Barbara A. Millar

Education: B.A., M.Ed., University of New Hampshire; Ed.D., University of Virginia

Barbara A. Millar is an assistant professor of business administration at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, offering required and elective courses in the MBA and Executive MBA programs. She is responsible for the two required leadership residencies in the ExecMBA program (leading change; creating the future) as well as first-and second-year electives (leadership coaching; leadership resilience; and worldwide courses to Normandy, China, and Cuba).

Millar completed the Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance at American University and over her career has coached staff colleagues as well as student leaders. The development of MBA electives in the areas of coaching and resilience reflect her deep commitment to helping her graduate business students develop these critical leadership skills.

Millar previously served in senior administrative leadership positions at the Darden School moving through several functional areas (admissions, financial aid, international student advising, student affairs and program management). Prior to joining the faculty full-time in 2019, Millar served as assistant dean of the Executive MBA program, where she served as the chief administrative officer and taught required and elective courses. Serving as the School's representative to the Executive MBA Council (EMBAC), Millar was elected to serve on the board of trustees, first as a director and then chair. She is the recipient of the EMBAC Bud Fackler Service Award.

Millar holds a B.A. in social work from the University of New Hampshire, an M.Ed. in counseling and psychology from the University of New Hampshire, and an Ed.D. in higher education administration and leadership from the University of Virginia. Her dissertation examined the reasons for drinking, use of alcohol and consequences of drinking within a graduate business school population.  

She currently serves as an elected member of the University of Virginia General Faculty Council and as a member of the Virginia Networking Committee – a group focused on advancing women in higher education.

Millar lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband, Peter Thompson, and their cadre of animals. She has served on the board of directors for several local nonprofits, most recently the Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA.