Next Chapter Program
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Overview
You've led teams, built organizations, and made your mark. Now you have a few more years to go. Or you’re freshly retired. Or you’re already in that post-career phase. Now what? Without your old title and purpose, what’s your identity and how will you apply the energy you still have to give? When you are in such new unexplored territory, how will you compose a life of meaning, mattering, and consequence?
If you feel like a life-long learner, yet have a twinge of “writer’s block,” you are not alone. Join experienced Darden faculty guides and a cohort of accomplished, late-career peers on a 7-month transformational, “Best of UVA” journey that is designed to help you write your Next Chapter. Begin by increasing your transition intelligence and end with a plan for your next chapter. Throughout, access the best minds across the University, who will deepen your thinking about relevant trends and help you articulate personal possibilities.
Powered by the Sands Institute for Lifelong Learning at UVA Darden, the Next Chapter program is both a curated sabbatical and personal investment. The structure takes away guesswork. The experience blends the intellectual stimulation of a world-class university classroom with the camaraderie of executives turned fellow explorers. The commitment reserves retreat time for the most precious resource of all – your thoughtful attention and wellbeing.
Intended For
Focus
PROGRAM EXPERIENCE
Three Immersive, Week-Long Residencies
Get away from your day-to-day and travel to beautiful and historic Charlottesville, Virginia, home of Darden and the University of Virginia, where you can retreat and immerse yourself in fresh perspectives and thinking.
- Week 1 (13–18 September 2026) - Tools for Transitions. In late summer, go “back to school”, featuring a keynote about famous “next chapters,” including UVA founder Thomas Jefferson’s. During the week, learn that transitions follow predictable patterns, even when they feel uncertain. Identify your “compass” and picture what’s on your “radar,” tools that will help your wayfinding over the course of the program and into your next 5-10 years. Hear guest speakers that inspire your sense of possibilities. Leave the week with a story about your Next Chapter journey that you can share with others.
- Week 2 (3–9 January 2027) - The Better Futures Seminar. Begin the new year with an immersion into the enduring and trending forces that will shape the next 5-10 years. In this course with UVA MBA and graduate students, hear from the best faculty minds at UVA. Grapple with UVA’s grand challenge research topics: democracy; brain and neuroscience; environmental resiliency and sustainability; digital technology and society; and precision medicine and health. Work in an intergenerational small group on a social innovation “prototype sprint.” Then craft a personal statement or commencement address on describing your vision for a better future for yourself, others, and society.
- Week 3 (11–16 April 2027) - Design Your Next Chapter. With the renewal of spring, gather again for the final week of the Next Chapter program. In the spirit of Darden’s iLab Incubator, use design thinking to ideate and prototype your Next Chapter plan, including all eight dimensions of wellness. Work with faculty, professional, and peer coaches to define the habits, milestones, and support systems that will help you execute on your plan. Hold a reunion with J-Term students in which you “pitch” your plan to them and receive their questions and feedback. End the week with commencement, followed by a final dinner at scenic Pippin Hill.
Integrated throughout each residency will be time between classroom sessions for conversation in salons, hands-on workshops, outdoor breaks, exercise and rest, and other wellbeing activities.
Intersession Program Features
Between one-week residencies, keep the conversations and your momentum going with virtual meetings scheduled several times a month.
- Plenary Offerings - Between one-week residencies, meet via Zoom with the full cohort. The first session on “nextworking” will help you upgrade your networking skills. Hear UVA faculty speak on hot topics, such as “The Brave New World of AI,” “Unlocking Polarization,” “Truth in a Post-truth Society,” “Impact Investing for the Social Good,” or “Sustainability for a Fragile Earth.”
- Discovery Tracks - Join one or more discovery tracks aimed at exploring post-career roles. Meet periodically in smaller groups with shared interests.
- Advisor - Leverage your experience and wisdom to consult, become a coach, serve on a board, become an executive in residence, a guest speaker or faculty.
- Investor - Empower organizations and develop a strategic plan for significant financial investment and/or philanthropy.
- Advocate - Use your power to speak up and influence to champion a cause and make an impact.
- Innovator - Pursue a long-dormant passion or create something new, from artistic expression to an entrepreneurial venture.
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What You'll Gain
What You'll Gain
- Transition Intelligence - Adopt a mindful outlook, understand the predictable pattern and pitfalls of transitions, and gain the skills to overcome uncertainty and picture possibilities.
- Purpose and Impact - Define “the good life” for you, others, and society, along with the brightest student and faculty minds at UVA. Begin to translate your vision into next steps.
- Life Design and Strategic Planning - Write your next chapter by picking a new direction and charting a course for personal satisfaction, meaningful contributions, and lasting legacy.
- Health and Wellbeing - Enrich and ensure the next chapter with best practices for longevity, daily wellness activities, sustainable work-life integration.
- Lifelong Community - Forge lasting relationships with purpose-driven peers, ongoing networking, continued engagement and support.
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Optional Add-on Features
Optional Add-on Features
- 1:1 Next Chapter Coaching - Need a little more time to go into depth or receive more individualized support? Get paired with a Next Chapter coach who will listen and help you find your own answers.
- After Residency R&R - After the intensity of the one-week immersions, you can extend your stay in Charlottesville to continue exploring and learning. For example:
- Art, Wine and Dine – Tour the art and immersive installations at UVA’s Contemplative Sciences Center, visit UVA’s surprising Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, or stop by the Les Yeux de Monde gallery. Then take a trip to a local winery, followed by a farm-to-table dinner.
- Presidential Precinct Tour – Learn about the inspiring work of the Presidential Precinct to develop emerging leaders around the world. Then travel country roads on the “Constitution Route” from James Monroe’s Highland, to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, to James Madison’s Montpelier.
- Sustainability Lab at Morven – Venture to UVA’s southern Albemarle estate, Morven, to hike the trails, tour the English and Japanese gardens, and learn about its Sustainability Lab. The next day, visit Shenandoah National Park.
- Golf, Spa, or Ski – Book a stay for golf and spa at Boar’s Head Resort or Keswick Hall. Or book a ski and spa vacation at Wintergreen Resort.
- Post-Program Touch Points - After the program formally ends, sign up for periodic touch points with fellow Next Chapter graduates. Check-in for support and accountability, troubleshoot or revise the plan, encourage each other to keep going.
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Who Should Attend
Who Should Attend
Accomplished, late-career leaders who possess deep expertise and a desire to contribute in meaningful ways:
- Senior executives and C-suite leaders approaching career transitions
- Entrepreneurs and business owners preparing succession plans
- Leaders transitioning to board service or nonprofit roles
- Professionals creating portfolio careers or seeking purpose beyond profit
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Why Choose Darden
Why Choose Darden
- Top-ranked executive education programs
- 26 Brandon Hall Group awards for excellence in leadership development
- Faculty ranked as the best in the world for bringing out the best in learners
- Proven case method learning approach
- Faculty personally teach the program, not adjuncts
- Need more reasons to choose Darden? Here are 21 more.
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Where You'll Stay
Premier Location
While in residency, you will stay on the Darden Grounds at The Forum Hotel, operated by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and ranked the #1 Best Hotel in Charlottesville and #9 Best Hotel in Virginia for 2026 by U.S. News & World Report. Nestled amid a five-acre arboretum and botanical gardens, The Forum Hotel provides an inspired space for reflection and learning.
From the moment you step on Grounds, you'll enjoy Darden's concierge service. Our program team provides personal attention to support you — from pre-program logistics to ensuring you have everything you need during your stay.
What You'll Gain
- Transition Intelligence - Adopt a mindful outlook, understand the predictable pattern and pitfalls of transitions, and gain the skills to overcome uncertainty and picture possibilities.
- Purpose and Impact - Define “the good life” for you, others, and society, along with the brightest student and faculty minds at UVA. Begin to translate your vision into next steps.
- Life Design and Strategic Planning - Write your next chapter by picking a new direction and charting a course for personal satisfaction, meaningful contributions, and lasting legacy.
- Health and Wellbeing - Enrich and ensure the next chapter with best practices for longevity, daily wellness activities, sustainable work-life integration.
- Lifelong Community - Forge lasting relationships with purpose-driven peers, ongoing networking, continued engagement and support.
Optional Add-on Features
- 1:1 Next Chapter Coaching - Need a little more time to go into depth or receive more individualized support? Get paired with a Next Chapter coach who will listen and help you find your own answers.
- After Residency R&R - After the intensity of the one-week immersions, you can extend your stay in Charlottesville to continue exploring and learning. For example:
- Art, Wine and Dine – Tour the art and immersive installations at UVA’s Contemplative Sciences Center, visit UVA’s surprising Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, or stop by the Les Yeux de Monde gallery. Then take a trip to a local winery, followed by a farm-to-table dinner.
- Presidential Precinct Tour – Learn about the inspiring work of the Presidential Precinct to develop emerging leaders around the world. Then travel country roads on the “Constitution Route” from James Monroe’s Highland, to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, to James Madison’s Montpelier.
- Sustainability Lab at Morven – Venture to UVA’s southern Albemarle estate, Morven, to hike the trails, tour the English and Japanese gardens, and learn about its Sustainability Lab. The next day, visit Shenandoah National Park.
- Golf, Spa, or Ski – Book a stay for golf and spa at Boar’s Head Resort or Keswick Hall. Or book a ski and spa vacation at Wintergreen Resort.
- Post-Program Touch Points - After the program formally ends, sign up for periodic touch points with fellow Next Chapter graduates. Check-in for support and accountability, troubleshoot or revise the plan, encourage each other to keep going.
Who Should Attend
Accomplished, late-career leaders who possess deep expertise and a desire to contribute in meaningful ways:
- Senior executives and C-suite leaders approaching career transitions
- Entrepreneurs and business owners preparing succession plans
- Leaders transitioning to board service or nonprofit roles
- Professionals creating portfolio careers or seeking purpose beyond profit
Why Choose Darden
- Top-ranked executive education programs
- 26 Brandon Hall Group awards for excellence in leadership development
- Faculty ranked as the best in the world for bringing out the best in learners
- Proven case method learning approach
- Faculty personally teach the program, not adjuncts
- Need more reasons to choose Darden? Here are 21 more.
Premier Location
While in residency, you will stay on the Darden Grounds at The Forum Hotel, operated by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and ranked the #1 Best Hotel in Charlottesville and #9 Best Hotel in Virginia for 2026 by U.S. News & World Report. Nestled amid a five-acre arboretum and botanical gardens, The Forum Hotel provides an inspired space for reflection and learning.
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From the moment you step on Grounds, you'll enjoy Darden's concierge service. Our program team provides personal attention to support you — from pre-program logistics to ensuring you have everything you need during your stay.
The most important thing in the second half of life is to prepare for it. You don’t ‘retire’ from life; you transition to a different kind of contribution.
Powered by the Sands Institute for Lifelong Learning
The Sands Institute is dedicated to innovation and supporting leaders at career inflection points with customizable, flexible programming focused on purpose and lifelong impact.
Ready to Design Your Next Chapter?
Program Details:
- Duration: Seven months
- Format: Three week-long residencies with monthly virtual sessions
- Location: UVA Darden School of Business, Charlottesville, Virginia
- Includes: Executive coaching, peer cohort, multi-directional mentorship, ongoing community access
World-Class Darden Faculty
Darden faculty are ranked year after year as the best in the world for bringing out the best in students.
Faculty
Elizabeth A. Powell
Julie Logan Sands Associate Professor of Business Administration, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Director, Compassionate Care Initiative
Martin N. Davidson
Johnson and Higgins Professor of Business Administration
