. He is a key liaison for Darden to alumni, corporate partners, current/prospective students, and business and educational institutions in the region. We talk with Hemant about his background, what led him to Darden, the power of the Darden network in India and why he enjoys engaging with members of the Darden community.

In this episode of the podcast, we connect with Kate Allen (Class of 2022). Kate is a second year student, and she also serves as Vice President for Darden Cup on the Darden Student Association. During this wide-ranging conversation, Kate talks about how she identified her target MBA programs, why Darden resonated with her, and what it was like to go through the business school application process with a partner who was also a B-school applicant. Kate also reflects upon her decision to serve as VP for Darden Cup and shares how things have been going this year.  Fun fact: Kate is a Second Year Coach, working closely with a  group of First Year Darden students as they navigate the job search process.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Doris Cao. Doris is Director of China Initiatives with Darden’s Center for Global Initiatives, and she is based in Shanghai, China. We recently connected with Doris via Zoom to talk about what led her Darden, what enjoys about working with Darden students and why she thinks Darden is such a transformational MBA experience. She also shares reflections on her career in higher education and insights about what makes Shanghai such an exciting city.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Second Year students Juan Montiel (Class of 2022) and Jorge Laborde (Class of 2022). Juan and Jorge are both members of the Latin American Student Association (LASA) student organization leadership board, and we talk with them about their decision to pursue an MBA, what led them to Darden and their experiences relocating to Charlottesville from Argentina and Chile, respectively, for business school. They also share insights about the Darden community and what LASA has planned for the months ahead.

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.