The ExecMBA Podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.