The ExecMBA Podcast

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Andrew McCormack and John Schwartz, two second year students in our Executive MBA Class of 2022. Andrew and John are leaders of the Executive MBA Consulting Club, one of seven official Executive MBA student organizations. We talk with Andrew and John about their MBA journeys, what led them to Darden and what the Consulting Club has planned for the months ahead.

In this special edition of the Admissions podcast, we welcome back Darden faculty member and friend of the pod Greg Fairchild. In this wide-ranging conversation, Fairchild shares insights about one of Darden’s newest scholarship initiatives – the Breakthrough Scholars Program – a scholarship offering focused on creating new opportunities for diverse candidates to thrive in fields of asset management. Fairchild also talks about his new role as CEO and Dean for UVA’s Northern Virginia initiatives as well as a number of Darden-related DC area projects – including the DC Dean’s Fellows, his latest Executive MBA elective and more.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with two second year students in our Executive MBA Class of 2022, Will Payne and Charlie O’Ferrall. Will and Charlie are leaders of the Executive MBA Entrepreneurship Club (EMBEC), and we chat with them about what attracted them to club leadership and the ways in which EMBEC is creating community and building connections for Executive MBA students with a passion for entrepreneurship.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Nicole Reyna (Class of 2022). Nicole is a Human Resources professional based in the Washington, DC area, and in this wide-ranging conversation we talk with her about her MBA journey and what led her to Darden. We also talk with her about her role on the Executive MBA Program’s Diversity Committee and her new role at work leading her company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative.

In this special episode of the podcast, members of Darden’s Admissions Committee’s and longtime friends of the podcast, Whitney Kestner, Catie Yeilding and Christian West, share tips for researching your target MBA programs. They offer insights and strategies for leveraging virtual events, social media, current students, alumni and more to learn about the people and the communities that will shape your MBA experience. With the COVID-19 pandemic shifting most Admissions events to virtual delivery for the foreseeable future, this episode is essential listening for any prospective student considering any of UVA Darden’s MBA formats.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with four recent graduates from the Executive MBA Class of 2021 – Justin Aydelotte (EMBA ’21), Matt Duffy (EMBA ’21), Peter Frieslander (EMBA ’21) and Barry Hartzberg (EMBA ’21). Justin, Matt, Peter and Barry recently served as second year tutors – a new initiative for the Executive MBA program – providing academic support for first year students in the Executive MBA Class of 2022 across several core quantitative areas including Decision Analysis, Finance and Global Economies and Markets. 

In this episode of the podcast, we chat with Briana Apgar (Class of 2022). Briana is a second year student in our Executive MBA Class of 2022, and she is also one of the members of the Executive MBA program’s newly formed Diversity Committee. We talk with Briana about how she decided to pursue an MBA, how servant leadership has informed her career approach, why she is so passionate about diversity, and how her time at Darden has challenged to embrace the idea of “good enough.”

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Chi Lo (Class of 2022), a second year student in the Executive MBA program. Chi is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and he recently started a new position at Tesla. He is also a founding member of the Executive MBA program’s Diversity Committee. We talk with Chi about his background, his decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, and the goals for the Diversity Committee in the year ahead.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we welcome back friend of the pod, Senior Associate Dean Yael Grushka-Cockayne, to talk about UVA Darden’s newest MBA format, the Part-Time MBA. We also take time to check in with Yael about her first year leading the Executive MBA program, what she’s currently researching, why she’s so passionate about project management and how she’s processing England’s recent loss to Italy in the European Championship final.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the sixth installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Lili Powell. Powell is a member of the Communication faculty, and she also has a joint appointment with the UVA School of Nursing. We talk with her about her interest in mindfulness and resilience, as well as what she has learned from her work with healthcare providers. Powell also shares insights about how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped and redefined the ways we communicate with one another.