The ExecMBA Podcast

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Zoe Mayfield Boykin. Zoe joined our Professional Degree Program Admissions team as an Associate Director of Admissions a few months ago, and we talk with her about her background, what attracted her to the Darden role, what she enjoys about working with applicants and more. We also share an update about the application process and provide a few tips for candidates planning to apply in the months ahead. 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 Alessio Mencarelli. Alessio is a second year student in the UVA Darden Part-Time MBA Class of 2026, and we chat with him about his decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, what he’s enjoyed about the core curriculum, how he’s been able to apply lessons from class at work 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 spotlight one of the clubs serving Darden’s Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA students – the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, Professional Degree Programs. We chat with the leaders of the club – Maxwell Godwin, Eugene Cho and Holden Hershey, all students in Darden’s Part-Time MBA program – about what led them to Darden, the impact of their Darden experience, their interest in entrepreneurship, their plans for the club in the months ahead 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 leaders of the Darden Military Association, Professional Formats, Shane Bowling, Scott Timmester and David Kim. Shane, Scott, and David reflect upon their MBA journeys, the impact of their time at Darden, their advice for prospective students and more. The Darden Military Association, Professional Formats serves the Professional Degree community as an affinity group by leveraging former and current military experiences to enhance career opportunities and foster camaraderie within the entire Darden Community. 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 podcast, we are excited to share another installment from our ongoing Women@Darden event series featuring Professor Melanie Prengler. Prengler is an Assistant Professor in the Leadership and Organizational Behavior area, and her research focuses on the future of work, specifically alternative work arrangements and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has studied this research using a qualitative approach in the context of Black police officers, digital nomads, and mothers returning to work. 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 Shilpa Kyarla. Shilpa is a second year student in UVA Darden’s Executive MBA Class of 2025, and in this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with her about her background, why now is the right time to pursue your MBA, the impact of her Darden experience, how she’s balanced the demands of work, school, and family 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 spotlight UVA’s MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) program with a conversation with Jingjing Li. Li is the Andersen Alumni Associate Professor of Commerce at UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce, and she also serves as one of the Directors of the MSBA program. Li’s research interests are in artificial intelligence and big data analytics, with applications spanning search engines, healthcare, marketing, platforms, and public policy. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Li about her role with the MSBA program, her thoughts on the value and impact of the MSBA curriculum, her interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and more. This episode is essential listening for anyone considering UVA’s MSBA program. 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 the co-Presidents of UVA Darden’s Black Professional MBA (BPMBA) student organization, Steven Daley, Cedric Thomas and Sean Webber. We talk with Steven, Cedric and Sean about their backgrounds, what led them to Darden, their plans for the BPMBA student organization in the months ahead 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 Gabrielle “Gabe” Adams. Adams is a behavioral scientist, with a joint appointment as an associate professor of public policy (Batten) and business administration (Darden: Leadership and Organizational Behavior area). She studies the processes and dynamics that give rise to 'good' decisions, policies, and conditions in organizations.  We talk with Adams about her background, what led her to Darden, what she enjoys about teaching through the case method, what makes an effective team, why people default to considering what they might add when improving things 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 Gopika Spaenle. Gopika is the Managing Director, Career Center for UVA Darden’s Professional Degree Programs, and she is a repeat guest on the podcast. We talk with Gopika about the strategies for conducting a network-driven job search, and why this strategy pays dividends for Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA students seeking to make a career transition. 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.