About Darden
About Darden - Women at Darden
Women@Darden
A Holistic Approach for Women
Women@Darden brings together the whole of the Darden community to develop and execute initiatives that will drive Darden toward gender inclusive excellence and propel Darden to become the business school of choice for women interested in management education.
Building Meaningful Connections
The Women@Darden initiative focuses on building connections and lasting relationships between admissions, prospective and current students, faculty and alumni. The initiative has kicked off with a focus on the student experience, examining ways to enhance the classroom experience for women, increase programmatic offerings and develop increased support and allyship for students.
We are here to help women appreciate their possibilities, to show them that there is a path for them to, through, and after an MBA. Darden is a place that cultivates leaders, and we need more female leaders in all sectors. Women@Darden seeks to provide pathways to a Darden MBA, ensure that students have a transformational learning experience, and remain connected to this remarkable community throughout their lives. Darden women have been putting cracks in the glass ceiling for decades, but it’s time for us to shatter it.
Building a Case for Diverse Case Protagonists
The Forté Foundation recently detailed how a student-led initiative helped diversify Darden cases by over 7 percent. Recent work by the Women@Darden Steering Committee is building on the work.
By Lisa Beebe, Forté Foundation — Pam Fischer was in her first year at Darden when she and other women noticed how few of the cases they were studying featured women. She remembers thinking, “Most of the case protagonists seem to be men — in particular, white men from the United States. While this might have been the business environment of 20 years ago, it isn’t the one of the future, or probably even of our class.”
While few MBA programs focus entirely on case-based teaching like Darden, the case method is prevalent in at least some limited form in most MBA programs. This suggests that students all over the world may have noticed the same thing as Pam and her classmates.
Spotlight: Featured Alumnae
Mayra Rocha (GEMBA '16)
President, Project M Media Corp.
Katherine Neebe (MBA '04)
VP National Engagement and Strategy and Chief Sustainability Officer at Duke Energy
Lynnette Crowder (EMBA ’10)
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, U.S. Silica
Daniele Wilson (MBA '11)
Head of Industries – Nonprofits, Google Inc.
Christine Davies (MBA '09)
Founder and CEO, Poligage
Goli Sheikholeslami (MBA '94)
President and CEO, New York Public Radio
Laure Katz (GEMBA '16)
Chief of Staff, Conservation International
Marcia Mao (MBA '15)
Director of Portfolio Management, Zenity Capital
Liz Lynch (MBA '84)
Senior Managing Director, Evercore
Nicole Lindsay (MBA/JD ’00)
VP, Strategy and Operations, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
Nishita Henry (MBA '03)
Chief Innovation Officer, Deloitte Consulting
Sheri Lucas (EMBA '13)
Senior Vice President, Business Initiatives, Wells Fargo
Alumnae: Connect With Darden's Engagement Team
Pursuing Purpose
Martina Hund-Mejean (MBA ’88), Former Chief Financial Officer of Mastercard Worldwide
Darden alumna Martina Hund-Mejean (MBA ’88) is a purpose-driven leader with inspiring advice for how future leaders can pursue their purpose successfully. Hund-Mejean currently serves as the head of the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees, which oversees the Foundation’s strategies, providing an important link between the academic and business communities.
Faculty Thought Leadership and Practical Insights
Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning
Women in Leadership
Available 2023 dates: 17-21 April and 23-27 October
Women are called on to lead in organizations and society more than ever, but they face unique challenges along the way. This non-degree program will show you how to create opportunities to leverage strengths and lead confidently at all levels.
Funding Your MBA
Darden has a robust portfolio of merit scholarships plus we partner with external foundations and organizations whose missions may include supporting MBA students through scholarships, professional development, resources, community-building and mentoring. Consideration for most of these scholarships is through the Darden application. Learn more about ways Darden students fund their MBA.
Read more about UVA’s notice of non-discrimination and equal opportunity.
Graduate Women in Business
Darden’s chapter of Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) promotes the role of professional women by developing a greater appreciation for issues of diversity among men, women, faculty and administration. This organization led by women in the Full-Time MBA provides resources related to women’s issues in pursuing a career in business and helps students create and build their professional and personal networks.
Network for Executive Women
Darden's Network for Executive Women (NEW) is a student-led organization in Darden's Executive MBA program dedicated to the professional advancement of women in the program. NEW creates an inclusive community in the Darden Exec MBA program, advocates for an understanding around issues of gender equality specifically related to women executives and connects female students and alumni through professional development and networking opportunities
Women@Darden Faculty Advisors
Meet the faculty advisors who are leading the Women@Darden Committee along with students, faculty and staff from all corners of the Darden network.
In The News: Darden Students, Faculty and Alumnae
Darden Partners with Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative on New Case Series
Darden Alum, by EILLY Founder Wins Kathryne Carr Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence
2021 Best 40-Under-40 Professors: Roshni Raveendhran
Unintended Consequences, Financial Recovery, Shadow Banking: An ‘Office Hours’ Conversation With Finance Professor Kinda Hachem
New Breakthrough Scholars Program to Prepare Diverse Leaders in Asset Management at UVA Darden
'Don't Shy Away From Opportunities Because You Think You Don't Fit'
Juggling a Law Career and an MBA Program, and Making It Look Easy
ExecMBA Alumna Moves the Ball Down the Field for Women in Sports
Professor Kimberly Whitler Helps Students and CEOs Build Their Brands
Meet Five of the ‘Real Humans’ of UVA Darden’s Class of 2023
Prospective Students: Connect With our Community
SHAPING THE FUTURE: HISTORY OF WOMEN AT DARDEN
Women at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business lead, teach, uplift and support the community in myriad ways, and have since the founding of the School in 1955.
The History of Women at Darden is ever evolving. It is made up of individuals with unique paths, experiences, identities and perspectives that shape the history and impact of UVA Darden, on Grounds and beyond. We invite individuals to share their experiences and reflections. In doing so, you will contribute to a growing History of Women at Darden archive so that others may connect with current and prior generations at Darden who shaped their own and others' stories from far and wide.
1920
UVA Graduate and Professional Schools
On January 12th, 1920, the Board of Visitors at the University formally agreed to admit white women as degree-seeking students into the graduate and professional schools.
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1955
University of Virginia Graduate School of Business Administration
The University of Virginia establishes the first Graduate School of Business Administration in the South. The School opened its doors in Monroe Hall, its first home, in 1955.
1962
Nancy Milton
Milton is the first woman admitted to the Darden Graduate School of Business. Dean Charles Abbott played a pivotal role in encouraging Milton to apply to Darden, where she was accepted into the MBA program in 1962.
Read the Full Story
1965
Betty Sue (Hamner) Peabody (MBA ’65)
Peabody was the first woman to graduate from Darden with an MBA in 1965. 2025 marks a celebration of her accomplishment and a history 60 years of women graduates at Darden.
1973
Eleanor G. May
May became the first woman to be a member of Darden faculty as an Associate Professor in 1973. Previously, she served as the Research Director of the Tayloe Murphy Institute after joining the University of Virginia Graduate Business School in 1970.
"What I'm most proud of in my whole career is the groundbreaking I did as the first woman in various places.- Eleanor May
1976
Charlotte H. Scott
Scott was a trailblazing University professor, economist, banking executive, philanthropist, and community member. The first African American woman to be appointed a tenured faculty member at the University of Virginia,1 she joined the faculty in 1976, as a University Professor of Business Administration and Commerce, and Senior Fellow, Tayloe Murphy Institute at the Darden School of Business.2⠀⠀⠀
"I knew Charlotte Scott in my early years on the Darden School faculty. She was a wonderful and kind colleague with a sharp intellect and a capacity to get quickly to the heart of a question. Most of all, I respected her courage. She was a pioneer – one of the few women faculty members at Darden in those years, and along with her husband, Nathan, the first tenured African-American faculty members at U.Va. Darden benefited by her example." - Charles C. Abbott3Learn More
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[2] Reisler, M. (2005). Darden, a Pictorial History of the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business Administration. Charlottesville, Va: Darden Business Pub.
[3] Bromley, A. E. (2010, March 25). In Memoriam: Charlotte H. Scott. UVA Today. https://news.virginia.edu/content/memoriam-charlotte-h-scott
1979
R. Anne Shirley
In 1979, the School awarded degrees to its first small cluster of international students, including Anne Shirley of Jamaica. Shirley also holds the distinction of being the first black female student to receive an MBA from UVA Darden.
1984-86
Susan Hurt
Hurt was the first woman to be president of the Darden Student Association (DSA); a group of students, elected by their classmates, which advocates on behalf of clubs and individuals representing the interests, concerns and desires of the student body.
Discover DSA
1990-2023
Jeanne M. Liedtka
Liedtka began her career at Darden in 1990 as a Professor of Business Administration in strategy. In the years following she served in many additional leadership roles including Executive Director of the Batten Institute, the Associate Dean of MBA Programs, and finally the first woman to be Interim Dean of Darden as of 2023.
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[2] Gross, S. Jeanne Liedtka.
1990s
The Second Generation of Faculty
Throughout the 1990s, a corps of additional Second Faculty Generation members signed on to the growing academic enterprise in Charlottesville, and quickly became invested in sustaining the School's vision and values and in enhancing its achievements. Among this group were Lynn A. Isabella (1990) in organizational behavior, Jeanne M. Liedtka (1990) in strategy, Patricia H. Werhane (1993) in ethics, and June West (1997) in Communications. These faculty (among others) sank their roots deep into Charlottesville's soil and became pivotal to the School's progress.
1995
Graduate Women in Business (GWIB)
Darden in 1995 became the headquarters of a national The Graduate Women in Business Network (GWIB). Today, GWIB at Darden is a student-led club which serves to empower women to be the fullest expression of themselves by creating inclusive spaces to grow authentic connections, further gender equity and forge partnerships on and off Grounds.
GWIB News
2004-Present
Partnering with the Forté Foundation
In 2004, Darden was a founding partner school of the Forté Foundation. The organization's mission is to launch women into fulfilling, significant careers through access to business education, professional development, and a community of successful women. 2024 marked the celebration of 20 years partnering with the Forté Foundation.
Find Out About Forté2006
The First Executive MBA Cohort
Darden launched the Executive MBA format in June 2006. The first group of women to graduate earned their degree from Darden in 2008.
2014
Women@Darden
In the summer of 2014, the Darden School created the Women@Darden, a group of alumni, faculty and staff who examine and recommend actions in order to improve the quality of the Darden experience for women who are prospective and current students and alumnae.
“Darden was life-changing — I gained knowledge and became part of a community that enabled my success in business and in life. I’ve devoted much of my time to mentoring, coaching and championing women, but I was convinced I could do more. Naturally, I turned to Darden, where I found a clear way to address this opportunity.” - Sally Genster Robling (MBA ’82), Former vice chair of the Women@Darden steering committeeFrom 2020-22 Women@Darden expanded with the rollout of 18+ new initiatives dedicated to student entry, experience and engagement. One was held in September of 2022 when Women@Darden brought together members of the community for the Women in Leadership Summit: The Great Reinvention an event focused on leadership, networking and skill-building.2
2017
Network of Executive Women
Kristine Campbell (EMBA ’18) served as the first president of the Network of Executive Women (NEW), which remains one of the longest-running professional student organizations at Darden.
Since its inception in 2017, the club has expanded to include Part-Time MBA students as of 2023.
2019-2024
Princeton Review's Best Business School: Resources for Women
Since 2019, Princeton Review has ranked Darden in the top ten business schools for Greatest Resources for Women. In 2024, Darden rose to No. 6 overall, moving up three spots from the previous year.
2020-21
Darden Case Audit
A student-led initiative by the Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) organization audited Darden’s case-based curriculum. Pam Fischer (MBA '18), as GWIB's VP of Academics, led a team of 15 case reviewers to analyze 300 core class cases. They found a limited range of protagonist perspectives and shared their findings with Darden professors, offering suggestions to diversify the cases. This led to immediate action from alumni, professors, students, and faculty to broaden the range of perspectives in Darden cases. The Forté Foundation later adopted this initiative as a toolkit for other MBA programs.
Read the Story
2020
KPI Club - Founders Thrive at Darden
Darden offers a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, including many avenues of support available to student founders. A pillar of this community is the KPI Club, an unofficial club of women founders that started by five women of the Full-Time Class of 2022. The all-women finalists of Darden's 2020 Pitch Competition met outside of the competition and became fast friends.The remarkable legacy of the KPI Club continues with the current class.
“This community of fellow women founders not only gave me the encouragement and focus for my entrepreneurial journey at Darden, it helped me elevate my approach to various challenges I faced launching Petrichor. Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely journey – only you truly understand the countless ups and downs that come with turning an idea into a real product. And I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a group where I get to share that journey with fellow women founders.” - Curie Chang (MBA '24)
2022
Part-Time MBA First Incoming Class
2022 marked the inaugural Part-Time MBA cohort including women matriculating to the DC Metro based program.
“The new Part-Time MBA format grew out of a desire to offer another option for students in the D.C. area to pursue the Darden MBA,” said Darden Dean Scott Beardsley.
2023
Billie Jean King Case Series Partnership
UVA Darden and Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative establish a partnership to publish 10 cases highlighting the unique leadership opportunities and challenges facing women in leadership. Darden is taught entirely by the case method, and expanding protagonists in cases has been a priority for Darden faculty.
“These cases will bring a number of pressing issues with broad applicability into classrooms at Darden and around the world.” - Ed Freeman, Darden professsor and academic director of the Institute for Business in Society.
Source: Darden Report Read More
2024
Darden Disability Alliance
Second-Year student Seiver Jorgensen started Darden Disability Alliance (DDA) student affinity club. The club is dedicated to promoting an inclusive, open, and welcoming space for students with disabilities, promoting professional outcomes for those same students, and increasing awareness and education about disabilities within the Darden community. DDA’s work can be broken down into three pillars: community building, professional development and advocacy.
“At its core, DDA is about creating a space where students feel they belong,” - Seiver Jorgensen (Class of 2025) Listen to Experience Darden
Source: Darden Report
2024
Martina Hund-Mejean (MBA ’88)
In a ceremony during Darden Reunion Weekend, Martina Hund-Mejean (MBA ’88), former CFO of Mastercard Worldwide, was honored with the Charles C. Abbott Award. The highest accolade bestowed by the Alumni Association Board of Directors recognizes a University of Virginia Darden School of Business graduate who has made and continues to make significant contributions to the School’s legacy.
Reflecting on her achievements and support from Darden, Hund-Mejean said,“I wouldn’t be here without the great work Darden does with its students.”She credited the School’s faculty for their role in her education, recounted her experience as one of the few international students in her class, and praised the faculty for their impactful teaching and comprehensive curriculum that shaped her understanding of business. READ MORE
2025
Vice Deans of Darden
Dean Scott Beardsley named Senior Associate Deans Melissa Thomas-Hunt and Yael Grushka-Cockayne as Vice Deans of Darden. The new roles for Grushka-Cockayne and Thomas-Hunt are an extension of their current roles as strategic leaders for Darden.
Grushka-Cockayne has led the Darden Professional Degree formats, including the Executive MBA, Part-Time MBA and MSBA with the UVA McIntire School of Commerce since 2020.
Thomas-Hunt has led the Darden Full-Time MBA program since 2023 and served as a special advisor to the Dean; additionally she is the Founding Academic Director of the Behavioral Research at Darden (BRAD) Lab.
Share Your Story
The History of Women at Darden is ever evolving. It is made up of individuals with unique paths, experiences, identities and perspectives that shape the history and impact of UVA Darden, on Grounds and beyond. We invite individuals to share their experiences and reflections. In doing so, you will contribute to a growing History of Women at Darden archive so that others may connect with current and prior generations at Darden who shaped their own and others' stories from far and wide.
Submit A Story