Professional Degree Programs - Clubs and Organizations

• Cedric Thomas, Co-President Part-Time MBA
• D'Auria Brown, Co-President Part-Time MBA
• Farrah Thompson, Vice President, Alumni Engagement

The Black Professional MBA Association chartered in 2017, is dedicated to recruiting Black business students and its membership's professional and academic advancement. In addition to its professional and academic goals, Black Professional MBAs host social outings throughout the year to foster relationships within the groups' membership and the Darden community at large.

Mission Statement:

We support the advancement of prospective and current Black students in their endeavors to become intentional and transformational leaders through academic and professional initiatives. We bring diversity in thought to forge equity and inclusion within the Darden community and beyond.

• Steven Miller, Chief Executive Officer
• Phillip Hunter, Chief Investment Officer
• Clayton Hicks, Chief Operations Officer
• Hugo Bonilla, Director of Research
• Danny Buddhakorala, Director of Education

The Darden Executive Fund (DEF) is an independent study providing Professional Degree students with hands-on experience researching, pitching, and directly managing a portfolio of active investments in publicly traded assets. General membership is known as the Investment Club.

Students in the course research, prepare and pitch a stock to the fund's leadership team for investment consideration. Other students are also welcome to pitch stocks to the team, participate in all stock pitch sessions, and attend all DEF-sponsored events.

• William Medlicott, President
• Khang Nguyen, Vice President

The Professional MBA Consulting Club at UVA is established for the expressed purpose of:

1. It brings fellow students interested in careers in consulting together to provide a peer-enabled, transformational learning experience in preparing professional degree students for the management consulting interview process and successful careers in this industry.
2. Collaborating with other CIOs and departments to host career-focused events on grounds.
3. Providing opportunities for recruiting and networking with key industry stakeholders, experts, and target firms.

• Joel Flesher, President
• Ryan Girgash, VP, Ventures
• Brian Benko, VP, Communications

We will foster an inclusive culture that supports established and aspiring entrepreneurs across executive and part-time MBA classes, facilitate communication and relationships with Charlottesville and D.C. entrepreneurial ecosystem, and provide a platform for Darden entrepreneurs to exchange ideas, and best practices and connect resources in Charlottesville and D.C.

The Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club aims to support Darden students in growing or developing new business endeavors by providing a supportive and inclusive platform from which Darden entrepreneurs can exchange ideas, learn best practices, and connect with resources to begin or continue their business journeys. Through cooperation with Darden students, faculty, and alumni in Charlottesville, DC, and beyond, the club intends to facilitate the expansion of professional networks to best serve its members’ entrepreneurial goals.

• Lara Myers, Co-President Executive MBA
• Jesse Kirk, Co-President Executive MBA

The Darden Healthcare Alliance (HCA) provides co-curricular opportunities for Professional Degree students looking to build and grow within today’s healthcare ecosystem. We seek to help inspire responsible leadership through transformational learning experiences beyond the walls of the classroom through a host of networking events, speaker series, and social events to help us foster a vibrant community of healthcare-minded peers, open to all students, under the distinct leadership and direction of those working at the front-lines of healthcare delivery.

• Elizabeth Berry, President
• Lara Myers, Executive Vice President
• Jackie Jacobson, VP, Finance

The Network for Executive Women (NEW) is an organization dedicated to the professional development and advancement of females in Darden's Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA programs. NEW empowers women to reach their full career potential whether that is a C-suite position or another leadership position; we aim to see more women leaders. According to a 2019 McKinsey & Company Report “Women in the Workplace,” only 21% of C-Suite Executives are women. Together we can change this statistic one “rung” at a time.

NEW’s goals include:

• Connecting female students and alumni through professional development, career support, and networking opportunities;
• Creating an inclusive community and a sense of belonging among women in the Darden EMBA program;
• Advocating for an understanding of issues of gender equality specifically related to women executives;
• Expanding the pipeline of female applicants into the Darden EMBA program; and,
• Inspiring females to reach their fullest potential as leaders in business.

• Ben Nichols, President
• Mike McHugh, Co-VP
• Gavin Aydelotte, Co-VP

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.

In addition to supporting veterans in Professional Degree Programs, the organization's programming touches upon various veteran-related topics, including advising others on what it means to hire and work with a vet. 

• Ryan Mowrey, President
• Natalie Houghtalen, VP Careers
• Melanie Goerke, VP Events
• Lydia Jabs, VP Budget
• Sarah Raymond, VP Communications

The Darden Professional Degree Energy Club (PDEC) is a collaborative network among professional degree students, Darden alumni, faculty, and industry employers. Our goal is to empower our members to become responsible leaders who integrate financial, environmental, and social considerations into their professional lives within the energy sector.

The Darden Professional Degree Energy Club aims to provide the following:

1. Creating pathways to careers in energy
2. Educating members on the energy industry and regulatory environment
3. Connecting members with alumni

• Imran Bell, Founder & President
• Elizabeth Cahan, Leadership Board

• To create opportunities for members to learn about the technology industry and explore various MBA roles within technology companies.
• To grow the Darden footprint in the DC metropolitan area by engaging with technology companies to organize site visits, hosting professional or social events, and inviting guest speakers and alumni to share their insights and experiences.
• To establish recruiting pipelines specifically for the Darden professional degree program and increase the program’s visibility among technology companies. 
• To facilitate networking between part-time students, executive students, and alumni within technology industries.
• To collaborate with the Darden Career Center and other Darden clubs and organizations to provide focused advice and resources to students interested in technology-related careers. 

• Chris Mai, President
• Jordan Gladman – VP Ops
• Paul Bousquet – VP Finance
• Julia Szalwinski – VP Comms / Historian

Professional Programs Pride at Darden is a student club that is advancing awareness and understanding of LGBTQ+ issues across a diverse corporate landscape at the senior and executive level. Our mission is to equip and empower senior leaders to support a diverse and inclusive culture within their organizations. We are an inclusive Darden community, comprised of executive-level professionals aiming to connect LGBTQ+ EMBA and Allies; and strengthen ties between the UVA central grounds & Darden Professional Programs, Residential community, Part-Time program, Alumni, prospective students, Darden Executive Education and Lifelong Learning, Employers, and relevant LGBTQ+ organizations in the Washington, D.C. area and greater eastern seaboard.

Professional Programs Pride Goals:

• Cultivating lasting relationships between LGBTQ+ professional degree program students and alumni through strategic networking events.
• Collaboration by creating interactive workshops of identifying opportunities and creating action plans for establishing more inclusive professional communities for our members’ employer organizations and beyond.
• Create thought provoking events, like speaker series with thought leaders in the LGBTQ+ and DEI space, that covers the gamut of topics related to the LGBTQ+ experience and how Allies play an essential part to this experience.
• Establishing strategic partnerships with greater Washington DC and National LGBTQ+ nonprofits that align with UVA’s 2030 vision and Darden’s Worldwide Strategy, to understand their needs and potentially create exceptional talent pipelines for incoming students to UVA and Darden Business School.
• Galvanize a network of LGBTQ+ and Allies to represent the highest caliber of inclusive and responsible leaders in worldwide business.

Though not yet official and formally organized as a CIO at UVA, several organizations are emerging or are maintaining interest group status, including: 

• Darden Finance Club, Professional Degrees
  • Contact: Greg Rapke, President
• Darden Running Club, Professional Degrees