The ExecMBA Podcast

In this episode of the ExecMBA Podcast, we talk with MJ Toms, Director of Education and Experiential Learning for Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. In this broad-ranging conversation, MJ highlights the various entrepreneurship resources available to students at Darden through the Batten Institute and UVA, including the iLab, Start-Up Academy, Venture Capital Bootcamp, UVA’s Entrepreneurship Cup, Coursera Courses, and much more.

In this episode of the ExecMBA Podcast, we continue our ongoing series about entrepreneurship with a conversation with Ruchir Ghildiyal and Dan Fitzhenry, two EMBA format students in our Class of 2018. We talk with Ruchir and Dan about some of the recent student-led initiatives around entrepreneurship in our Executive MBA Program and how their Darden experience has shaped their approach to and thoughts on entrepreneurship.

In this episode of the ExecMBA Podcast, we talk with a few of our Executive MBA students who work in politics – Julie Lasseter (EMBA ’18), Steve Gilleland (EMBA ’19), and Freddy Barnes (GEMBA ’19). We ask Julie, Steve and Freddy how and why they decided to pursue an MBA, what drew them to Darden, what they’ve enjoyed about the program, and their advice for politicos considering advanced education and weighing an MBA.

In this wide-ranging episode, we chat with Jim Detert. In addition to teaching Leadership and Organizational Beavior, Jim is the new faculty lead and Associate Dean for the Executive MBA Program, and we caught up with him to discuss what drew him to Darden, his goals for the Executive MBA Program, what he loves about teaching in the case method, and his plans for LR1.

In this episode, we continue our spotlight on the start of school with an interview with Callie Thompson. Callie is Director of Executive Degree Programs and leads the team of staff members who support our executive format students. We sat down with Callie to talk with her about the first Leadership Residency, LR1, and her advice for students as they navigate the first weeks of the program.

In this episode of the ExecMBA Podcast, we talk with Colin Hood and Teeja Boye, members of our Class of 2019 and two of the leaders of our Executive Student Investment Fund (ESIF). ESIF is one of six student organizations in our Executive MBA Program, and we spoke with Colin and Teeja about their goals and plans for ESIF in the coming months, and their experience as executive format students, as they enter their second year in the program.

In this episode of the ExecMBA podcast, with the start of school just a few weeks away, we talk with Barbara Millar, Assistant Dean for the Executive MBA Program. Barbara has worked with executive format students at Darden for over a decade, and we asked her advice for students starting the program. Hear Barbara's previous podcast interviews at the links below: https://listen.darden.virginia.edu/e/the-execmba-podcast-episode-4-an-interview-with-executive-mba-assistant-dean-barbara-millar-part-1/ https://listen.darden.virginia.edu/e/the-execmba-podcast-episode-8-an-interview-with-executive-mba-assistant-dean-barbara-millar-part-2/

In this episode of the ExecMBA podcast, we talk with Melissa Stefaniak, a 2019 EMBA format student, about her business start-up, Single Baked Sweets. Melissa is spending the summer as part of Darden’s iLab incubator, and we recently sat down to discuss her venture, how her classmates have helped her as she launches her business, and how the case method has pushed her to grow as a leader.

In this episode of the ExecMBA Podcast, we catch up with Charlotte Robertson, an EMBA format student in our Class of 2018 and a recent Poets and Quants Best & Brightest selection. We talk with Charlotte about her decision to pursue an MBA, how her experiences in the program shaped her work as Director of Restaurants, Las Vegas for ThinkFoodGroup by Jose Andres, and how she used her Innovation and Design Thinking elective to help solve a challenge at one of her restaurants.

With our last deadline of the 2018 admissions cycle – 25 June – just a few days away, we sit down with Elan Freedy, a 2019 EMBA format in our Charlottesville section. We talk with Elan about how he chose Darden, what drew him to the Charlottesville section, what he enjoys most about being an executive format student, and his goals for his remaining time in the program.