Dean's Office - Darden Leadership - About

Michael J. Lenox

Interim Dean of the UVA Darden School of Business and Tayloe Murphy Professor of Business Administration

Michael J. Lenox is Interim Dean of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a University Professor at UVA. A widely respected scholar and academic leader, Lenox has played a central role in shaping Darden’s strategy, innovation agenda and global reputation over 17 years at the school. He holds the Tayloe Murphy Professorship of Business Administration, serves as a Senior Faculty Fellow at the Miller Center for the Presidency & Public Affairs, and is a Professor of Public Policy by courtesy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

Prior to becoming Interim Dean of Darden in January 2026, Lenox served in multiple senior leadership roles at the school, including Senior Associate Dean and Chief Strategy Officer and Associate Dean of Innovation Programs. In these roles, he led major initiatives in digital transformation, online and executive education, entrepreneurship, sustainability and long-range institutional planning. He also founded and directed the pan-university entrepreneurship effort, UVA Innovates, and worked closely with UVA leadership to draft the University’s Great and Good strategic plan.

Lenox is a globally recognized expert in strategy, innovation, digital transformation and the intersection of business and public policy. He is the author of several influential and award-winning books, including Strategy in the Digital Age, The Decarbonization Imperative, and Can Business Save the Earth? His research appears in leading academic journals, and his insights are frequently featured in major media outlets. He is also a sought-after keynote speaker and advisor to organizations navigating technological, economic and societal change. Prior to joining Darden, he held faculty appointments at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and New York University’s Stern School of Business. He has been a visiting faculty member at Oxford, Harvard and Stanford. He earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in systems engineering from UVA.

As Interim Dean, Lenox is focused on advancing Darden’s mission to develop responsible leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences taught by the world’s best faculty. He is committed to strengthening academic excellence, fostering principled leadership and expanding Darden’s global impact while preparing leaders to thrive in an increasingly complex and uncertain world.

For more information, see Interim Dean Lenox’s faculty page.