The ExecMBA Podcast

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Chris Clark and Rose Khouri. Chris and Rose are First Year students in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2027, and in this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with them about the recent Professional Advancement Course, as well as their decision to pursue an MBA, what led them to Darden, how their career goals have evolved during their first semester in the program and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

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 Justin Hopkins. Professor Hopkins has taught various courses across Darden's programs and at the UVA Law School including electives on financial reporting and financial statement analysis. He has authored a number of cases helping students to gain a deeper understanding of the content of financial reports, the economic drivers of a firm's financial condition, and the governance characteristics of a company. We talk with Hopkins about his background, what led him to Darden, what drew him to Accounting, how Darden approaches teaching Accounting in the core curriculum, his recent paper on white collar crime prosecutions and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jim Collins and Jennifer Windus. Jim and Jennifer are Career Coaches with Darden’s Professional Degree Programs Career team, and we talk with them about the Professional Advancement Course, a required, career-focused course that takes place during January term in the first year of the Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA programs. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Greg French. Greg is a Career Coach with our Professional Degree Programs Career team. We talk with Greg about what led him to career coaching, what he enjoys about his work, as well as what brought him to Darden. Greg works closely with our MSBA students, and he also shares his insights about career resources and outcomes for MSBA students.  For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we spotlight the Darden Executive Fund (DEF) with a conversation featuring two of its leaders – Steve Miller and Philip Hunter. Steve and Philip are second year students in Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2026, and we talk with them about their backgrounds, what drew them to the Darden Executive Fund, what they’ve been working on with the Fund this year and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.  

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 Scott Miller. Miller is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business, Director of the Democracy and Capitalism Lab at the Karsh Institute of Democracy, and Senior Fellow at the Miller Center of Public Affairs. As an economic historian, Miller examines the development of modern economic systems, particularly during period of instability and volatility. In this conversation, we talk with Miller about his background, his Financial Crises and Alexander Hamilton courses, his thoughts on the relationship between democracy and capitalism and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with friend of the podcast, Zoe Mayfield Boykin. Zoe is the Associate Director of Admissions, Professional Degree Programs, at the Darden School of Business, and we talk with her about the importance of engaging your manager in your plans to participate in a Part-Time MBA or Executive MBA program. Creating a support network at work is essential for success in any working professional program, and in this conversation, Zoe shares strategies and tips for approaching this conversation. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

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 Professors June West and Steve Soltis. West and Soltis teach classes across Darden's MBA formats, including Leadership Communication, and they are also co-founders of the Darden Leadership Communication Council. Their podcast series, CEO Voices: Leading with Communication, examines the communication that enables transformational leadership. We talk with them about their backgrounds, what led them to Darden, the importance of Leadership Communications in an MBA curriculum, recent cases they’ve developed for their elective courses and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.  

In this special episode of the Darden Admissions podcast, we are excited to share a recent conversation with Jennifer Hulvey and Reece Meares, two members of the Darden Financial Aid team. We talk with Jennifer and Reece about what they enjoy about financial aid, what students should be thinking about as they prepare financially for business school, upcoming federal loan changes resulting from the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share audio from a recent webinar with Interim Dean Mike Lenox. In addition to serving as the Interim Dean of the Darden School of Business, Lenox is a member of the Strategy, Ethics and Entrepreneurship faculty, and he teaches the core MBA strategy course and an MBA elective on Strategy in the Digital Age, among other offerings. In this conversation facilitated by Managing Director of Admissions Whitney Kestner, Lenox shares insights about his background, the Darden learning experience, his research interests, his new role as Interim Dean and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.