Darden Leadership Communication Council | UVA Darden School of Business

Darden Leadership Communication Council

The DLCC mission’s is to exchange best practices in leadership communication to ensure the Leadership Communication curriculum at Darden is relevant and grounded in real-time and real-world application. The council serves as a pipeline of expertise and knowledge between professionals and academics in communication-related fields.

The University of Virginia Darden Leadership Communication Council (DLCC) was established in 2016 by Professor June West, the late Professor James Rubin and Lecturer Steve Soltis for the purpose of convening and engaging top professionals willing to share their insights and best practices in communication strategy and execution with Darden students and faculty.

The council includes more than 100 communication leaders from business, media, education, government and civil society sectors, including such prominent brands as Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company, MUFG Bank of Tokyo, McDonald’s, Capital One, Cox Media, The Home Depot, Regions Bank, Hitachi, Brown Forman, McKinsey, Merck, Inspire Brands, The White House Writers Group, CNBC, Axios, Bloomberg News, Stanford Graduate School of Business, University of Maryland, Mississippi State University and Harvard.

Council members have contributed to class discussions, generated new case studies and technical notes, served as mentors to students, and inspired the creation of three electives.

In 2023, the council partnered with Darden’s Batten Media Fellows. Batten Media Fellowships help professionals engaged in all aspects of the media to pursue an MBA at the Darden School. The fellowships were established by the late Frank Batten, founder of Landmark Communication and UVA alumnus.

Events

The DLCC convenes for its annual meeting on the Darden Grounds in Charlottesville each September, while the DLCC’s advisory committee is hosted by members at their corporate sites around the United States at various times throughout the year.

The annual meeting occurs over two days in the fall, kicking off with a keynote speaker delivering the James Rubin Dialogue — named in honor of late Darden Communication Professor James Rubin. Following the Rubin Dialogue, the DLCC membership participates in panels, breakouts and networking centered around an annual theme. Past themes have included media in the age of AI, communicating through crisis, communicating in a time of rapid disruption and the rise of consumer-based engagement. Outputs from the annual meeting include insights from leading practitioners to integrate into the Darden Communication area curriculum and research, new case studies and other curricular materials, and innovations to Communication area courses.

Advisory committee meetings help set the course for the DLCC’s events and goals, ensuring the council delivers a positive impact to Darden in the areas of Communication research, curriculum and courses. It also ensures Darden professors maintain close proximity to leading practitioners, meeting them where they work to understand the current context of communication professionals.
Programs

Insights and feedback from DLCC members — a group of more than 100 communication executives and practitioners — have led to countless innovations to Darden’s Communication area courses and curriculum. Members also support the research of Communication faculty and partner on case studies and other curricular materials. Members are a crucial link to business practice, ensuring Darden’s Communication faculty and research keep up with the pace of change in the field. They volunteer their time and talent to ensure Darden students have the communication skills and competencies employers seek.

As an advisory body, the council has had a material impact on course instruction at Darden, including as a catalyst for the creation of two new electives: “Communicating in Times of Disruption” and “Transformation and Writing for Impact and Influence.” Council members engage with Darden students and faculty through an annual meeting and throughout the year by providing technical notes, case studies, in-class lectures and mentorship.

The DLCC convenes for its annual meeting on the Darden Grounds in Charlottesville each September, while the DLCC’s advisory committee is hosted by members at their corporate sites around the United States at various times throughout the year.

The annual meeting occurs over two days in the fall, kicking off with a keynote speaker delivering the James Rubin Dialogue — named in honor of late Darden Communication Professor James Rubin. Following the Rubin Dialogue, the DLCC membership participates in panels, breakouts and networking centered around an annual theme. Past themes have included media in the age of AI, communicating through crisis, communicating in a time of rapid disruption and the rise of consumer-based engagement. Outputs from the annual meeting include insights from leading practitioners to integrate into the Darden Communication area curriculum and research, new case studies and other curricular materials, and innovations to Communication area courses.

Advisory committee meetings help set the course for the DLCC’s events and goals, ensuring the council delivers a positive impact to Darden in the areas of Communication research, curriculum and courses. It also ensures Darden professors maintain close proximity to leading practitioners, meeting them where they work to understand the current context of communication professionals.

Insights and feedback from DLCC members — a group of more than 100 communication executives and practitioners — have led to countless innovations to Darden’s Communication area courses and curriculum. Members also support the research of Communication faculty and partner on case studies and other curricular materials. Members are a crucial link to business practice, ensuring Darden’s Communication faculty and research keep up with the pace of change in the field. They volunteer their time and talent to ensure Darden students have the communication skills and competencies employers seek.

As an advisory body, the council has had a material impact on course instruction at Darden, including as a catalyst for the creation of two new electives: “Communicating in Times of Disruption” and “Transformation and Writing for Impact and Influence.” Council members engage with Darden students and faculty through an annual meeting and throughout the year by providing technical notes, case studies, in-class lectures and mentorship.

Meet the Team

The Darden Leadership Communication Council was founded by Marjorie R. Sands Associate Professor of Business Administration June West and Lecturer Steve Soltis. The council is organized and supported by a cross-disciplinary team of Darden faculty members, in addition to council members from the world of business practice.