Darden Report | Summer 2025 (with Class Notes) by Darden School of Business

LIFTING DARDEN TO NEW HEIGHTS

The value of reflecting on past accomplishments isn’t to feel a sense of contentment but rather to understand how our collective work positions us for continued success. This issue of The Darden Report celebrates many new heights the commitment, creativity and care of our community helped the School achieve this year. To name a few:

Ranked No. 1 public business school by U.S. News & World Report for the first time

Enrolled a class of students with the highest academic profile in school history

Launched the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business

Broke ground on new student housing on our Charlottesville Grounds and expanded UVA Darden DC Metro

Passed $625 million in total impact through the Powered by Purpose campaign

As you read about those accomplishments, I hope you — like me — see them not as high-water marks but rather indications of our strong momentum.

Our cover story (Page 14) also nods to the past while focusing on how to position the School for the future. We ask students — and the professors who hear from them every day — what they really want to learn while they’re at Darden. No surprise, navigating a business world defined by artificial intelligence leads the list. Even as AI grows as a disruptive force, readers might be pleased to discover that while some things for students change, many remain the same. At the end of the day, students have always come to Darden to share and discover different perspectives and become agile, future-ready leaders.

Agility is the name of the game for today’s business leaders at a time when uncertainty is coming from all angles. However, retiring Professor Andy Wicks reminds us that being able to answer

“Agility is the name of the game for today’s business leaders at a time when uncertainty is coming from all angles.

the “ultimate questions” to understand our core purpose remains as fundamental to our success as any other skill or technology (Page 10). And in our feature on topics impacting the HR function this year (Page 22), we’re reminded that almost every problem in business still boils down to people. Workforce development and talent management have never been more important. In a world marked by volatility and change — where agility aligned with values is key to success — the Darden community’s commitment to excellence and to one another stands out. Together, we navigate complexity with clarity, courage and compassion. Thank you for everything you do to make Darden an exceptional place.

SCOTT C. BEARDSLEY Dean and Charles C. Abbott Professor of Business Administration

22 HOT TOPICS IN HR

WHAT MBA STUDENTS WANT (TO LEARN)

What students expect from Darden has changed over the years. Explore the skills and issues today’s students across MBA formats are most interested in learning about.

The most common factor among the most pressing business issues in the year ahead? People. Find out the biggest workforce challenges HR execs are tackling today.

IDEAS TO ACTION: AI AND HEALTH CARE 28

Health care fraud costs the U.S. an estimated $100 billion per year, making it one of the most expensive financial leaks in the nation. AI can help solve it.

The Darden Report is published twice a year with private donations to the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation.

University of Virginia Darden School of Business Office of Communication & Marketing

P. O. Box 7225

Charlottesville, Virginia 22906-7225 USA communication@darden.virginia.edu

Scott C. Beardsley

Dean and Charles C. Abbott Professor of Business Administration

Robert Weiler President, Darden School Foundation

Juliet K. Daum (TEP ’22) Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

EDITORS

Jay Hodgkins

McGregor McCance

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN

Hyphen

WRITERS

Lauren Foster

Dave Hendrick

Caroline Mackey

Molly Mitchell

CLASS NOTES EDITOR

Egidijus Paurys

PHOTOGRAPHY

Tom Daly

Ali Johnson

Jack Looney

Caroline Mackey

Andrew Shurtleff

Sanjay Suchak

ILLUSTRATION

Janis Andzans

Ivan Haidutski

Selman Hosgör

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Calvin Sprague

STATE OF THE SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS MAJOR MILESTONES, OPPORTUNITIES

With hundreds of alumni and guests in attendance in the Abbott Center Auditorium, the annual State of the School Address held during Darden Reunion Weekend offered a celebratory reflection on the School’s significant milestones and increasing momentum, such as record rankings and student applications.

Now in his 10th year at Darden, Dean Scott Beardsley told attendees, “Reflecting on the past decade, I am filled with pride for all that Darden faculty, staff, students and alumni have achieved.”

He also said the School’s mission — to improve the world by inspiring responsible leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences — had become more important than ever in a tumultuous world.

“Innovation, purpose and profit are not competing forces, but powerful allies,” he said. “We are absolutely unwavering in our commitment to education, changing people’s lives and developing responsible leaders who make the world a better place.”

Beardsley laid out cornerstones for sustained excellence approaching 2030 and Darden’s 75th anniversary: the people, the experience, the ideas, the infrastructure and the resources to power it all.

Ongoing faculty excellence and generational renewal are at the heart of the Darden experience. More than 70 new faculty have joined Darden in the past 10 years.

Innovative ideas and dynamic programming are Darden hallmarks. There are now three formats of the Darden MBA: Full-Time MBA, Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA. The Master of Science in business analytics is offered with UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce, and the School recently reintroduced the Ph.D. program. Non-degree programs continue to flourish with Darden offering executive education and lifelong learning programs for more than 50 years.

Supporting this dynamic population of learners means staying at the forefront of today’s top issues in business. To that end, the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business launched last September. The School also recently announced a new MBA concentration in AI, data analytics and decision sciences.

With the cost of higher education rising, scholarships remain a top priority. “We want to be accessible to meritorious talent,” said Beardsley.

The School’s infrastructure plans continue to advance. New student housing in Charlottesville is underway, Faculty Office Building renovations are imminent, and the UVA Darden Sands Family Grounds in Rosslyn, Virginia, recently expanded to enhance the experience for the more than 500 students studying there.

Scott Beardsley reflected on Darden’s accomplishments during his 10 years as dean during the annual State of the School Address this spring.

“WE ARE ABSOLUTELY UNWAVERING IN OUR COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION, CHANGING PEOPLE’S LIVES AND DEVELOPING RESPONSIBLE LEADERS WHO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.”

— DEAN SCOTT BEARDSLEY

STRONG FINISH TO THE POWERED BY PURPOSE CAMPAIGN

LAUNCHED PUBLICLY IN 2019 as part of the University of Virginia’s $5 billion Honor the Future campaign, Darden’s Powered by Purpose campaign came to an official close on 30 June. With an original goal to raise $400 million, the campaign this year passed $500 million in support for Darden. Including matching gifts and gifts held outside the Darden School Foundation, the total impact has soared past $625 million since the start of the campaign.

While final campaign results will be shared later this summer with celebrations of the incredible impacts in the fall, the campaign far exceeded Darden’s greatest ambition. Roughly three-quarters of alumni gave to the campaign. Their gifts support the four priorities of Powered by Purpose:

→⃝ Faculty, Thought Leadership & Curricular Innovation

→⃝ Scholarships, Financial Aid & Student Experience →⃝ Darden Grounds Master Plan, Technology & Innovation →⃝ Darden Annual Fund

Hundreds of alumni and guests gathered in Abbott Auditorium during Darden Reunion Weekend for an update on the School.

Construction Begins on On-Grounds Student Housing

Following a ceremonial groundbreaking last fall, construction of new student housing on Darden Grounds in Charlottesville began in full this spring. When completed, the student housing project will add 218 units and 348 beds across four houses located adjacent to Wilkinson Courtyard and just behind the Abbott Center. Units will primarily be one- and two-bedroom apartments, along with studios and three-bedroom apartments.

Darden alumni and friends wrapped up the campaign with a bang this fiscal year. On Day for Darden, held in April, 1,570 donors came together to raise $1.37 million — the most ever raised for the Darden Annual Fund in a single day. Darden Reunion Weekend delivered strong attendance and $6.9 million in giving from reunion-year alumni. The School welcomed four new Principal Donors, who have made a transformational impact on the School’s ability to achieve its full potential through lifetime giving of $1 million or more.

DARDEN NOTCHES A NEW NO. 1

POWERED BY ITS LEADING RESULTS in career outcomes and salaries for graduates, Darden now shares a position as the No. 1 public business school in the United States, according to new rankings from U.S. News & World Report. It’s the first time Darden has climbed to the top position among public schools in the U.S. News rankings, up from No. 2 a year ago and No. 3 the prior year. This ranking builds on No. 1 public MBA rankings from Bloomberg Businessweek and Poets & Quants. Overall, Darden is ranked No. 11 among all U.S. schools by U.S. News. Category ranking highlights include:

TIED FOR NO. 1 among publics, with the University of California-Berkeley

NO. 1 for “employed at graduation” rate for students, among all schools

NO. 1 for “employed three months after graduation” among Top 15 schools

NO. 1 public school for “average starting salary and bonus”

NO. 11 overall, including public and private institutions

Darden returned a two-year average of 86.8 percent of full-time MBA graduates employed at graduation. That topped all U.S. schools, public and private.

Darden also topped all public schools with its average starting salary and bonus total of $198,059. Darden earned the highest ranking among its competitive peer schools for the two-year average of full-time graduates who were employed three months after graduation (92.4 percent).

U.S. News also creates specialty rankings from its survey of business school deans. Darden earned a No. 5 specialty ranking for MBA for Management.

Darden Expands MBA Program Emphasis on AI, Data Analytics, Decision Sciences

Darden this spring announced a new MBA program concentration that will arm graduates with an enhanced set of highly sought skills in artificial intelligence, data analytics and decision sciences.

“Darden’s offering will prepare students to contribute to and lead organizations that use data, data science and artificial intelligence as part of their core business processes,” said Vice Dean and Senior Associate Dean for the Full-Time MBA Program Yael Grushka-Cockayne. “Students who complete the concentration will bring proven analytical and quantitative abilities to employers.”

The new AI, data analytics and decision sciences concentration gives Darden students another potential track to gain specialized skills and experiences that position them to secure careers in the fields that interest them the most. The concentration will offer students 25 courses from which to choose, with the concentration requiring completion of at least six of the courses.

Darden has been an early adopter of coursework, case studies and practical research in the areas of AI, data analytics and decision sciences. The School also offers analytics courses and a joint degree program in analytics with the UVA McIntire School of Commerce.

DARDEN STRIKES PARTNERSHIP WITH OPENAI

Darden in February announced a partnership with OpenAI, solidifying its position as a leader in AI-focused business education. The initiative brings ChatGPT EDU to Darden, providing faculty, staff and students with a secure, compliant and tailored AI platform designed for academic excellence and organizational innovation.

Darden is among just a few business schools worldwide that have partnerships with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT EDU. The early implementation provides Darden a competitive advantage and also positions the School to benefit from a secure generative AI platform that will unlock new capabilities in the classroom, research centers and enterprise operations.

The OpenAI partnership initially provides faculty and staff with access to ChatGPT EDU tools, with student access to be phased in. Darden students will have immediate interaction

“We are putting ourselves in position to help create a blueprint of how AI is used in higher education.”

— Kush Arora Darden Chief Digital Officer

with ChatGPT EDU in classes in which the technology is being used by faculty for case studies or other purposes. AI tools are being rapidly deployed and integrated in new courses across Darden.

For example, in the “AI in Marketing” elective led by Professor Raj Venkatesan, Part-Time MBA students had ChatGPT EDU access to interact with and evaluate a customer service chatbot using a custom GPT, pitch their marketing plans to a custom GPT designed to take on the role of chief marketing office for Ford Motor Company, and generate sentiment analysis for a product or service. For his “Digital Operations” course, Professor Tim Laseter built a “Tech Note GPT,” which he created with 10 of his tech notes and six articles. Students can query the GPT to ask for advice in preparing for case discussions.

INAUGURAL COHORT OF PART-TIME MBA STUDENTS WEARS THE HONORS OF HONOR

DARDEN ANNOUNCED its Part-Time MBA program in 2021, with school leaders predicting pent-up demand for a flexible format of the Darden MBA in the Washington, D.C., area.

The first cohort of Part-Time MBA students walked UVA’s Lawn as members of the Class of 2025 in May, and the predictions have proved accurate. Class enrollment goals have been met or exceeded each year and three successive cohorts are making their way through the degree path.

“Like any new program, there has been a lot to learn,” said Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne, who served as senior associate dean for professional degree programs until 30 June. “But when I think about what we set out to do, to provide more opportunities for people in the region to experience Darden and to get an MBA, I think we’re accomplishing that tremendously.”

The flexibility of the program, with variable pace and evening,

53 PERCENT OF STUDENTS HAVE MADE CAREER CHANGES AND ABOUT A THIRD OF STUDENTS HAVE FOCUSED ON ACCELERATING GROWTH WITHIN CURRENT ROLES.

in-person classes, fits well into the lives of many Part-Time MBA students, who are, on average, 28 years old. Grushka-Cockayne said the program attracts students advancing in their current career trajectories and “leveraging the idea that they can take a slower-paced, local MBA to work around their schedule — and to really progress and invest in themselves.”

Class data shows that 53 percent of students have made career changes, and about a third of students have focused on accelerating growth within current roles, demonstrating “the Part-Time MBA’s power to facilitate career pivots and drive advancement,” said Gopika Spaenle, managing director of professional degree programs for the Darden Career Center.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Despite busy personal and professional lives, Part-Time MBA students formed a unique community almost immediately, creating clubs and initiatives and seeking pathways for engagement with both the Executive MBA students in Rosslyn and Full-Time MBA students in Charlottesville.

Nate Hukill (PTMBA ’25) is among the recent graduates who took a leadership role in building the new community. A contract manager at Accenture Federal Services, Hukill said he knew he was joining a new program that wouldn’t be “immediately perfect,” but trusted that a format launched under the Darden name would become a high-quality product.

“We’re leaving the program in a better place because of student feedback and work that we’ve been able to do with the program team, which has been extremely receptive and supportive,” said Hukill, who served as president of the Darden Part-Time Student Association (PSA). The creation of the PSA helped Part-Time MBA students take part in UVA’s unique tradition and culture of student self-governance.

Hukill said the 63 students who started the program together quickly bonded over the course of the first few months of the program, and he is fully confident Darden is on a trajectory to be a Top 5 Part-Time MBA program in the world.

“The recipe is there,” Hukill said. “The combination of world-class professors, a student-oriented administration, a fantastic campus in Rosslyn, and a highly motivated and globally diverse student population creates an experience that only Darden can provide.”

CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2025

Including the first graduates of the Part-Time MBA program, the MBA Class of 2025 took part in UVA Final Exercises on the Lawn and Darden’s academic regalia ceremony on Flagler Court in May. Meet the newest members of the dynamic Darden alumni network.

Full-Time MBA graduation speaker Betsy Brandon (MBA ’25) was the recipient of the Samuel Forrest Hyde Memorial Fellowship, which is considered Darden’s highest student honor and recognizes a Second Year student who has excelled in areas including academics, community building and marketing.

Full-Time MBA graduates Executive MBA graduates Part-Time MBA graduates

AWARDS

17 students received the C. Stewart Sheppard Award recognizing exceptional service to the School of a nonacademic nature: Jack Alexander, Carly Andrews, Jason Carrier, Erin Drury, Rebecca Dsilva, Precious Ezealigo, Rebecca Gullickson, Spencer Holmgren, Jillian Howland, Nathan Hukill, Elsa Joy, Dylan Kenney, Stephanie Massucco, Madelyn Merchant, Lieneke Schol, Homero Mendoza and Evan Waghelstein.

Seiver Jorgensen received the Frederick S. Morton Award, presented to Full-Time MBA students for excellence in leadership.

Amanda Thomas received the Executive MBA Faculty Award, presented to an outstanding student in the Executive MBA program, and Elias Samaha received the Part-Time MBA Faculty Award, presented to an outstanding student in the Part-Time MBA program.

Aman Dar (PTMBA ’25) became the first graduation speaker in the history of Darden’s Part-Time MBA, which was first announced in 2021.

CLASS OF 2025 ELECTED GRADUATION

SPEAKERS

Betsy Brandon, Full-Time MBA

“The grit and the warmth of the people here at Darden highlighted something very powerful to me: How you show up to the environments you are in matters.”

Jimmy Anthony, Executive MBA

“Wherever your path leads you, always be the one who pulls up a chair for someone else.”

Aman Dar, Part-Time MBA

“We carry forward not only what we learned, but who we learned it with.”

FACULTY MARSHALS ELECTED BY THE CLASS OF 2025

Peter Belmi / Full-Time MBA Faculty Marshal

Pnina Feldman / Full-Time MBA Faculty Marshal

Elena Loutskina / Full-Time MBA Faculty Marshal

Bo Sun / Full-Time MBA Faculty Marshal

Shane Dikolli / Full-Time and Executive MBA Faculty Marshal

Yael Grushka-Cockayne / Executive and Part-Time MBA Faculty Marshal

MORTALITY, MEANING AND THE ‘ULTIMATE QUESTIONS’

For retiring Darden Professor Andy Wicks, thinking about big questions is part of his identity. In Ultimate Questions, his new book set for publication this summer, Wicks explores issues core to the human experience, with the hope that it will help others lead more fulfilling lives.

Based in part on the course he has taught as a business ethics professor at Darden, Ultimate Questions tackles four fundamental questions:

1. Who are we?

2. Why are we here?

3. What does it mean to live a good life?

4. How should we get along with others?

The order of the questions is deliberate, starting with self-understanding, then defining one’s purpose, and finally addressing social interactions. Wicks notes that our answers shape our perceptions of others and can influence our behavior, either fostering compassion or leading to cruelty. They also build on each other and extend from the individual to a larger communal context.

For Wicks, these aren’t just academic musings. They are part of everyday life — yet most people don’t recognize the questions or explore answers until someone asks them.

It is also especially personal to him given where he is in his life journey.

“I am staring squarely at my own mortality,” he writes in the preface.

Andy Wicks Ruffin Professor of Business Administration and Richard M. Waitzer Bicentennial Professor of Ethics,

retired this year as he battles a progressive neurodegenerative disease.

Wicks’ new book will be published by UVA Press in August.

A progressing neurodegenerative disease has forced Wicks to confront life’s biggest questions on profoundly personal terms.

“It is very fitting that this will be my last book and my last major publication,” he shared recently in an interview facilitated by his wife, Cathy. “It is clear to me now that this was the thing that I was put on earth to do; not necessarily just to write this specific book, but to be invested in — and articulate — this path, this way of engaging with life, this way of living these questions.”

One of Wicks’ earliest heroes, when he started reading about philosophy, theology and applied ethics, was Socrates, the classical Greek philosopher. In Plato’s “Apology,” Socrates claims, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Indeed, that phrase has served as a North Star for Wicks over the course of his career and life.

“Socrates is asking us to become aware of how we approach life and be willing to consider alternatives, especially when our current approach isn’t serving us,” he writes.

In the Darden classroom, Wicks fully explored the ultimate questions through his popular elective, “Ultimate Questions and Creating Value for Stakeholders.”

“These are such hard questions that at the beginning of the class, my students would often say, ‘Wow, if I sit down and try to answer them, I really don’t feel good about my answers — I have a lot of work to do to come up with better answers’,” Wicks recalls. “And that’s part of the class — not to create shame, but to help students acknowledge how we often ignore things that really matter to us.”

Long before Darden, Wicks was a graduate student headed down a path toward medical ethics or applied religious or philosophical ethics. But along the way, he met Professor Ed Freeman, widely considered the father of stakeholder theory, who opened his eyes to what business ethics was all about.

The pair hit it off: Wicks became Freeman’s research assistant, and Freeman joined Wicks’ dissertation committee.

After graduating, Wicks went on to teach at the University of Washington for a decade, before Freeman helped recruit him to Darden in 2002. Over the years, Wicks’ leadership roles across the School expanded to include director of the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics, academic director of the Institute for Business in Society, academic adviser for the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics and director of Darden’s doctoral program.

“IT IS CLEAR TO ME NOW THAT THIS WAS THE THING THAT I WAS PUT ON EARTH TO DO; NOT NECESSARILY JUST TO WRITE THIS SPECIFIC BOOK, BUT TO BE INVESTED IN — AND ARTICULATE — THIS PATH, THIS WAY OF ENGAGING WITH LIFE, THIS WAY OF LIVING THESE QUESTIONS.”

Wicks stresses that his book is not about providing answers, but about learning to ask better questions and choosing to “live them” intentionally. The power of asking questions, he says, lies in reminding ourselves to be humble and doubt things we know. That’s not to say, “don’t believe,” but rather, to believe while retaining your humility and be open to new ideas, beliefs and experiences.

Asked what he hopes readers will take away from the book, Wicks offers a simple phrase: “Pay attention to your life.”

“It’s an invocation for the reader,” he explains. “It’s not ‘here’s the answer.’ It is really an invitation to wake up, to pay attention and to be willing to ask those hard questions about your life, not because there’s some external critic you’ve got to satisfy, but because it helps you have the kind of life that you would like to have.”

3 FACULTY LEGENDS RETIRE

Yiorgos Allayannis Distinguished Associate Professor of Business Administration Robert Carraway thought he was only interviewing as a favor to a friend when he arrived on Darden’s Grounds in 1984, but that day changed the course of his life. “By the evening of my first day visiting, I knew it was where I wanted to be,” he said. He came to Darden after receiving his B.S. and MBA from East Carolina University and his Ph.D. from Purdue University, and soon after co-authored the successful case and textbook Quantitative Analysis for Business

Carraway taught MBA classes in the area of data analytics and decision sciences, and he also taught executive education classes to lifelong learners around the world. He served as senior associate dean for the Full-Time MBA program from 2006–11 under Dean Bob Bruner. “Countless students have benefitted from his wisdom, and he’s been an incredible mentor of so many,” said Dean Scott Beardsley.

Carraway has won several teaching honors, and he says a personal highlight is when former students share the pivotal role Darden played in their career successes. Looking forward, Carraway is optimistic about the School’s faculty, filled with individuals who “are not only excellent researchers but who share my enthusiasm for delivering high-impact educational experiences to our students.”

Senior Lecturer Marc Modica joined the Darden community in 1998, bringing broad international experience to his negotiation, communication and conflict management teaching. Before coming to Darden, Modica taught for 10 years at the International University of Japan. He had occasion to meet visiting Darden professors there, and when he moved back to the United States, he became convinced Darden was where he wanted to be.

At Darden, Modica has been “a cornerstone of our Communication faculty,” said Dean Beardsley, who highlighted Modica’s significant contributions to the School’s global programs. Modica’s interest in international business, economics and politics dovetailed with the courses he led through Darden’s Center for Global Initiatives and Global Executive MBA, which he considers some of the most fulfilling experiences of his career. Locations of global courses he led included the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Vietnam, Denmark, Sweden, Brazil, China, India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Latvia and Japan.

Modica noted being a co-director of the LEAD program, which served rising seniors in high school, as another highlight of his time at Darden. “They were just brilliant kids,” he said. With a rich mix of experiences during his time at Darden, he proclaimed: “The Darden community is all it’s cracked up to be.”

Robert “Bob” Harris, the C. Stewart Sheppard Professor of Business Administration, joined Darden in 1988 and has served as a teacher, researcher and leader ever since, including serving as dean from 2001 to 2005. In addition to teaching corporate finance, private equity, financial markets, and mergers and acquisitions, he made decisions as dean that “fundamentally changed the School,” said Dean Beardsley. Harris helped launch the Partnership for Leaders in Education, a joint program of Darden and the UVA School of Education and Human Development that elevates the quality of education for students across the United States, and Darden’s Executive MBA format. Significantly, he oversaw the establishment of the School’s financial self-sufficiency model.

Harris has been widely published in leading journals, authored financial textbooks and business cases, and been a consultant to corporations and government agencies. But his work in the classroom stands out as his proudest accomplishment. “It is a delight when you see someone learn something, especially for the first time. Being able to contribute to the School in various ways — teaching, working with executives, doing administrative work, conducting research — is special,” he said. “Those activities gave me the chance to meet and work with so many talented and often fun people. I cherish those memories.”

ROBERT CARRAWAY

MARC MODICA

BOB HARRIS

PROFESSOR LAURA MORGAN ROBERTS FOCUSES ON THE ‘HUMAN SIDE’ OF BUSINESS

BY DAVE HENDRICK

As an elementary school student, Professor Laura Morgan Roberts envisioned two potential career paths. She might be a translator, she thought, listening to different global perspectives, and interpreting and sharing across cultures and languages. Alternately, maybe she would be a DJ, figuring out how to move a crowd, infuse energy and share messages that enliven the human experience.

Spoiler: Roberts did not become a professional translator or a DJ. Still, she likes to think she regularly flexes some of those early childhood interests in her role as a professor and organizational psychologist with a globally renowned body of work.

“When I think about what we do in the classroom, the DJ and the translator are still there,” Roberts said.

While the elementary school ambitions shifted, Roberts did settle on a future profession early. As a high school student interning in a program for young people interested in business, she resolved to one day work on what she calls “the human side of the enterprise.”

“I didn’t have that language at the time, of course,” Roberts said, “But I knew I was interested in people’s career motivations, in different kinds of workplace conflicts and social dynamics, and what brings people together around common purpose. Decades later, that’s still what I’m doing.”

Raised in Gary, Indiana, Roberts grew up in a family with a long history of academic excellence and achievement, and she and her two sisters continued the family tradition. Both of her sisters were valedictorians of their high school before attending Duke University and Brown University, and Roberts was in the inaugural class of the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities, a public residential magnet school based at Ball State University.

Roberts opted for the University of Virginia over Stanford for college, interested in a school with a strong business program and student governance, while also drawn to her family heritage on the East Coast. Later, Roberts learned her great grandmother was born in Charlottesville, and the family traced its lineage through

generations of both free and enslaved laborers at the university. But at the time, UVA simply seemed like the most welcoming environment for an ambitious 18-year-old with an interest in business and psychology.

An Echols Scholar with the ability to chart her educational journey, Roberts took classes in the McIntire School of Commerce but also followed her interests across courses in sociology, African-American studies and psychology. She earned a degree with the highest distinction in the latter. Roberts went from UVA directly to graduate school at the University of Michigan, where she earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in organizational psychology.

‘NOTHING BUT A PIECE OF CHALK’

At 27, Roberts began her first full-time professor position, teaching the core leadership and organizational behavior course to Harvard Business School MBA students.

Imagine the moment, as the recently minted Ph.D., essentially the same age as her new students, steps into the pit of the 90-person classroom to lead the required leadership course at one of the world’s most prestigious graduate business programs, with, as Roberts recalled,“nothing but a piece of chalk.”

“Basically, it’s me and the chalk and 90 people, for whom 50 percent of their grade is class participation. And I’m the sole evaluator,” said Roberts. “The case method is a curious approach; it requires tremendous trust in a two-way dynamic. The students trust that the professor asks the right question at the right time to help them have the conversation they need to have. As a business school professor, you have to earn that trust, and that credibility, one conversation at a time — especially when you bring a unique background.”

It was a period of great challenge and personal and professional growth, as Roberts was learning how to teach in a high-pressure environment, ramping up research and publishing on a range of topics related to cultivating individual strengths and maximizing human potential in work organizations.

One enduring piece from this era, “The Reflected Best Self Exercise,” has been used by tens of thousands of individuals and many large organizations. The unique personal and

“THE CASE METHOD IS A CURIOUS APPROACH; IT REQUIRES TREMENDOUS TRUST IN A TWOWAY DYNAMIC. THE STUDENTS TRUST THAT THE PROFESSOR ASKS THE RIGHT QUESTION AT THE RIGHT TIME TO HELP THEM HAVE THE CONVERSATION THEY NEED TO HAVE.”

professional assessment tool Roberts co-created aims to help leaders uncover their personal best and accentuate strengths. An article accompanying the exercise was included in Harvard Business Review’s “10 Must Reads For Business Students,” a volume published in 2023 — nearly two decades after the publication of the article.

The Best Self tool is one of many examples of Roberts’ works that have become touchstones in the field, leading to plaudits from organizations such as Thinkers50, which spotlights leading management and business thinkers.

“Creating fairer career opportunities is an urgent necessity,” the organization wrote in citing Roberts in 2021. “Laura Morgan Roberts is leading the way in making this reality.”

“I’ve always just followed my gut,” Roberts said of her approach to research and publishing. “I’ve always pursued work that I’m interested in, that I believe in, and that I think can help make a positive difference and a better world.”

AN OPPORTUNITY ON THE POTOMAC

After moving on from Harvard, Roberts spent time at Antioch University and was living in Washington, D.C., teaching at Georgetown McDonough and raising her two children. She received word that Darden was opening new Grounds in Arlington, Virginia. An upstart venture with her alma mater was appealing, and Roberts joined Darden in 2019 as a member of the Leadership & Organizational Behavior team, quickly becoming a key contributor in professional degree and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programming.

Roberts earned tenure at Darden and was recently named a Frank M. Sands Sr. Associate Professor of Business Administration. Her recent courses include “Leading Organizations,” “Leading Change,” “Organizational and Individual Change” and “Servant Leadership,” among others.

In the classroom, the mutual trust-building is never finished in an ever-changing business leadership context, Roberts said, but the transformational learning moments make it worthwhile and gratifying.

“We are able to enter into spaces where people can process information out loud, can express divergent viewpoints informed by data and recommend various courses of action in a civil way,” Roberts said. “I work really hard to create an environment in my classrooms where people can have tough conversations and walk out of that space with their shared humanity and dignity intact.”

As someone who has been devoted to the education of self and others from a young age, and has now published dozens of journal articles and book chapters and edited three books, the ability to work in an environment of continuous education is an ongoing incentive.

“I feel very fortunate that I am able learn something new every day,” said Roberts. “I’m always, always learning.”

WHAT MBA STUDENTS WANT (TO LEARN)

From tough conversations to tech trends, today’s Darden students push the boundaries of business education with evolving interests in more relational expertise and cutting-edge topics.

BY MOLLY MITCHELL ILLUSTRATIONS BY SELMAN HOŞGÖR

t’s been 70 years since the

University of Virginia Darden School

of Business MBA program launched in 1955, its classrooms filled with students who came of age during World War II partaking in a single residential format and preparing to thrive in a postwar economy.

Executive MBA student Lauren Pate:

“Strategic thinking is what I came to learn. At times in the workplace, I found myself doing the day-to-day tasks and not taking a step back and thinking about the bigger context. Learning a more strategic approach will help make me a better leader.”

Fast forward six generations, and today’s Darden MBA students have more options to earn a degree, choosing from among three formats. With 27 being the average age of Full-Time MBA students when they start the program, 28 for Part-Time MBAs and 35 for Executive MBAs, most are Millennials or in the first years of Gen Z. For them, the internet was a given, and their cohorts are shaped by rapid technological change, upheavals in communication and economic uncertainty.

Today’s MBA students across formats still choose Darden for its top-ranked faculty and educational experience. According to the School’s annual end-of-year survey for Full-Time MBA students, nearly 70% of the Class of 2025 identified the case method, faculty quality or the program’s academic rigor as what they liked best about the academic program. They still prioritize fundamental business skills, but they also seek more: the confidence to aim for meaningful work, a sharper focus on the interpersonal nature of business and the tools to deploy technologies that didn’t even exist a few years ago.

Tough Conversations

One notable shift in interest for students isn’t technological, but interpersonal.

“There’s definitely an interest in learning around having tougher conversations,” said

Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne, vice dean and senior associate dean for the Full-Time MBA program. Grushka-Cockayne recently swapped program leadership positions with Professor Melissa Thomas-Hunt, who is now senior associate dean of professional degree programs after leading the Full-Time MBA program previously. “They want to learn how to engage in dialogues that are more meaningful and deep, and learn how to approach those dialogues with open ears and willingness to learn a different perspective.”

Lively discussion in class has always been a hallmark of Darden and the case method, but some students want to push further into building trust, empathy and understanding in an increasingly polarized world.

One unique way to achieve this has been through the Darden Fight Club, a debate club shepherded by Professor Bobby Parmar. Full-Time MBA students approached Parmar with the idea three years ago, interested in deeper conversation and feedback than the case method could provide with a 60- to 70-student section. Around 12 students run the club every year, selecting students with different backgrounds and unique points of view to participate. Contrary to the tongue-in-cheek name of the club, the willingness to argue constructively and show care and compassion for classmates are considered tablestakes to join.

The students decide the topics and style of debate, while Parmar advises and offers feedback to help students understand

Professor Bobby Parmar:

“They really see this ability to disagree constructively as an important leadership skill.”

patterns and bigger-picture discussion skills.

“I think they learn a lot about how to argue effectively, how to listen carefully,” said Parmar. “They come to see the difference between debate and dialogue. What does it take to win a debate versus what does it take to really understand someone else?”

The formation of this club reflects a growing portion of students who are dissatisfied with the tenor of conversation in society and want to do something different. “They really see this ability to disagree constructively as an important leadership skill,” said Parmar.

The Big Picture

For Lauren Pate, a member of the Executive MBA Class of 2026, the Darden experience is about the bigger picture.

“I wanted to broaden my horizons,”

she said. Without many quant or business nitty-gritty type classes in her educational background at Notre Dame, Pate wanted to become more well-rounded in those practical skills as a step toward a more thoughtful approach to her career.

“Strategic thinking is what I came to learn,” she said. “I think a lot of decisions I’ve had to make have come from a place of not having options. At times in the workplace, I found myself doing the day-to-day tasks and not taking a step back and thinking about the bigger context. I think learning a more strategic approach will help make me a better leader.”

Tarah Scamardella (PTMBA ’25), a member of the first graduating cohort of Part-Time MBAs, confirmed strategic thinking was a key draw for her and her classmates. As her finance role increasingly included strategy decisions and collaboration with teams across the company, she felt like she would benefit from additional education to “connect the dots.”

“I was thinking, if I want to be a controller or CFO or COO one day, what’s going to help drive me to that level?” Scamardella said.

Pate noted a characteristic “scrappy” attitude among her class, which manifests in excitement about topics like entrepreneurship, defense tech and venture capital.

Grushka-Cockayne confirmed rising interest among students in all formats in venture capital and private equity. They have a lot of questions about those worlds, and she noted growing interest in acquiring companies and restructuring them. The momentum around entrepreneurship and venture capital may signal a shift away from climbing the traditional corporate ladder in favor of a more varied career.

Darden has augmented its offerings in the VC space in recent years. The Venture Capital Initiative was launched in 2021 and houses opportunities like internships at VC firms, and in 2024 the School launched its Private Equity Initiative with a variety of hands-on learning opportunities.

The More Things Change

Some foundational skills and student interests are evergreen, like how businesses communicate. While the tools of communication and marketing have been changing at light speed, the core principles endure.

Professor Lili Powell

Julie Logan Sands

Associate Professor of Business Administration

Professor Lili Powell:

“One of our newer electives, ‘Storytelling with Data,’ has taken off like a rocket with almost 60 percent of our residential MBAs wanting to take it as a First Year elective.”

82 percent of prospective master’s degree students are seeking programs that are in person either full time or part time.*

The share seeking part-time in-person programs was only 4 percent from 2020–2023, but that more than doubled to 9 percent in 2024.

“When it comes to program modality, we found a resurging preference for in-person delivery, perhaps related to more ‘return to office’ mandates or younger candidates’ desires to interact in-person.”

*GMAC Prospect Students Survey — 2025 Report

The View From Outside

DARDEN’S CURRENT STUDENTS are clear about what they want, and their professors are experts at integrating that feedback into the MBA program. However, the faculty and School leaders are careful not to become insular.

Darden continues to position itself for what the broader pool of elite prospective students seeks from a business school education.

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) published its three trends to watch in 2025 this spring. Trend No. 1: Demand for career-aligned programs, because the latest generation of students is expressing greater concern over higher education’s ROI.

“Gen Z’s approach to learning differs significantly from that of previous generations. This cohort prioritizes multimodal learning, costefficiency, rapid content delivery and practical application.”

Two more trends that define business education today: flexibility and personalization. Those trends are “being driven by evolving student expectations alongside rapid technological advancements, particularly the integration of artificial intelligence,” the AACSB wrote in its 2025 State of Business Education report. “Gen Z’s approach to learning differs significantly from that of previous generations. This cohort prioritizes multimodal learning, cost-efficiency, rapid content delivery and practical application.”

The Graduate Admission Management Council’s (GMAC) 2025 survey of nearly 5,000 prospective graduate management education students was rich with broader insights about what resonates with Darden’s target market. Among them:

Candidates are more interested in hands-on AI classroom experiences.

Candidate interest in hybrid and flexible programs declined as preference for both full-time and part-time in-person programs increased. Consulting, financial services and technology still top the list of preferred industries to work in following graduation.

As Darden students also frequently cite, “strategic thinking” topped the GMAC survey list among skills prospective students want to develop in business school. Three-quarters of surveyed prospective students named “strategic thinking,” while “problem-solving,” “decision-making” and leadership skills” were each named by two-thirds of survey respondents. Darden’s own internal surveys indicate the School is highly regarded by both students and employers for developing those skills in its graduates.

The business education-focused media outlet Poets & Quants offered its own take on MBA trends. Not surprisingly, AI’s impact revolutionizing MBA education topped the list, and the publication also reinforced what Darden students say about wanting experiential learning opportunities and more flexibility, such as through formats like Darden’s Executive and Part-Time MBA. Outside of the classroom, Poets & Quants noted that students increasingly expect their schools to support their mental health and well-being.

“In communication, we have so many topics of interest that range from premodern to post-post-modern times,” said Professor Lili Powell, academic head of the Communication area. “Students want and need to learn enduring topics that date back to Aristotle’s The Art of Rhetoric, including communication strategy and the use of ethos, pathos and logos.”

At the same time, understanding up-to-the-minute communication tools is a necessity. Powell noted that generative AI is becoming part of the toolkit, from analyzing presentations to drafting written and visual messages. “One of our newer electives, ‘Storytelling with Data,’ has taken off like a rocket with almost 60 percent of our residential MBAs wanting to take it as a First Year elective.”

Professor Luca Cian, Marketing academic area head, observed that many students arrive seeking specific technical skills but broaden their interests to a more holistic perspective in the course of their MBA. In marketing, he says, Darden students “have consistently shown keen interest in areas such as consumer behavior, brand management, digital marketing, pricing and marketing analytics.”

But lately, emerging topics are gaining more of a foothold.

“Subjects like influencer marketing and artificial intelligence in marketing have gained prominence,” he said. “Students frequently inquire about practical applications of these technologies.”

Cian said Darden’s case method approach, used in all formats, continues to effectively broaden perspectives. “Initially, many see marketing as primarily about promotion, but they leave Darden understanding its critical role in product development, pricing strategy and overall business model design.”

Full-Time MBA student Mike Gaynor: “I think the value of an MBA is: If you have a strong foundation, then it becomes a lot easier to build with whatever pieces are thrown your way. AI is just one piece.”

Professor Luca Cian Killgallon Ohio Art Professor of Business Administration

Professor Luca Cian:

“Initially, many see marketing as primarily about promotion, but they leave Darden understanding its critical role in product development, pricing strategy and overall business model design.”

AI Is Everywhere

If there’s one topic dominating conversations across fields, it’s artificial intelligence.

“AI is sort of the trendy thing,” said Full-Time MBA student Mike Gaynor (Class of 2026). He believes AI is a transformative force that future business leaders must understand.

“Basically, there’s no aspect of society that’s going to remain untouched. So, number one is learning how to use AI most effectively and understand what it’s good for and what it’s not.” He’s particularly interested in how to apply it in data analytics and decision-making, an interest many of his classmates share.

Staying on top of a rapidly changing business environment and demand for AI expertise, Darden established the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business in fall 2024, and in the spring of 2025 announced a new MBA program concentration in AI, data analytics and decision sciences, with 25 courses from which to choose.

“I think the value of an MBA is: If you have a strong foundation, then it becomes a lot easier to build with whatever pieces are thrown your way,” said Gaynor. “AI is just one piece. Even if it’s not necessarily always clear, at least you’ve got a fighting chance.”

HOT TOPICS

BY DAVE HENDRICK ILLUSTRATION BY CALVIN SPRAGUE

TALENT REMAINS DESTINY FOR BUSINESSES

IN HR

THE COMMON FACTOR

IN THE MOST PRESSING BUSINESS ISSUES IN THE YEAR AHEAD ? PEOPLE.

From post-election regulatory shifts to the adoption of AI to the drive to upskill and reskill employees for the future of work, the need for the right people doing the right job in the ideal organizational structure is front of mind for organizations determined to thrive amid uncertainty.

“In my experience, HR has never been more important, and that’s not just a platitude,” said Professor Scott Snell, who teaches throughout Darden’s degree and non-degree programs and serves on the board of directors for the Society of Human Resource Management. “CEOs are engaging their CHROs saying, ‘We’ve got to work together through these issues.’ There’s opportunity here, but there’s also risk to the business if they don’t get it right.”

With its track record of leadership development, general management orientation and close connection to the world of practice, Darden experts offer a unique perspective on current workforce talent and human resources issues.

We recently asked a trio of Darden thinkers in Executive Education & Lifelong Learning, the MBA program and Alumni Career Services a simple question:

WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING MOST CLOSELY IN HR AND TALENT MANAGEMENT RIGHT NOW ?

SCOTT

SNELL

Eleanor F. and Phillip G. Rust

Professor of Business Administration; Board Member, Society for Human Resource Management

MIKE THOMPSON ( MBA ’ 85 )

Former HR Executive; Independent Coach and Facilitator; Darden Alumni Career Services Career Coach

ANNE TRUMBORE

Chief Digital Learning Officer, Darden Sands Institute for Lifelong Learning

Read on for their thoughts on the big themes in talent management and HR.

1. AI and Technology

Snell: AI and technology are especially good at certain analytical and operational tasks, improving efficiencies and enhancing productivity. But the creative, interpersonal and relational aspects of work are still pretty well the domain of people. Elements of work that are uniquely human will be the last to be taken over by AI. Ideally, technology is a complement to human capacity, not a substitute. There’s a concerted effort to upskill and transform the workplace along those lines.

Thompson: Organizations are experimenting with using AI in a variety of HR applications, including recruitment, selection, performance management, and training and development. Although AI shows great promise in these areas, organizations need to also understand — and manage — the risks.

Trumbore: As demographic shifts accelerate and technology continues to redefine the workplace, talent management is entering a new era. For companies to remain competitive, investing in strategic human-capital management is no longer optional — it’s imperative. This evolution will require many organizations to rethink their current HR capabilities. Some will need

to build new capacity in learning and development, including leveraging cutting-edge learning technologies and forging partnerships with traditional and emerging education providers. Others may turn to their existing HR teams, tasking them with responsibilities they may not yet be equipped to handle.

2. The War for Talent

Trumbore: The U.S. is approaching “peak high school graduate” in 2025, after which the pool of new college-educated workers will begin to shrink. While the short-term labor market may appear favorable, forward-looking companies are already preparing by creating learning pathways that deliver value to both employees and the bottom line.

We’re on the brink of a fundamental disruption in how businesses attract, develop and retain talent. The educational systems that once supported workforce readiness are no longer sufficient. Smart companies will rise to the challenge by building robust, ROI-focused human capital strategies that integrate education and advancement as core components of their employee value proposition.

Thompson: Organizations are vying for a limited pool of talent. Although talent can now be considered national due to remote work arrangements, organizations still struggle attracting the best talent. More critically, organizations find it difficult to retain their top talent, particularly when that top talent is being passively recruited by other firms.

3. Hybrid Work

Snell: During the pandemic, when nearly everyone was remote, we got used to that arrangement. Many organizations found that, perhaps

“ WE ’ RE ON THE BRINK OF A FUNDAMENTAL DISRUP TION IN HOW BUSINESSES ATTRACT, DEVELOP AND RETAIN TALENT. ” – ANNE TRUMBORE

surprisingly, people were productive, even though they weren’t in an office. Now, a preponderance of people want to retain some element of hybrid work, and research suggests that many graduating students now say they would turn down a job offer that didn't have some hybrid component. The focus for some time was on whether it was possible to incorporate hybrid and still be productive. Fewer organizations paid enough attention to what it began to do to their culture. Do you dilute the employment brand when you’re not together? When so much onboarding has been taking place remotely, are there limits to how quickly you can develop people in their new roles? These questions are perplexing to many executives.

4. Employee Reskilling and Upskilling

Thompson: The rapidly changing business landscape is requiring organizations to increase their investments in training to help equip their employees with the skills necessary to compete in the marketplace.

Trumbore: Not every company needs to establish a corporate university, but every business must design education pathways that foster internal advancement. Doing so isn’t just good for employees, it’s a smart way to drive retention and control recruiting costs.

5. Blending Talent

Snell: There has been a rapid change in organizations backing away from DEI commitments. One question many executives struggle with is how to pursue the substantive benefits of a diverse and

inclusive workforce while still adhering to some of the recent executive orders around DEI. Taken together, these trends in talent management increase my interest in the evolving dynamics of workforce ecosystems.

Organizations today are increasingly interdependent with others, and the way they create value in the marketplace is by collaborating with other organizations. Very few of us work on our own anymore. We have collaborators, partners, joint ventures and alliances. The resulting network of talent creates scenarios where you end up employing people you don’t manage and managing people you don’t employ. HR has not been great at looking outside of its own boundaries in this way. Some exciting research is exploring how organizations are shifting the paradigm on this issue.

Thompson: There are now five generations in the workplace — from Gen Z (born after 2001) to “Traditionalists” (born before 1945). Each generation brings different styles, values, attitudes, expectations and experiences to the workplace. Managers need to understand the unique qualities that each of these generational employees bring to the workplace and how to leverage those qualities in ways that maximize performance.

6. Employee Engagement

Thompson: According to the Gallup organization, the percentage of engaged employees in the U.S. fell to 31% in 2024, the lowest level in a decade. These low levels of engagement impact many organizational metrics, including retention, productivity, quality, customer service and, ultimately, bottom-line revenue.

7. Changes to Health Care and Employee Benefits Programs

Thompson: Organizations are struggling to bear the brunt of rising health care costs, and they are gradually reducing their contributions to employee benefits packages, passing more of the burden onto employees.

8. Specialized Expertise to Lead Strategic Learning

Trumbore: The next generation of talent development leaders must understand AI, emerging learning platforms, adult learning theory and effective instructional design. While today’s HR teams have strengths, most lack the specialized expertise needed to lead the next era of talent development. To succeed, companies must proactively invest in new capabilities — bringing in talent with the skills to build and scale modern, strategic learning initiatives.

With its mission to support learners by providing transformational learning experiences in business education at all stages of their career, Darden’s Sands Institute for Lifelong Learning conducts research, delivers programs and convenes thought leaders to explore talent development in the age of AI. Learn more at www.darden.virginia.edu/sands-institute.

HEALTH CARE FRAUD COSTS BILLIONS EVERY YEAR.

AI CAN HELP FIX IT.

Fraud in the American health care system is far worse than broadly known. And it’s easier to fleece the system than you might expect.

Every year, this problem drains an estimated $100 billion through fraudulent claims, waste and abuse, making it one of the most expensive financial leaks in the nation. That’s more than $300 annually for every American.

“Health care is uniquely susceptible to fraud,” says Professor Christoph Herpfer, co-head of the Darden School’s Health Care Initiative, housed within the Institute for Business in Society.

From phantom billing to upcoding, fraud thrives in the shadows of outdated systems, information gaps and misaligned incentives. But artificial intelligence offers promising solutions to detect and prevent fraud while preserving the quality of care.

Herpfer is using big data to better detect fraud and enhance health care efficiency both in his research and working with practitioners. But, as he explains, fixing this pervasive problem is no easy task.

WHY IS HEALTH CARE SO VULNERABLE TO FRAUD?

It’s because of “an unholy trinity,” according to Herpfer.

The first vulnerability is economic incentives. In the fee-for-service model,

Insights from Christoph Herpfer

Written by Lauren Foster

Illustrations by Janis Andzans

health care providers earn more by providing more services — creating a financial incentive to increase the quantity of services delivered. This system inherently encourages some providers to order unnecessary tests or procedures.

“The overall stakes and amounts of money in health care are so high that it is tempting for bad actors to take money,” Herpfer says.

The second weakness is information asymmetry. Patients typically lack the medical expertise to assess whether recommended procedures are necessary.

“Medicine is complex, and as laypeople, we often don’t know what is needed,” Herpfer explains. “When doctors say they must perform this or that test because it’s important for our health, we naturally trust them.”

The final vulnerability is agency conflict. Patients make decisions for which insurers have to pay, which can loosen the purse strings. Ultimately, of course, all of us pay through higher insurance premiums and taxes.

This “principal-agent problem” creates opportunities for misaligned priorities.

Together, these three factors create fertile ground for fraud, though Herpfer emphasizes that research shows most health care professionals operate with integrity and prioritize patient care.

“Health care has this trifecta of weaknesses, which make it a prime target for bad actors,” Herpfer says. “It is the bad apples, the outliers, who mess up the system for everybody.”

THE SCALE OF HEALTH CARE FRAUD

The U.S. health care system is vulnerable to fraud, in part, because of its sheer size.

According to a recent analysis from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), total health care spending rose 7.5% to $4.9 trillion in 2023 — about 17.6% of U.S. GDP. CMS is the agency that oversees Medicare, the government health insurance program for older and disabled Americans, and Medicaid, for lower-income patients. In fiscal 2024, CMS had outlays of about $1.5 trillion. Even if only a tiny percentage of claims is fraudulent, the financial impact is massive.

“If only a small fraction of people commit fraud, the resulting numbers will immediately shoot up into the billions of dollars,” Herpfer notes.

This financial impact makes fraud detection crucial yet challenging. This vulnerability is worsened by often-outdated record-keeping and oversight.

“Given the complexity and volume of work being done in health care, it’s obvious you need

EVERY YEAR, HEALTH CARE-RELATED FRAUD DRAINS AN ESTIMATED $100 BILLION FRAUDULENTTHROUGHCLAIMS, WASTE AND ABUSE, MAKING IT ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE FINANCIAL LEAKS IN THE NATION. THAT’S MORE THAN $300 ANNUALLY FOR EVERY AMERICAN.

good management practices,” explains Herpfer. “But health care has been somewhat lagging behind the private sector when it comes to the adoption of best practices. To give you one example, health care records were still widely managed using pen and paper until the mid-2000s.”

He says the inefficiency was partly by design.

“There was this romantic idea that we wanted to have small, community health care providers operating on a very small scale, like a cottage industry,” says Herpfer. “This idea comes from good intentions, by trying to keep business and medicine separate. However, that has made it very hard for health care providers to become more professional and scale.”

But things are changing. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 created strong incentives to move to electronic record keeping and, over the past decade, health care has seen significant consolidation into larger, professionally managed systems. Despite these trends, gaps in professionalization remain, says Herpfer.

HOW FRAUDSTERS EXPLOIT THE SYSTEM

Understanding common fraud schemes is essential for developing effective detection technologies. Health care fraud takes many forms, including:

• Upcoding: Billing for a more expensive procedure than the one actually performed or for a longer consultation.

• Medicare Advantage Manipulation: Falsifying diagnoses to make patients appear sicker, thereby increasing reimbursement rates. The government pays insurers a base rate for each Medicare Advantage member. Insurers receive additional funds when their patients are diagnosed with certain high-cost conditions. This creates an incentive for insurers to add additional diagnoses, making their patients appear sicker — at least on paper.

• Exploiting Vulnerable Populations: Targeting elderly or mentally impaired patients in nursing homes who may not notice or understand fraudulent charges.

• Unnecessary Testing: Running and billing for medical tests that aren’t medically necessary.

Real-world examples illustrate how brazen these schemes can become. One high-profile example involved a California woman, Lourdes Navarro, who used her position as a clinical testing laboratory operator to fraudulently bill

To prepare future leaders, business schools must equip them with AI expertise. Darden is strengthening its focus on health care and AI with the Health Care Initiative, within the Institute for Business in Society, and the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business.

Medicare and other providers nearly $400 million for expensive respiratory pathogen panel tests that were never ordered by health care providers. Navarro was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined $46.7 million for her role in billing for the bogus tests.

“Despite the fraud’s scale, it took a while to get exposed,” Herpfer points out. “The system is so vast, so complex and the technology is lagging such that even extreme cases of fraud are often only caught late, or at a small scale.”

THE ROLE OF AI IN DETECTING FRAUD

How can technology — and specifically AI — help us identify problems sooner and prevent billions in medical fraud and abuse?

“There is so much low-hanging fruit that AI at scale can help with when it comes to detecting fraud,” says Herpfer. “Once the systems are in place, you can detect a lot of the more obvious issues very quickly.”

It is not just the “back end’’ of data analysis where AI can help, explains Herpfer. Another area with potential to help in fraud detection is the front end, the data input side. AI-powered speech-to-text software, which creates real-time transcripts of doctor-patient interactions, can greatly increase the precision of documenting work that is actually done, while reducing the ability to falsify medical records, according to Herpfer.

“That makes it much harder to have financial shenanigans, because now a fraudster would have to tinker with actual records, rather than just check a box on a form.”

Improved data quality, along with advances in computing and algorithms, allows researchers like Herpfer to analyze more data and detect fraud more efficiently. And, as he reminds us, there is a human cost to health care fraud.

This piece originally appeared on Darden Ideas to Action. Visit ideas.darden for more from Darden thought leaders.

JJEN DARDIS (MBA ’00)

en Dardis (MBA ’00) celebrated 25 years since graduating from Darden this spring. For much of her time since leaving Grounds, she’s been in Baltimore, Maryland, where she lives with her husband and two children, rising through the ranks of global investment management powerhouse T. Rowe Price. She became CFO and treasurer in 2021 and also serves as a member of the firm’s management committee. Her responsibilities include global oversight for the controller’s group, global tax, procurement, global product, corporate strategy, financial planning and analysis, and investor relations.

She also serves on the Gilman School Board of Trustees and is the former chair of the Maryland Food Bank Board of Directors. Before Darden, she earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the College of William & Mary.

Read on to learn how Dardis manages a complex leadership position, why she’s stayed at T. Rowe Price for two decades and her favorite Darden memories.

What was your first job?

My first unpaid job was making photocopies for our family business. My first two paid jobs were both in high school — teaching horseback riding lessons and working in a frozen yogurt shop.

What’s the best advice you have ever received?

When building your career, raise your hand to take the project or assignment that no one else wants to tackle.

What motivates you?

Working with a team to create opportunities and solve problems.

What is your “superpower”?

Given my role, I have to transition from macro to micro and tactical

Serving as CFO and treasurer since 2021, Jen Dardis (MBA ’00) says she’s stayed at T. Rowe Price for two decades because of the firm’s mission and its people.

to strategic and back again. My Darden education trained me well to meet this range and pace.

When and where do you do your best thinking?

Late at night or early in the morning. I like to process out loud first, and then take time to process internally to sharpen my thinking.

What’s been on your mind lately?

The implications of new technologies on how we train and develop the next generation of talent.

What are you reading these days?

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein. This was given to me by someone highlighting the continued benefits of a liberal arts education.

How do you recharge?

Spending time with my family. These days, that is either traveling or just being Mom at the kids’ sporting events.

How do you deal with conflict?

I prefer to address it head on, preferably once both parties have had a chance to process any initial big emotions.

What characteristics do you look for in people?

Genuine, curious, driven to excellence

What makes you feel hopeful?

Seeing the innovative ideas and resiliency of the upcoming generation of leaders.

What is your favorite cause to support?

Food insecurity. I served on the board of the Maryland Food Bank, including as its chair for two years. Meeting this basic human need is foundational to addressing any other societal challenges.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I love Baltimore, but I also love the South Atlantic Coast (Georgia, Florida) for warmer weather.

What do you lose sleep over?

Trying to separate the things I can control from the things I can’t, and responding accordingly.

Which class at Darden impacted you the most?

First Year Operations. It was a new topic for me, and it gave me a new set of frameworks and an alternate way to approach business opportunities. I love the “a-ha” moments of learning something entirely new.

What’s your favorite Darden memory?

My favorite Darden memories are from working with Learning Team 7 as we navigated First Year.

When building your career, raise your hand to take the project or assignment that no one else wants to tackle.

You’ve served at T. Rowe Price for nearly 20 years. What appealed to you about staying and growing within one organization?

The mission and the people. What we do as a firm matters to our clients. And working alongside people with similar goals and values has been a privilege.

T. Rowe Price helps people achieve their financial goals.

As CFO, you are responsible for T. Rowe Price achieving its financial goals. Does the nature of the business add pressure to your role?

In this business, there is a lot we can’t control that impacts our financial results. That puts increased pressure on managing the things we can control such as strategy, resource allocation and expense discipline.

Looking ahead, what about the investment management field’s future intrigues you most?

The continued evolution from products to solutions, which is being fueled by greater ability to personalize at scale. This creates tremendous possibility for how we can continue to improve client outcomes.

What’s one thing about T. Rowe Price’s business or the investment management industry in general people don’t know that they should know?

T. Rowe Price is known for our active management of equity, fixed income, alternatives, and multi-asset investment capabilities. We serve millions of clients globally and manage $1.57 trillion in assets under management as of 31 March 2025, about two-thirds of which are retirement-related.

HUGIN (MBA ’ 85) RECEIVES 2025 ABBOTT AWARD

Robert J. Hugin (MBA ’85), former chairman and CEO of Celgene Corp., received the Charles C. Abbott Award during Darden Reunion Weekend from the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

The award, Darden’s highest honor for alumni, recognizes Hugin’s decades of leadership and service to the School. He served on the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees for more than 14 years, including as chair, and made wide-ranging philanthropic contributions that have advanced student access, faculty support and capital initiatives.

Hugin helped lead Celgene through a period of rapid growth and global expansion, transforming the company into one of the world’s most influential biotech firms before its acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb.

At Darden, Hugin has supported scholarships for military veterans — including

the Colonel James L. Fowler and Robert J. Hugin U.S. Marine Corps Scholarships — and endowed funds honoring beloved Professors Emeriti Bill Sihler and Richard Brownlee. He also contributed to the development of The Forum Hotel, home to the Hugin Family Executive Boardroom. Hugin and his wife, Kathleen, are Principal Donors to the School and members of the Darden Society and the Hickory Club.

“Serving Darden over the years has benefited me in so many ways, far beyond what I’ve contributed to Darden,” Hugin said upon receiving the award. “I’m a better person because of my time at Darden as a student and my time afterward in helping Darden be as good a school and enterprise as it can be.”

DARDEN REUNION WEEKEND

CLASSES OF: 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021, 2025, ABBOTT SOCIETY (1957–75)

24–26

CLASS NOTES

Members of the Class of 2010 celebrate on their graduation day, 15 years ago this May.

ABBOTT SOCIETY CLASS NOTES

Conley Ricker

conleyricker@yahoo.com

Conley Ricker shared this memory of John Dodge:

For many decades, John was our class secretary keeping track of everyone, as best he could, faithfully writing up the semiannual Class Notes for The Darden Report. As he lived in Charlottesville and I in nearby Falls Church, Virginia, we communicated frequently and, from time to time, talked about the goings on among our fellow grads. Eventually, he asked me to relieve him of the class secretary duties. At that time I was traveling to Thailand five to six months a year; I explained that

because of my time outside of the country, it would not be practicable for me to assume those responsibilities.

As the internet became more usable from anywhere in the world, I relented and took over from John the production of the Class Notes. In a few years, John became ill with cancer and was residing at the assisted living facility in the Colonnades in Charlottesville. On occasion, my assistant Jessica Zhang and I visited with him and had lunch or dinner with him. However, his condition worsened, and he became bedridden.

In early October of 2019, I received an invitation from the Darden alumni office to at-

On the following Monday morning, 28 October, I received a call from the Darden office that John had passed away peacefully during the night.

I feel very humbled and grateful that I was able to be with John in his final hours and that I was able to share with him the presentation of the award that recognized the many decades of service he performed for the Class of 1959.

Bob Gaines

rgaines379@gmail.com

tend a dinner in Charlottesville to honor all of the class secretaries, and particularly the Class of 1959 for the Abbott Society Award and for the highest class participation in alumni giving.

I declined the invitation on the grounds that the honor belonged to John, who was unable to attend. Then I got a personal call asking me again to attend the function as an award was to be given to our class secretary. I then agreed to attend to represent John, provided that the award was given to, and presented to, him through me. The dinner was scheduled for Thursday, 24 October 2019.

On that afternoon, prior to the dinner, I visited John and explained my mission and that on Friday I would drop by the Colonnades and present his award to him.

At the dinner, I was surprised when it was time to announce the award, which was a beautifully handcrafted engraved pewter bowl from Woodbury Pewter, that there were two for the Class of 1959 — one engraved for John and one for me. When both bowls were presented to me with the announcement of the Class of 1959 achieving the highest class participation, the entire assembled patrons rose and applauded our class.

On the next day, 25 October, I visited John and reviewed the entire evening and presented him with his engraved pewter bowl. He was very thankful and seemed lucid and in good spirits. As he was very gaunt in appearance, I did not take his picture with the bowl.

Lee Forker emailed: “I saw the notice from Darden that urged the alumni to mention if they have had communication with their classmates. I thought that I should tell you that I was a great friend of Jerry Knowles when we were in C’Ville, somewhat because we were both Ivy Leaguers. We have made a point of staying in close touch ever since graduation, which has been relatively easy since I am in Hingham, Massachusetts, and Jerry was in Rhode Island and now in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

“Every few months we try to have lunch together at a place that is either near one of our homes or midway between. On Friday, 21 March, Jerry and I each traveled to Randolph, Massachusetts, and had a delightful luncheon at a place called the West End Grille.

“Considering our ages, we are both in relatively good health and able to drive, even at night. I was impressed when Jerry told me that he still plays squash at least a few times a week and also plays pickleball. My legs will not allow me to do that kind of activity. We plan on seeing each other again in a couple of months, perhaps close to his home in South Dartmouth. I hope that you are doing well.”

To escape the New England cold, Bob Gaines and Marjorie took a few days in February to spend some time at their time-share in Orlando, Florida, with their daughter and one granddaughter. They then visited friends in Vero Beach, Florida. In March they cruised the western Caribbean on the Viking Sea, visiting five or six of the islands. The ship carried 900 passengers and over 300 crew. In July, Bob and Marjorie are doing a D-Day guided, historical tour starting in London at Churchill’s bunker, taking the ferry across the channel and then visiting the beaches and towns that played a role in the liberation.

Don Hobson hobsondon@gmail.com

The Class of 1970 enjoyed the chance to reconnect for their 55year reunion during Darden Reunion Weekend. Highlights included a class dinner on Friday night in The Forum Hotel with Jack Cann, Paul Hamaguchi, Don Hobson, and Albert Randolph. At the dinner, they read a special letter from a recipient of the Class of 1970 Military Scholarship. Three students across the residential and executive formats are currently receiving support from the ’70 scholarship. On Saturday, classmates attended the State of the School program with Dean Scott Beardsley and enjoyed a special dean’s luncheon on Flagler Court.

Clint Bolte, Ned Haley cbolte3@comcast.net, nedhaley@gmail.com

Martin and Jackie Dalgleish bring a news update: “We are becoming more settled at White Sands. Our new apartment (No. 386) is definitely an improvement and we continue to meet interesting people. We are fortunate to enjoy good health and we take full advantage of all the opportunities to keep active both physically and mentally.

“Early in 2024, Martin went to New Zealand (a trip he has wanted to do for years) and took a rail-based tour from Auckland to Queenstown, covering many of the notable sights. It was a trip of a lifetime!

“In April, we enjoyed a tour of the historic homes and castles of southeast England. After which we rented a car and visited family and friends. We flew home via New England and took the opportunity to see old friends in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a wonderful trip but we were exhausted!

“We have been fortunate to have visits from both children and grandchildren. It helps that San Diego, California, hosts a big triathlon event in October in which Helen participates, and for the first time this year, granddaughter, Elerie too!

“Our son, Simon, turned 50 this year and decided to take some time off to consider other options. His wife, Laura, continues to enjoy a career in real estate. Grandson Diego, age 17, is in his last but one year at the Swiss School in Mexico City.

“Our daughter, Helen, has recently been

Conley Ricker (MBA ’59) shared a memory of classmate John Dodge (MBA ’59).

its long-time allies. I would be thrilled if any classmate would come and join me for a round of golf or ski at Deer Valley!”

Howard Wilkinson hpandcw@yahoo.com

One benefit of my reporting that Rick Dent called to wish me a happy birthday in the last issue of The Darden Report was that I heard from other members in our class who also wished me happy birthday!” Fred Horneffer was one, and then he asked, “When is your birthday anyway?” Well Fred, and anybody else who wants to know, it is 5 September. Fred also brought me up to date on his grandchildren. He is still living in Louisville, Kentucky, but has a granddaughter graduating from James Madison University this year and a grandson graduating from high school with plans to attend college in Virginia. He and Lili are planning to join his daughter and her family on a graduation trip to Rome, Italy, and a Mediterranean cruise. Fred also reported a new addition to his family — a puppy named Gus.

Mike Mayer mike.mayer@cox.net

In our last issue of Darden Class Notes, we promised updates on the 50th Reunion Class Gift. We are making progress, and Brad Armstrong has put together an update on decisions made and work done to date:

moved to Austin, Texas, to take up the position as SVP and division president of HP-Poly, HP’s subsidiary that makes equipment to make remote working easier. Her husband, Shon, continues to juggle moves, houses and dogs. Granddaughter Solen, age 22, decided college wasn’t for her and seems to have found her niche working for an art gallery in Long Beach, California, which affords her time to pursue her own artistic talents. Granddaughter Elerie, age 21, is in her last but one year at Chapman University in Orange, California, and pursuing a degree in graphic design. Grandson Sylas, age 18, has just enrolled at the University of Utah and is studying engineering.”

Robert Kibble reports in: “After reaching the ripe old age of 82, I have decided to retire from what has been my profession for the last 45 years — venture capital. So I have moved from San Diego, California, to Utah, and now spend time skiing, going on cycling trips, playing golf (rather poorly), learning French, accompanying my son and daughter who are here in Utah too, and decrying the sad disintegration of the U.S. relations with

Jeff Goodman also emailed me birthday wishes. He and Andi retired to Charlottesville in 2019, and they are enjoying all things UVA, especially the Training Center at The Boar’s Head Inn and both men’s and women’s tennis matches. He said that he sees Ralph Morini and Bob Stripling, two of his Study Group members at Darden, on almost a weekly basis. He also stays in close touch with his oldest grandchild, Zach, a Ph.D. candidate who is teaching at UVA.

I also heard from some folks in response to the news of Tim Brooke-Hunt’s passing — Buddy LeTourneau, Nick Sanders, and Mike Woody. No real news from these guys, just remembering Tim and his good qualities, although Mike did report that he had been in touch with John Sherman and spent some time laughing about “the old times.”

That’s about it for this issue. Let me know what you are up to, and I will pass it on to the rest of the class.

“As part of our remarkably successful 50th reunion, the Class raised over $750,000 to create a special tribute to Darden, which helped launch us into careers and lives of significance. The project will celebrate our class and the faculty that guided and challenged us during our time there. We formed a small committee to help manage the project — Brad Armstrong, Wally Camp, Bruce Carmichael, Dick Crawford, Frank Genovese, Gary Jones, Mike Kern, Jim Kluttz and Mike Mayer. Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) has been selected as the project architect, primarily because RAMSA has the contract for designing and building the new Darden student housing building, which will be located between the parking garage and Saunders Hall. Our project is currently expected to be located in the Wilkinson Courtyard, between the new student housing and Saunders Hall. Our project will be located in the Wilkinson Courtyard, between the new student housing and Saunders Hall. It will be a great complement to our Jefferson Statue/Jones Fountain on the other side of Saunders Hall.

“Because of the timeline for the student housing building, the construction for our project is a couple of years away. We aren’t pressed for time, but we want to get the project designed as soon as we can. Stay tuned for additional updates as the design phase formally kicks off this summer.

“We can always use additional funding for this tribute to Darden and our Class, so any help from the Class would be appreciated. And, last, a huge thanks to everyone who returned for the reunion. It was great fun and meaningful to reconnect with old friends.”

It’s not too late to join your classmates in contributing to this special gift to Darden. If you would like to make a donation please contact any of the committee

David Beatty and Robert Oster (both MBA ’72) pose for a picture during a recent meet up.

members and we’ll get you directed to the right folks in the development office.

Bob Pride says he is still working full time and loves it. Bob is a certified data privacy professional and credits Darden with making him a lifelong learner and problem solver. In his spare time, he is an advisor to NOAA fisheries and a board member for the Virginia Shooting Sports Association. He is also a gardener and is grateful for balanced weather. When he wrote, he was busy harvesting tomatoes, one of his more successful crops this year. He has also been pretty successful raising his son/grandson, who he says is now 6 feet 1 inch and 270 pounds at age 15, but not a candidate for a football scholarship. Bob had a great time at our 50th reunion and wanted to especially thank Don and Julie Wheeler, who invited him to stay at their house. He highly recommends checking with Don before scheduling a hotel for any future trips.

Frank Genovese continues to play around 200 rounds of golf per year: about 100 at their summer place in Wilmington, North Carolina, and 100 in Bonita Springs, Florida, in the winter. He recently played four days in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, and two other Darden alumni friends were with him on this trip. Last April, Frank also celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Genovese Fellowships that he and Susan endowed over the years. The purpose of these full Second Year tuition fellowships (now $85,000) is to find those Darden students that want to be, in the longterm, general managers or business owners rather than work consulting and finance jobs. We can all remember when that was what Darden was all about. So far, 92 full rides have been awarded and 87 percent of the fellowship winners are in general management jobs. If you want to see the past few years of the award ceremonies, they are on YouTube.

Sandy Boyce is still living and working in Chicago, Illinois, though he summers in Northern Michigan and winters in Aiken, South Carolina. Sandy has seven children spread out from Charlottesville to New York City, to Singapore, and to London, but focuses his time at home racing thoroughbreds.

Sam Wornom has spent a lot of time recently working to distribute “treasures” from his father-in-law’s estate. He has offered to pass along some senior wisdom to everyone: “In August, my father-in-law, Willis R. Logan Jr.

passed away at 96. I won’t detail here what an amazing man ‘Sonny’ was; however, I would encourage everyone to go on the internet and read his obituary. You won’t regret it. He was a wonderful, independent man. His life was an amazing and diverse adventure, embodying all the characteristics we admire and aspire to for ourselves and our families. After he passed, I was tasked with clearing out his double airplane hangar and five storage buildings; he was a hoarder and collector. Thus, my first bit of senior wisdom is to consider your heirs and clean out all of your stuff now; don’t leave the job to your heirs. Don’t get me wrong, it was an honor to be able to go through all his stuff. I learned a lot about him, had lots of laughs along the way, and found a few long-lost treasures, like the branding irons from his ranching days and three survival backpacks any Green Beret would be proud to own. For me, it was a joy to assemble personal boxes of his hand tools for his 11 grandsons and great grandsons. But seriously, who needs 13 chainsaws, 16 paint sprayers, 11 tire irons, etc.? Hence, declutter while you still can.

“Lastly, make sure you make memories, shared over a cup of hot tea, repairing a tractor together, or trying to figure out what do about them Cowboys. Those memories are more valuable than any vacation, anything you ‘have to do,’ or anything in any storage shed. I have lots of those memories of Sonny; thus, I will always have Sonny with me.”

Humberto Uquillas writes that he and his wife went on an Alaska cruise last summer to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, then stopped in Las Vegas, Nevada, to experience a long-time wish: shooting machine guns and automatic pistols. He says it was a lot of fun and something his wife had wanted to do for a long time. Unfortunately, when they returned home his wife began showing symptoms of long COVID-19, which led to a month in the hospital. He says they are both recovering in their new home, which has basically become a mini clinic.

Mike Santoro reported sadly that Steve Hoard’s wife, Suzanne, passed away last November. Steve and Suzanne met at UVA during his Second Year and were married in May 1975. Steve and Mike shared an apartment during their Second Year, then shared an office at Westvaco Corp. in Covington,

Virginia (working for Ed Williams’s father), and currently share a golf course at Independence Golf Club in Midlothian, Virginia. On a happier note, Mike and his wife, Martha, celebrated their 50th anniversary with a river cruise in the south of France last June. Mike’s family is doing well, and he says he’s having a great time watching the teen and preteen grandchildren finding their own niches in the world. You’ll recall from the last issue of this magazine that Poss Echols passed away in July 2024. For the last issue of Notes, I didn’t have available an obituary for Poss, but I have since received one from his wife, Joan. Although Poss and his family moved to Crozet, Virginia, in 2017, they lived for many years in Arlington, Virginia. For most of his career Poss was a senior patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. I recall talking to him several times when he was at the Patent Office and I was looking for updates for Class Notes. He was always helpful and seemed to be having a great time at his work and with his three children. You may be interested to know that Poss worked for a few years in the ’70s at the Lynchburg Foundry Company, an enterprise you hopefully remember from our first-year Operations field trip. In addition to engineering and business degrees from UVA, Poss earned a law degree from Wake Forest and was a long-time member of the Virginia Bar Association. Poss was also an enthusiastic UVA basketball fan and a regular at Darden reunions. He will be greatly missed.

Mark Howell

mwhowell@msn.com

I (Mark Howell) have just returned from Charlottesville and our 50 thClass Reunion at Darden. This was a truly memorable weekend with Classmates and the Darden team. I am sure that this edition of The Darden Report will have photos of all the reunion classes in attendance.

A few highlights for me from the past weekend:

Joe Spears flew his drone on the front lawn, gathering photos of Darden from aloft. When I arrived on the North Grounds and proceeded to registration in Saunders Hall, I saw Joe piloting his drone. Yes…Joe had to get permission from the University for his flight plans.

Joe Spears (MBA ’75) and Maggie Spears took photos of Grounds with his drone during Darden Reunion Weekend.

Members of the Class of 1975 had dinner in the UVA Rotunda with Professor Alan Beckenstein as part of their reunion weekend festivities.

The bad news is that in counting birds for Cornell Ornithology for 35 years, this winter was an all-time low for all types. The theory is that when Helene hit in the middle of the night, many went down when the trees they were roosting in fell. Others were overcome by the force of the wind and driving rain.”

Henry De Montebello had some exciting news: “Spring is not quite yet here in Paris, though the temperatures are rising a bit. As far as news goes, I still have annoying health issues as I turn 79 in a few days, but nothing alarming. The best of all news is that our daughter Camille at the age of 39 had her first baby. Camille was in labor for 46 hours trying to get Emma to leave her nest. She is our sixth grandchild and both are doing well.”

Our Class gathered on the steps of Saunders Hall and boarded a bus for transport to the Rotunda on the Main Grounds. It was a fun bus ride as we renewed friendships and laughed aloud. No…there was no beer on this bus ride.

We had a delightful reception and dinner at the Rotunda where we were treated to comments from Dean Scott Beardsley, Darden School Foundation President Rob Weiler, and an a cappella performance by the Virginia Gentlemen, who took an incredibly special liking to Fred Siller’s wife (Mary). We also honored the memory of our 23 departed classmates.

We took part in a “sashing” ceremony at the Rotunda, where members of the Class of 1975 were inducted into the Abbott Society. Class members in attendance and receiving sashes were Bill Henderson, Bruce Bilger, Bruce Bowers, Peabody Hutton, Dave Manley, Dave Shein, Dave Williams, Gaylon Layfield, Fred Siller, Grayson Kirtland, Joe Magyar, Joe Spears, Keith Woodard, Lee Garlock, Mark Howell, Peyton Hamrick, Marty Eskridge Arscott, Chip Harpster, Rick Garnett, Rob Turnbull, Scott Miller, Stacy Brown Vermylen, Suresh Tata and Tom Hudson.

Class photos on the steps of the Rotunda required several sessions as Dave Shein and Marty Eskridge Arscott arrived in the nick of time due to inbound travel delays. Kudos to our photographer for his patience in herding the cats for multiple photo sessions.

At the State of School Address by Dean Beardsley, the Class of 1975 was recognized as newly inducted members of the Abbott Soci-

ety and for its “amazing” reunion class giving outcomes of 50% participation and more than $3,300,000 in gifts and pledges! Thanks to our Class Agent Rick Garnett for leading us to this noteworthy achievement.

During a walk around the Main Grounds with classmates Rick Garnett, Marty Eskridge Arscott, Stacy Brown Vermylen and Rob Turnbull, we made a special stop at Monroe Hall, where the Class of 1975 started and completed its MBA studies.

Our Class Dinner was at the home of Patricia and Keith Woodard who have been such gracious and generous hosts to the Class of 1975 over many reunion years.

I am certain that all who attended our 50th reunion have special memories, as well, that they could share. Please continue to send me updates of your experiences, travels, excursions, adventures, growing families…or whatever you want to report. These updates keep us connected and are enjoyed by your classmates.

Enjoy your summer of 2025.

Dana Quillen painterdana21@gmail.com

Gary Newkirk gave us an update on his travels and gardening adventures. He writes: “Regarding gardening, our soil is pretty bad. Or at least that’s my excuse. We had beautiful Lenten roses this year, pink and others white.

“We are going to Yellowstone, the Tetons and Glacier this summer and also spending a few weeks in the North Carolina mountains.

Greg Shea celebrated his 81st birthday! He writes: “This spring, Joan and I celebrated my 81st birthday and our 57th anniversary! We made a lifestyle change and sold our home on the coast. We purchased a cottage in a retirement community in Brunswick, Maine, where the maintenance and yard work are done for us. In addition to the community’s programs, Bowdoin Cottage is five minutes away, which provides a wealth of learning, arts and workout opportunities.

“Now if we could just get rid of all the moving boxes. Ugh!”

And from New Hampshire, Bill Battison writes: “Having moved to New Hampshire several years ago after 35 years in the sunny environs of Southern California, we are slowly becoming acclimated to having cold winters. The last two years have not been bad, but this year … whoops. We spent a beautiful two months this fall on the eastern end of Long Island, New York, in a village where my wife grew up. There we had a great Thanksgiving with our daughter at an inn on Shelter Island. During the coldest and snowiest part of the winter, I found reasons to spend a month in Los Angeles. I missed the fires (and they missed me, thankfully).

“We plan to spend time this summer exploring Upper New England from New Hampshire to Maine and becoming more familiar with our new home. Our California beach house will be kept, which I calculate to be only about two hours more distant than a Florida place.”

From Dana Quillen: “Well, Class of 1976, we are now approaching our mid to late 70s with a sprinkling of those who have entered

fitted in proper Scottish tweeds. In May, Tom and I will travel to that certain island nation 90 miles southeast of Miami, Florida, (whose name we cannot repeat publicly) to chase tarpon, bonefish and permit. We welcome any other classmates who wish to share in these adventures!”

(Great being with you, Irving, and I look forward to hearing about your and Tom’s fishing expedition to that unnamed island! Would love pics … but I guess that could be dangerously implicating evidence!)

those of you who plan your trips a few years out, please put our (gulp!) 50th reunion on your mid-to-late April 2027 calendar. I can guarantee it will be a fun event! Cheers to all!

Margot Bearden jmbearden@gmail.com

their 80s. It’s been 50 years since we were together surviving cold calls and Saturday tests. Mark your calendars and come back to Charlottesville for our 50th Reunion in April 2026. You will be amazed with the school’s facilities and beautiful grounds. These reunions are always a great time to be together and have a few laughs, as well as shed a tear or two. Thanks for your support of the Class Notes, and I hope to see all of you in April of 2026.”

Paul Nelson lpaulnelson@mindspring.com

Summer greetings to the Great Class of ’77! Our notes will be short and sweet this time.

First up, Irving Groves recently visited Richmond, Virginia, and joined me and Ted Gary for a couple of enjoyable dinners. As you would expect, after a few glasses of wine, some funny Darden stories were recounted and embellished upon. A fun time! Irving then sent the following update: “Over the past few years, Tom Storrs and I have enjoyed chasing quail, pheasants and saltwater fish together. Our efforts, sometimes with Susan and Dotti, have helped manage the quail populations of southwest Virginia, northeast Mississippi and southwest Georgia. In the field, we enjoy the company of three exceptional English cocker spaniels (well, at least Tom’s two are exceptional) from the same breeder. Jesse Crews has joined us on one such expedition; we look forward to a return appearance soon. We also have experienced driven pheasant and partridge shooting in Scotland, of course out-

Next up, Mike DeCola passed on the impressive news that our classmate Lynn Daniel and his company, The Daniel Group, have been recognized by Inc. Magazine for its rapid growth. Lynn’s company is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is a provider of comprehensive tools and support to enhance every aspect of the customer experience journey. The Daniel Group helps business-to-business-focused companies measure, manage and improve customer experience. Their customer feedback program is currently employed at over 75 percent of Caterpillar dealers in North America. They also work with Navistar, AGCO, Equipment Depot, WieseUSA and several other companies.

(Congratulations, Lynn! I am sure this is a well-earned recognition for making a positive difference for the customers you serve. And thanks for letting us know, Mike.)

Lastly, Joanna Miller-de Zwart writes to say, “We had a really good winter. Over 50 people were at our house for my 70th birthday. We then left for San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, for a month. I tried to retire (sort of), but I am back at it, coaching. I am incredibly fortunate to have meaningful work that helps both people and companies that can be done from anywhere, and I get paid for it. Why would anyone give that up?”

(Good question, Joanna! Lee and I look forward to our upcoming visit with you and Pieter in Mystic, nd y’all joining us at our cottage on Lake Damariscotta, Maine! But, in order to keep expectations in line, they are called “camps” up here for a reason! A bit rustic.)

Well that’s it for our class updates. I hope to have more news from y’all for our next report (hint-hint). And if your travels take you to Charlottesville, Maine or Richmond, please let me know. I would love to get together for coffee or dinner and share stories. Lastly, for

Margot Bearden: “It’s been the winter of my discontent here in the Virginia low country. After a long, slow decline and with very little drama (but lots of tears) we said goodbye to my sainted 97-year-old mother on 23 December. Despite the intellectual acceptance of her inevitable end, I spent most of January in a depressive and emotional fog made worse by a surprisingly harsh winter (cue the laugh track from those who live in an actual cold weather climate).

“My transition continues to be — for me, at least — wonderful, but despite promising my therapist I won’t read the news anymore, I can’t help myself and predictably suffer periodic bouts of paranoia. I get it … it’s my choice/my decision, but I have a whole new perspective on life as a member of an endangered species in our society. I welcome any advice from others as I doomscroll articles on emigrating to some benign, stable, warm-weather paradise to live out my life in obscurity. Portugal is currently leading the pack, but I remain open to other locales!

“Otherwise, life is great. I have travel plans for Colorado in July and Umbria, Italy, in October and am super excited about getting away. I’ve added two sweet kitties to my household (they’re amazing!) and have been meaning to share some photos with Brewer Doran. I’m going to be spending some time in Charlottesville in April for a bit of medical work but haven’t been back to Darden since the holiday alumni party in December. I highly recommend it if you can find an excuse to go this year! At the margins, my hopes for 2025 are for pleasant weather, fewer natural disasters, and good health for all!”

Note: I had provided my own update to the Class as a part of my solicitation effort. A number of contributors responded to my comments and complaints and I’ve included those references below.

Charles de Mestral sent photos of two grandchildren, Olivia, age 8, and Théodore, age 2, and dog Vicky as well as a photo of their home last Christmas.

Nick Fina has written warm notes several

Irving Groves and Tom Storrs (both ’77) chase quail on their travels together.

times from his home in Delaware, and he and I have hopes to find an excuse to get together since we both live adjacent to the Chesapeake. Though admittedly not that close!

Tory Blackford provided a wonderful holiday update: “All is well here. My Merry Christmas letter is now a Happy New Year letter because I moved this year and have spent all of my time since August downsizing to move into apartment life. One never knows what can fit into an attic until one tries to move it out.

“After Bill went to the angels in 2014, I put myself on a wait list at a senior community, Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge (WCBR). I decided that I needed a community to tend to my health needs when I required it. I was on the wait list for eight years and saw multiple apartments. The perfect one became available this summer, and I decided that it was time to take the leap. One never knows when this floor plan would become available again. There are only four of them. I have two bedrooms with a den.

“During this whole time, I made sure to keep up my exercise for my mental health and stress reduction. The last several weeks of moving put a big damper on this, but I am getting back.

“I did no gardening this past year after July. Here at WCBR, we have raised beds where I want to plant annuals for flowers in the summer to bring inside. In August, I stopped the multitude of activities due to the move. I am so looking forward to getting my life back. The Paramount Theatre broadcasts MetHD performances and has live performances. Musical groups include the symphony, oratorio society, chamber music concerts, Music on Park Street, and the new Charlottesville Salon series of wonderful chamber concerts in a lovely home.

“Bridge is a weekly event, and I will start golf again. Farmington has monthly wine tastings and historical society events for which I volunteer. I had a great trip to France in late May — a river cruise on the Rhône with AMA Waterways. In July I flew to Boston, Massachusetts, to see dear family friends. I was in Richmond, Virginia, for Christmas with other dear friends.

“Volunteer activities were minimal. I delivered meals to low-income men in need through Alliance for Interfaith Ministries (AIM) and I ushered at church.

“Bill’s sister Melinda and her husband,

Joe, are in Davis, California. Their son Andrew and his wife, Christina, have bought a home. Meredith, my goddaughter, is enjoying her condo in New York City and her new dog Ellie, a rescue from Georgia. Mick, my godson, is 33, married with a son and daughter and lives in North Carolina. Liz, Bill’s sister, lives in New Jersey. My kitty TJ has had a rough time with the changes. He will settle down.

“I hope your 2025 is a healthy and happy one. I continue to remember the tenderness of life. I miss my darling Bill so much. He remains with me in spirit. Love, Tory.”

Betsy Bruce: “Missie Weigel and I are headed to a Civil Rights tour in Memphis, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Montgomery, Alabama, in early April. I have a trip to Denmark in late April — if they let us in!

“It was a rough winter here in Maine, too. Ugh.”

Jim Reynolds: “Judy and I are looking forward to spending spring at Pawleys Island, South Carolina, starting next week. We’ve decided being old and retired is a blessing. Best wishes to all our Darden classmates!”

Lynn MacMillan: “Is it really 2025? That means that Darrell and I are closing in on a decade together, my grandson Asher is already three, and I’m seven years into my very satisfyingly self-indulgent and predictable retirement. And then, you guessed it, Darrell retired in January and now nothing is predictable. The planning (and contingency planning) that I honed so well at Darden is in disarray! Heck, I don’t even know what day it is, much less where I’m supposed to be.

“It is an adjustment, but all-in-all a net gain. It manifests (so far) in multiple weeks at the beach house in Southern Shores, North Carolina, more time spent with both of our families, and a far more skillful set of hands for any repair that needs attention around the house. I still manage to squeeze in most of the HeartStrings performances, dance lessons, walks with long-time walking partner Beth (Darden classmate Steve Gillispie’s wife), language lessons, etc. How can there not be enough hours in the day for all we want to do when neither of us is working?

“I jest (kind of), and am quick to recognize that these are high-class problems. I am grateful for the bounty in our lives and the many forms in which it is expressed. My only question is: How long does it take to find a new

normal? Recommendations are welcome!”

As many of you are aware, Dave LaCross had had limited communication with the Class and the School for some time, but has reengaged in recent years with a vengeance. His and Cathy’s support for student housing, AI and the stunning botanical gardens are truly transformative for Darden, and I hope you’ve had the chance to stay up-to-date on the latest updates. He reports from California that all is otherwise well with their extended family and he and Cathy are staying very busy.

Lang Craighill: “Greetings from Australia, Margot! Like many of you, travel has been a huge part of our lives since COVID-19, and my wife, Lynne, and I are currently on a monthlong visit to Australia. It’s self-directed, and we’re using planes, trains, automobiles and sailboats to visit Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and the Great Barrier Reef.

“In the past couple of years, we’ve been to Croatia, Italy, England, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands, as well as plenty of U.S. destinations (Maine, California, Arizona, Utah).

“On a personal note, I married Lynne in January 2022, and we live in Wilmington, North Carolina. Let me know if you ever visit southeastern North Carolina! My kids live in Boston, Massachusetts, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

“I love reading updates from my Darden classmates and hope to get to a reunion one of these years.”

Dave Braden: “Ann and I continue to love life in cold (laughing at you, Margot!) and very blue Minnesota. We adore our two local grandkids and the third in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whom we see not often enough. Other than family, friends, volunteering and my recently acquired HOA board responsibilities, our lives are dominated by politics. Normally, class updates might be inappropriate forums for political comments, but these times demand it. Protests, postcard writing, letters to the editor and calls to representatives dominate our retirement now. Let me end my screed by encouraging all of our classmates to act. Otherwise, it’s our fault.

“Incidentally, we’re leaving with friends in two days for lovely Portugal! It’s our second time in two years, though we’re going south to Algarve this time. It’s seductive, but I look forward to returning even more energized! All the best to the Class of ’78!”

David Charlton: “Only a few updates. Our

son lives 325 miles above the Arctic Circle in Norway, where summer is short. He now holds dual citizenship for the USA and Norway. One of our middle daughters started working at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory on nuclear power systems about a year ago and loves it. Another daughter will enroll in a Ph.D. program at the University of Glasgow in textile art traditions in September. Our oldest daughter was an IRS agent until this past month. Now she is DOGEd. More on that later. Laurie and I are well, minus an impending shoulder replacement procedure for her. Getting old is not for the faint of heart! Best to everyone!”

Bahns Stanley: “Things are quiet in Atlanta, Georgia, except we added a puppy to the family to make up for the loss of Bing last fall. Both are labradoodles; Bing was a male and Scout is a female. Occasionally, we do ask ourselves ‘what were we thinking?’

“We took a trip to Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania) to celebrate our 30th anniversary in January and February. We enjoyed great cities, food and wine, golf, fauna, and visits with local friends. I finally got to see the Tasmanian devils that fascinated me in childhood cartoons. I’ll go to Scotland in May for a golf trip and return there in September with Judi. Best regards to all, Bahns.”

Randall Brown: “I’m sorry to hear about losing your mother, but it sounds like she won the battle with age by making it well into her 90s. The slow decline, however, must not have been fun for her or you and your siblings.

“Otherwise, I enjoyed hearing your news and your perspective on this country. I empathize with your thoughts about emigrating to some more sunny climate with more rational politics. Hopefully, we here will have learned our lesson come 2026 and beyond (not to get too political). Take care and enjoy the Virginia spring.”

Mike Sullivan: “In 2024, we added two new family members, Brianne (Bharkhda) Sullivan and Aidan Michael Sullivan. Colin and Brianne were wed in February, and Aidan arrived in November! Noanie and I enjoyed celebrating Aidan’s one-month birthday on Christmas day with the new family! Brianne is a partner with Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., specializing in intellectual property litigation. Colin, now a Navy commander, is enjoying being able to walk to work in his new assignment within the White House Military Office.

“Ten years ago, we moved to Colorado

from Virginia to enjoy grandkids, Matthew and Julia. We are now shopping for a condo in Northern Virginia to accommodate our cross-country visits. Our daughter, Molly, is enjoying a new position as a senior product manager with Digital Ocean. I seem to remember that Mark Templeton assisted Digital Ocean in its early years. Aside from our trips east for weddings and family, and a visit to Portugal, life has been quiet but exhausting at times. All is well here in Colorado, and we wish good health for all!”

Bucky Rulon-Miller: “I’m still doing the occasional trail race but it’s getting more and more difficult as speed, strength and stamina decline. I run as hard as ever — I just don’t go anywhere. All too frequently, I discover I’m the oldest guy in the race.”

Paul Rubin: “Life is good here in Memphis, Tennessee. Janet received the Woman of Valor award from a local synagogue and Eliana continues to rock with her singing and teaching.

“We are in the midst of phase two of house renovations, replacing the flooring with nice vinyl, installing new ceiling fans and painting. There is so much preparation in removing stuff from cabinets, shelves, etc. We enjoyed our annual trip south to Sarasota, Florida, and are headed to New York City next week for four Broadway shows in three days. We look forward to our May trip to Dublin, Ireland, and London, U.K. I enjoyed a hiking adventure with a friend in Palm Springs, California, visiting Joshua Tree National Park as well as Mt. San Jacinto. We took the tram up to 8,516 feet where the weather was 52 degrees vs. 90 degrees at the base, and trekked through the snow. As I watch March Madness, I hope new coaching and NIL money will lead the Hoos back to the tournament.”

Anne Wood Bryant: “I have been an avid photographer for many years. For the last several I have done mostly nature and wildlife. I’ve gotten quite a bit of local exposure over the last year. It started last April when a local art museum featured 20 regional photographers, and I had five photographs displayed. This led to the incredible experience of having my own show last fall. I had over 50 framed photos and canvases, mostly local scenes, wildlife, florals, etc. I shared this show with my brother and sister-in-law who create amazing pottery. It was titled ‘A Family Affair.’ Opening night had nearly 100 people in attendance. And, happily,

we all had lots of sales over the six weeks the show lasted. This April the art museum is featuring florals in all types of media. I have three pieces in this show. I am enjoying my Andy Warhol ‘15 minutes of fame’ and still shake my head sometimes that people will pay me to do something I so much enjoy.”

Steve Mischen: “Margot, not a lot of news to report. Lucy’s condition continues to deteriorate, but she still enjoys it when my daughter, Virginia, and I visit for ice cream.

“My beloved cocker spaniel, Abby, died on 3 March, just short of her 14th birthday. Her best buddy, Molly, is still with me.

“I am still serving on the Housing Corporation Board for Pi Kappa Phi fraternity at UVA, and I am in my 12th year of volunteering with SCORE, which provides free business mentoring to small businesses and startups.

“My oldest granddaughter, Calla, is a third year at UVA majoring in biology. My middle granddaughter, Reese, is a senior at Berkeley Academy in Tampa and will be a freshman at Brown next fall. My youngest granddaughter, Spencer, is a sophomore at Berkeley and has become a very competitive cross country and track distance runner. She just finished her first college visit trip.

“That’s it. If you are in the Greensboro, North Carolina, area, give me a call and drop by.”

Mike Ganey: “I understand you may need some fodder for The Darden Report cannon, so here goes. I just used this copy for a Facebook post.

“I am thrilled to announce that I have been invited to participate in the prestigious National Security Seminar (NSS) at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, this June 2025. This weeklong program brings together approximately 160 civilian leaders from diverse backgrounds to engage in candid discussions on pressing national security and foreign policy issues alongside military leaders and strategic thinkers. It is a unique opportunity to contribute civilian perspectives to critical conversations shaping our nation’s future.

“For the past four years, I have had the privilege of moderating the Great Decisions program at North Carolina State University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, facilitating in-depth discussions on U.S. foreign policy. My passion for understanding how our leaders navigate complex global relationships makes this invitation especially meaningful. It is truly

the culmination of my ongoing efforts to foster civic engagement and informed dialogue.

“After the seminar, I look forward to sharing my insights and observations. In today’s rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, it is more important than ever for all of us to stay informed and engaged with the decisions shaping our domestic and global trajectory. Let’s work together to ensure a brighter future!

“I also just started a CPG innovation consulting firm and am targeting private equity firms with food and beverage investments. New products are the lifeblood of CPG, but the odds of success are slim. I have some proven techniques to improve those odds.”

Mike added a final, more personal note saying: “I was at board meetings in Arlington, Virginia, last week. Darden is really rocketing ahead, and not just financially. The latest students and faculty are awesome and represent the best of the Darden we experienced. They are all just so young! Let’s all stay in touch. Our 50th is only three years away!”

Claire Terry cterry66@gmail.com

Lee Gordon and Steve Voorhees teamed up to help coordinate the Darden Class of ’80 45th reunion in April. They had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and classmates. Some sat in classes on Friday with a some really dynamic professors and hoped they didn’t get called on! The party at Sherri and Preston Moore’s lovely home on Friday night was a big success, where 11 of our classmates were joined by Professors Brownlee and Landel, and were entertained by the fantastic Virginia Gentlemen acapella group! On Saturday morning, Dean Beardsley’s State of the School address highlighted that Darden was named one of the Top 10 business schools in most every category and of plans to build our first student housing complex on grounds. On Saturday afternoon, our classmates strolled around the magnificent Darden facilities and grounds, including a beautiful arboretum, and that evening, admired the plush new Forum Hotel for our Class Dinner, where our special guests were Professor Beckenstein and former Dean Rosenblum. The weekend made us proud to be a part of Darden.

Following are updates on how many of us are doing.

In February of 2024, Jeff Molitor, Steve Voorhees and their wives, Nancy and Celia, met in the Darden Suite at the Jacksonville College Baseball Classic for a game that featured Virginia winning on a walk-off double! Both Jeff and Steve are retired — Jeff lives in St. Simons, Georgia, and Steve in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Both Jeff and Steve have daughters that live in Arlington, Virginia, and work at HQ2. Small world!

After 20 years in Consumer Products Marketing, followed by 20 years as a Commercial Real Estate Broker, Gary Becker and his wife, Barbara, have retired to Columbia, Maryland, to be closer to their two daughters and three grandchildren. They look forward to extensive traveling and exploring the Baltimore/Washington corridor.

Eloise Clyde Chandler works with Vantage Consulting Group, the same place at which she started after graduating from Darden in 1980 and lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

John Bogasky lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, is Treasurer of Special Olympics of Montgomery County and once a year repels off the top of a tall building to raise funding for Special Olympics.

Jeff Irby and Art Gilbert are retired and live in White Stone and Burgess,Virginia, respectively.

Jeff Hires is retired and lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

I am sad to report the passing of Richard Berkeley of Baltimore who died 14 October 2024.

We hope to gather at least 50 of the Darden Class of 1980 for our 50th — please save the dates April 26–28, 2030 to be in Charlottesville!

Fenton Priest

fentonpriest@icloud.com

It was great to hear from Kirk Kirkland again! Thanks, Kirk, for sending this update:

“As I was reviewing my notes from last year, I realized an update was in order. I had ended those notes with a reflection on my career since our Darden graduation, saying, ‘I’m taking a few months to sift through my thinking as I’m not quite ready to completely separate from the business world, and will be looking for the next providential assignment. Stay tuned.’

“Well, 2024 turned out to be a year far dif-

ferent than what I had envisioned. The passing of my 100-year-old mother, planning her funeral, managing her estate, and dealing with a serious bicycle accident (seven fractured ribs and a fractured scapula) set me on an unexpected course. Add in some family matters requiring my attention, and before I knew it, the year was over, and many of my career reflections were still just that — reflections.

“At the start of this year, I finally felt ready to get back on track. I updated my LinkedIn profile and, just last week, posted for the first time. To my surprise, it already has over 1,200 impressions, 20 reactions, 6 comments, and 1 repost. While these numbers might seem small to some, I found the response both encouraging and uplifting. For those of you on LinkedIn, feel free to check out my page).

“As I think ahead, my dream job would be working with a think tank — somewhere I could leverage my experiences in business and nonprofit board roles, my network, and my perspectives to make a meaningful impact on societal, cultural and business issues. If you have any thoughts or connections in this area, I would love to hear from you, and let’s see what this year has in store for all of us.”

Nat Hamner shared that he and Nancy spent most of January in New Zealand, travelling and visiting with friends. They remain active in their community, participating with over 20 local agencies, churches and organizations. They have also found a more comfortable home, with twice the space, during COVID-19. This has come in handy as they have had three grandchildren; two girls with their architect daughter, and a boy by their ER doctor daughter, who married a Frenchman. As of this year, both families now live close by them in western Richmond, Virginia.

They feel very lucky to see everyone so frequently. Nat loves to kayak on Virginia rapids, hunt and fish; while Nancy enjoys reading, history, gardening and researching genealogy that ties them back to the early 1600s in Virginia. So, it has paid off to invest in one community and to grow new roots near past generations.

From your secretary, Fenton Priest: “My wife, Tina, and I have been traveling to see our children over the past few months. That means trips to Lynchburg and Arlington, Virginia; Laguna Beach, California; and Barcelona, Spain! We also took a quick trip to one of our favorite places in the world: Positano, Italy!

“I am blessed that both children and their families are doing well. My son, Guy, has taken on an exciting and challenging new position with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Guy is now the deputy chief of staff in the Office of Strategy, Policy and Plans, while also serving in the U.S. Army Reserves. His wife, Jess, continues as a school teacher in Arlington and a truly wonderful mother to my granddaughter, Sophia Grace, now 2.5 years old.

“My daughter, Elisabeth, is advancing in her career at The Synergist, a Belgium-based nonprofit NGO that specializes in making societal systems more efficient and complete.

“She and her husband, Andre, are enjoying life in Barcelona, and just added a new member to their family: a very energetic labradoodle named Lima.

“As the weather gets warmer, I am looking forward to the 2025 boating season. This will be my eighth season racing in the lower Chesapeake Bay as a crew member aboard the 37foot sailboat, Coeur d’Alene. Last season, we finished as the Fleet Champion for the Little Creek Racers! We won a number of exciting, close races, sometimes finishing only seconds ahead of the second-place boat! We’re hopeful that we can do it again this year.

“In closing, I hope you received the email with the sad news that our great classmate William ‘Bill’ Reed has passed away.”

We received a very special note from Tom Minneman: “I would like to contribute a fond memory of my Darden classmate Bill Reed.

“Our First Year at Darden, we were in the same study group and Bill was a big help

getting us through that tough year. No doubt his humor and southern charm were a big part of it! And later in life, we each retired to the Charlotte area, and I am so glad we reconnected in our retirement years!”

On behalf of our entire Class, I want to extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to Bill’s family and close friends.

I also want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone for sending Class Notes!

Class of 1981: Take care and stay in touch!

Michael Diefenbach

mike.diefenbach@gmail.com

Mary Van Amburg and Jeb enjoyed Christmas with their kids, kids’ spouses and their first grandchild, Baker. Mary’s stockpiling Delta frequent flier miles with trips to San Francisco, California, to see Baker more.

What do you do when you win a charity auction for a long weekend at a big house in Hilton Head, South Carolina? You invite your Darden classmates to come share it, of course! That’s just what Glenn Crafford did in March. He and Susie were joined by an allstar cast of Catherine Foster, Karen Phillips, Connee Sullivan and Kent, Rick Pfeiffer and Pam, John Reilly and Carrine, and David Kelso and Sara.

Several ’82-ers in this crew reminisced about a similarly great gathering “way back when” in 1982 at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Those were the days!

Pat Partridge is working on a fourth novel bearing the non-cheery title, Martin is Dying

He writes weekly and has published several stories in literary journals and anthologies. One titled “The New Dress” won the Emerald Award from the League of Utah Writers for Best Short Work across all categories and, in late 2023, was published in the U.K. magazine Litro

Pat is visited (and out-hiked) by Ted Lanpher in Sun Valley a few times each year.

David Harrison joined Pat consulting in an advisory group he organized for the Utah Museum of Natural History.

In March, Pat enjoyed a (really tiring) nature tour of Belize.

Pat jokes that he’s been in Utah for almost 22 years and still has only one wife (yeah, we get it).

Bill Huyett and Lauren visited Dave Tew and Margaret last summer in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

This winter, the Huyetts spent three

(Left) Glenn Crafford (MBA ’82) and fellow classmates met in Hilton Head, South Carolina, in March. (Right) Glenn and classmates also enjoyed a beach trip to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, more than 40 years earlier in spring 1982.

Michael Diefenbach (MBA ’82) and Michele with granddaughter Eden

Jon Rubin and Michael Shozer (both MBA ’82) in Patagonia

Mark Casey reports that he is still living in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, which incidentally is going to be the new home of the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027. He is an empty nester with his daughter Caroline living in New York City and managing a private art gallery named Cavin-Morris. His software engineer son lives in Porto, Portugal. Mark continues to enjoy his work in commercial real estate and private equity investing, and is in the process of adopting a dog!

Tom Taylor

tomtaylornj@gmail.com

weeks in India and Sri Lanka, including time there with their 18-month-old grandson.

Bill’s still teaching a strategy elective at Darden, and he’s shifted most of his time to not-for-profit boards, including the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Michael Schozer and Jon Rubin spent over two weeks in Patagonia this January.

Michael is enjoying his two grandkids, two grand-beagles and a grand-mini-sheepadoodle. He and his wife, Adria, do a lot of running — seven marathons in the past two years!

Class scribe Michael Diefenbach and Michele are enjoying time with their six grandkids. Have a great spring and summer, all!

Mitch Bland mitch.bland@cox.net

Thank you to everyone who sent in notes for this edition. I especially enjoyed hearing from some classmates who haven’t checked in for a while. It makes for much more interesting reading for everyone and is much appreciated.

Many of you are still working hard. Bob Barton is exhibit A. Bob writes: “Twelve years ago, after about 30 years in various corporate marketing roles, the last one of which was VP of marketing of the biggest porta-potty company in the world, I took over running our family office. I now see light at the end of the tunnel. I plan to retire in April of ’27. I’m in the throes of succession planning with four generations, and I really wish I had paid more attention to Alex Horniman! The lessons about the importance of OB have really come home to me

post Darden.” Bob, I hope you get a successor soon. I’m sure you deserve it.

Other people are taking it easy. Most unusually, I received a note from the Island of Malta. It turns out Susan Waxter just got there to start a trip from Malta to the town of Ravenna in northern Italy. Earlier this year Susan traveled to Kenya and Tanzania to see “some awesome critters.” The rest of the time she hangs out in Baltimore, Maryland, “enjoying friends, family and other good fun in and around Baltimore.”

Another blast from the past came from Bill Willson, who is now living outside of Charlottesville. Bill writes that he is “retired now after working in five startup businesses, the last of which made it to the finish line with a NASDAQ IPO.” Bill and his wife built their “forever home” in the Charlottesville area so that they could be close to their kids in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area. They recently got together and had a great time with fellow Darden classmates Steve Grimm, Chip Fauver and their wives.

Finally, another world traveler, Julie Fairchild Andrew, touched base. Last year you may recall she and her husband, Andy, made it to Australia, South Africa and Botswana. This year it was Japan and the Panama Canal.

Speaking of those out in the international world, Kim Labuschagne wrote in to say: “I am still living at Westbrook Beach in South Africa and am enjoying my retirement. I have an interest in a hotel in the mountains here, which is keeping me on my toes. I also became a grandfather (twice!) about 18 months ago, which I guess heralds in a whole new era.” Congratulations, Kim!

With all the activity leading up to our class reunion in April, your class secretary lost track of time and waited until the last day to submit notes for our class. There wasn’t time to solicit your contributions but fortunately I was able to pick up many tidbits when many of us were together in Charlottesville. I’m relying on memory instead of the usual stack of your emails, so please forgive me if I’m off base on details. Here goes the lightning round:

Ann (Hahllquist) Taylor hosted our Friday night event at her home, Castle Hill, which has historical significance. You’ll find a Wikipedia page on it, but it doesn’t include the fact that Mike Bray had a wedding reception there.

The long-distance award goes to Wilrich Schroeder and his wife, who spend their time in Malta and South Africa and London and the West Coast. They have four kids. Bryan Smith wins the award for the most UVA attire. He was decked out: hat, pins, even the shoes! Al Bonnyman is a glider pilot. Anita Green lives in St. Simons, Georgia, and we had words about the giant car carrier that flipped over nearby a few years ago.

During the State of the School Address on Saturday morning, Bob Hugin was announced as the winner of the Charles C. Abbott Award, Darden’s highest honor bestowed on a “graduate whose contributions of time, energy and talent are outstanding.” Bob accepted the award with humility and a degree of shock, saying that the School has done so much for him. To make sure he was there to receive the award, Darden staff were placed by the exits; Bob’s wife was there and ready to help keep him in the room for the big announcement. Catherine Edwards made it to reunion, but husband Steve Edwards had to pull out at the

Mary Van Amburg (MBA ’82) with her family at Christmas

Mark Casey (MBA ’83) with his son and daughter on the southwestern coast of Portugal

last moment due to a surprise (and first ever) bout of vertigo. David and Adele Stotler filled me in on their RV, a Winnebago View, which has my eye.

There were a couple surprise appearances: Billy Peebles and Dave Durell were in attendance on Saturday morning during First Coffee.

Beyond Darden Reunion Weekend, it’s good to hear smaller reunions of classmates are taking place. For me, I joined Polly (Glenn) O’Brien and Julie Tysver at Celia (Vlasin) Martin’s home in Dewey Beach, Delaware, this past summer. The weather was perfect and the company even more so.

David and Adele Stotler had multiple classmate connections during an extended period of travel. “Our travel schedule snowballed this summer and fall, which allowed for terrific visits with Darden friends! During a New York City stopover after returning from Sweden and England last May, we traveled to Essex, Connecticut, to visit Tim Ghriskey at his new waterfront home. Tim managed to arrange a mini-reunion with visits from Robert “Memphis” King and Mike Bray. On the trip back to New York City, we enjoyed a nice visit with Susie (Somers) Futter at her family’s lovely tennis and swim club in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, on Long Island. After a few days in Houston, Texas, we headed off for an eight-week, 6,000-mile RV trip out west, which included a visit with Suki (Stone) Carson at their spectacular new home outside Park City, Utah. Another short visit to Houston preceded fall trips to Toronto, Canada, and then four weeks in Barcelona, Spain, for the America’s Cup. We’ll be happy to settle down for a sunbelt winter in Houston!”

Speaking of travel, Anita (Slane) Green and her husband have had a big year. “Shelton and I decided 2024 would be our year to make up for not traveling during the COVID years. We started in February with a trip to Arizona to visit friends in Phoenix and enjoyed a few days in Sedona — one of our favorite places. In April, we went back to Italy to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary since we loved it so much when we were there for our 25th and wanted more time in Sorrento and Siena. In Sorrento, we loved just having more time to explore the town and take a day to tour the Amalfi Coast and visit Positano and Ravello. We spent the day of our anniversary touring Pompeii and climbing Mount Vesuvius (yes, we made it to the top of the crater)! We rewarded

ourselves that evening with a fabulous fresh seafood dinner at Bagni Delfino overlooking the Bay of Naples at the marina in Sorrento. I highly recommend this restaurant if you’re ever there. While in Siena, we enjoyed an incredible food tour, wine tasting in Tuscany and climbed the tower on the Palio (thanks David Stotler for letting us know on Facebook that we could!).

In July, we traveled to Seattle, Washington, and took a cruise to Alaska, visiting Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway plus sailing Glacier Bay and College Fjord followed by two days in Denali and ending with a dome railcar journey to Anchorage. Lastly, we made the trek to Kentucky in October to hit the racetrack for Fall Meet at Keeneland and to replenish our bourbon supply. If anyone finds themselves down on the Georgia coast, our guest room on Saint Simons Island is open! I think we’ll be staying home for a little while. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Charlottesville for our 40th (gasp!) reunion next April!”

It was great to hear from David Johnson with his first update for Darden classmates. “After nearly 40 years in Los Angeles, California (with stops off in New York City, New York, and Hong Kong, China), I moved back east to Connecticut. I’m originally from Long Island. While I love being back east, Long Island did not hold much allure. I have transitioned from partner to of counsel at O’Melveny, which I joined as a lateral partner in 1997. I’m still going into the office in NYC a few days a week but starting to adjust to a different pace of things.”

Despite David’s move from LA, our class still has plenty of representation in California. I think we have around 15 classmates living in the state, so you all should charter a jet or bus to come to reunion. Maybe Stuart Moss can organize, here’s his update: “Things are well in San Clemente. M&A activity is picking up and two client engagements look very promising. Both 20-something sons are working within an hour of town, so we see them regularly (even joining my wife and I on our daily evening walks on the beach and pier). I still find my work on the board of Meals on Wheels very important to helping address food insecurity and isolation among seniors.”

This year’s severe weather was aimed at some of our classmates’ homes. Jamie Totten wrote that he’s “currently recovering from two hurricanes, which hit within miles of my house on Gasparilla Island, Florida, about two weeks

apart.” Bob Reeve shared that they “finally finished renovations on the house we bought in Cashiers, North Carolina. We headed down here on September 18 and arrived just in time for Hurricane Helene. It was a very scary storm here, but we escaped damage despite being surrounded by 100-foot trees. The damage all around here was pretty amazing, and the crews did a great job of getting things back to quasi-normal. We were on a generator for five days, and didn’t get cell or internet service back until after the power came back on. The house is great and our five Berners love it here. We headed back to Leesburg, Virginia, for the winter, but will make a few trips down here between now and July. Our Alaska cruise that was put on hold for COVID is now on track for May/June 2025!”

I’m sure others were impacted by the storms, and I hope you all managed to survive them without too much disruption and damage.

A wonderful career recap and update from Billy Peebles: “After graduating from Darden in 1985, I resumed my career in teaching and administration in independent schools. I had the privilege of serving in several wonderful school communities as head of school: 1. (19851992) Head of School at Powhatan School in Clarke County, Virginia. 2. (1992-2002) Head of School at the Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina. 3. (2003-2018) Head of School at The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Since 2018 and after moving to Richmond, Virginia, I have done four years of interim work in three other schools. My final interim assignment was here in Richmond at the Collegiate School (2022-2024). I am now doing some consulting and am enjoying having more time for family and friends.” In our subsequent email exchange, Billy added “I have always considered myself a teacher first and, throughout my career, I have always taught either American history or religion.”

I mentioned earlier that Suki is in Utah and she’s not the only one in the Beehive State. Here’s news from Roxanne Googin: “Greetings from Utah! Life is good, even post job and kids. I seem to be as busy as ever, these days with Angel deals and politics. I don’t need to go into political parties, because I support both, as long as they are moderate. In a little state like this, one person can have a real impact and there are a lot of creepy things going on behind the curtain, so your time feels well

invested. On the Angel front, I am doing (what else) AI stuff and it is pretty wild. Fasten your seatbelts is all I can say. They expect to create millions of nuclear powered Nobel laureates making major scientific breakthroughs 24x7. Even by 2030, things could be pretty different. On a personal note, Kent and I do the typical annual trip somewhere, then come home to a resort town I really love. That said, I feel for the angry Europeans as the seasonal crowds do get crushing. I get Los Angeles flashbacks, as there are times of day you just ‘can’t get there from here.’ The kids are fine, never a dull moment there. Be well, everybody!”

Naomi Freeman was kind to provide a quick update. She wrote that she’s “still active in Women in International Trade and writing for the podcast Two Minutes in Trade.”

Tom Paine is staying busy as he is now “exercising my board governance skills as president of the Friends of the Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, admittedly less contentious than a for-profit fending off a shareholder activist. As TomTom to seven grandkids, I do color pencil portraits for each for their birthday, plus entertain them when they check into the grandkids’ dorm here. I remain a long-term optimist, short-term events notwithstanding. This nation has been through pivotal moments on a regular basis. Anyone traveling to Boston, Massachusetts, area, reach out!”

Nice to hear from Warren McInteer, who shared: “Suzanne and I spend our time between Delray Beach, Florida; Taos, New Mexico; and Mallorca, Spain, following the sun and the snow. One child is in Denver, Colorado, and the other is in London, United Kindgom. So even though we are not really working, we keep the air miles balance high enough for free upgrades.”

In my request for class notes, I asked for anything that would let the rest of us know that you’re alive and well. It was sobering to get this news from Al Bonnyman: “Tom, ‘alive and well’ is nothing to take for granted. In April, I got an infection while traveling in Switzerland. I went into septic shock and a coma. Jean was told I would die in 24 hours. I was in the ICU for nine weeks and intubated for nine weeks. After that, I was in a rehab hospital for two months. Jean was there for me the whole time. I’m totally recovered. Doctors tell me it was a bona fide miracle. I retired two years

Pat O’Shea, Dan Kipp, Michael Gangemi and Chris Morrissey (all MBA ’86) enjoyed a round of golf together.

Byrne Murphy (MBA ’86) completed a transAtlantic sailing race in December 2024.

ago. We’re enjoying our four grandkids, and we’re both very involved with our churches.” Quite a story and it’s a relief to hear there was a positive outcome. Carpe Diem.

Jeff Griffin jeffreygriffin1926@gmail.com

Francine Tolson: “Life is good! I retired a second time in 2023 (the first retirement lasted only one year). I’ve been traveling internationally and stateside and loving it — food figures prominently in each trip. I went to Cabo San Lucas in Baja California, Mexico, last month, and will go to Sicily, Italy, in October — if there are no fires. I also volunteer, providing rides to (other) seniors who can’t drive to medical appointments or grocery stores. I still live in Northern Virginia outside of Washington, D.C., and am enjoying all that D.C. offers, making it difficult to think about moving away.”

Walt Glazer: “I am retiring as CEO of Escalade (1 April) and am looking forward to spending more time with family (including five grandchildren) and training my new bird dog for the hunting season this fall and winter.”

Scott Williams: “I am actively goofing off here in Tucson, Arizona. Seven years ago, we happily traded Jackson Hole’s cold weather in Wyoming for the southern Arizona desert’s toasty summers. Our daughter graduated as a veterinarian from the University of Arizona this summer and delighted us by entering private practice here, focusing on emergency medicine. It is wonderful to have her nearby. After 14 years, I wound up my time as a senior advi-

sor with BCG’s private equity group. Although I no longer volunteer as a firefighter/paramedic, I still run mass casualty training events for the National Park Service and local emergency organizations. Regular tennis matches keep me active, and losing to Amy keeps me (somewhat) humble.”

Pete Jervey: “I am spending a lot of time in Florida these days and now I am in Eleuthera, Bahamas. It’s tough getting old. I talk to Tom Carruthers and Ruffner Page, who are still in Birmingham, Alabama, occasionally, and Byrne Murphy in Washington, D.C., every now and then.

Byrne Murphy: “My team and I crossed the finish line of a trans-Atlantic sailing race in December 2024. After 14 days at sea, after sailing over 3,000 nautical miles from the Canary Islands (off the west coast of Africa) to St. Lucia (north of Venezuela), we were the first in class to cross the finish line. We raced a new 75-foot catamaran (a McConaghy 75) named JACK. I send this, my first Class Notes ever, only to advertise that there are many adventures, explorations and exciting undertakings that the Class of ’86 would really enjoy and can do. Now more than ever, the rewards can be spectacular. There just needs to be plenty of preparation and a little realism woven into the effort.”

Roy Moore: “I recently retired from Be Strong, a charity my wife and I founded 10 years ago. It was time to pass the baton to a wonderful successor with a heart to serve the mental health needs of children and adolescents across the U.S. I am now actively

ROY MOORE (MBA ’86)

Taking on Bullying With Values

BY CAROLINE MACKEY

When his son became the target of cyberbullying, Roy Moore (MBA ’86) found himself facing a challenge that no amount of business training had prepared him for.

This crisis was one that nearly cost him his son’s life and ignited a mission that would eventually grow into Be Strong, a nonprofit focused on preventing bullying, which now reaches more than 2 million students annually across 4,000 schools nationwide.

Moore, a seasoned entrepreneur and Darden graduate, channeled both personal pain and professional insight into action. “I reached out to organizations that claimed to help,” he recalls. “But most couldn’t tell me the first thing to actually do as a parent.”

So he built something that could.

Be Strong offers evidence-based tools for addressing anxiety, depression, bullying and suicidal ideation, delivered through a peerto-peer model that empowers students to support one another.

“The students already know who’s struggling. They know who’s sitting alone at lunch,” says Moore. “We just give them the tools and structure to take action.”

Backed by Moore’s business acumen and shaped by lessons he first internalized at Darden — listening with intention, leading with integrity, thinking critically while fostering community — Be Strong has become a movement grounded in hope and belonging.

“FAITHFULNESS IS WHEN YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS MATCH. THAT’S WHAT BUILDS TRUST IN ANY ORGANIZATION.

“What people need most is to feel known, loved and that they belong,” he says. “If you can give someone that, you’ve already begun to share a future worth living, thereby saving a life.”

Moore’s story is rooted in values he carried with him from the classroom to the boardroom: integrity, humility, faithfulness and generosity.

“Your integrity can’t be for sale,” he says.

“Faithfulness is when your words and actions match. That’s what builds trust in any organization.”

He has since stepped away from day-to-day operations at Be Strong, but the mission — to bring hope, health and healing to students — lives on.

These days, Moore remains active across several boards and ventures and is exploring a future personal platform focused on faith, leadership and entrepreneurship. But the lessons from Be Strong and from Darden continue to guide his work.

“You don’t have to see eye-to-eye to walk shoulder-to-shoulder,” Moore said. “That’s something I learned at Darden. And it’s something we need more of in the world right now.”

To update your contact information, call +1-434-243-8977 or email

serving on two charity boards and loving it: Come And See (owner, producer, distributor and marketer of The Chosen) and Honey Lake Clinic, a 75-bed residential treatment center for those with mood disorders. While I am still an investor in various commercial pursuits, it’s the charity work that I find most fulfilling. I welcome a chance to break bread or swing a club with my colleagues if in Tahoe, California, during summer or San Diego, California, the rest of the year. I love to hear about the various journeys since Darden.”

Jack McGowan: “Last summer, I hosted Todd Ranke’s nephew, Brian Bienemann, for golf at Baltimore Country Club in Maryland. We had a great time reminiscing about Todd as well as our Lehigh U experiences (both Brian and I attended Lehigh; he was a ‘few’ years behind me). Brian has Todd’s good looks and fun smile. As for an update on the McGowans: after over 40 years in the financial services industry, I retired in 2021. And after a few years golfing, traveling with my wife, Brenna, including regular visits to Nashville, Tennessee (my son John attended Vanderbilt), and Boston, Massachusetts (my daughter Meredith is graduating from Northeastern in May), I felt a need for more purpose in my life. In 2024 I joined the staff of Helping Up Mission (HUM) as a fundraiser for this successful residential addiction recovery program. I knew HUM well from being a donor and volunteer. It’s been a very rewarding and fulfilling experience to give back to the Baltimore community, where we have lived since 2004. Visit HUM’s website at https://helpingupmission.org/.

“On a Darden-related note, my son John was admitted to Darden via the Early Scholars program when he was a senior at Vanderbilt. He is planning on attending Darden in a few years, after earning his Chartered Financial Analyst designation (three-year program). Please look me up if your travels bring you to the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area. There’s plenty of room at the McGowan Inn!”

Pat O’Shea: “I’m still an active investor in a digital health startup in Baltimore called ICmed, and we’re in the commercialization stage. I’m also doing some expert witness consulting focused on securities and capital markets. Socially, I’ve met recently in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with Bonnie Zellerbach, Suellen Blackwood, Bob Motyka and Peter Intermaggio, and visitors are welcome! I also got to-

gether with buddies in Pinehurst for some golf: Dan Kipp, Michael Gangemi, and Christopher Morrissey. All I can say is it’s getting harder to distinguish truths from legends. Cheers!”

Jeff Griffin: “Last but not least, as you can see I have volunteered to take on the class secretary duties from Teresa (Green) Cooper, as 12 years at the helm was above and beyond the call of duty. I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, to be closer to two of my daughters and four grandchildren. In May, I headed south of the equator for a 10-day hiking trip in the Sacred Valley of Peru, which ended at the amazing Machu Picchu site of the Incas. I spent a couple of weeks in the Outer Banks of North Carolina where I keep a house. In September I went out to Utah to hike Arches, Canyonlands, Capital Reef and Zion (where I got to do some repelling!) — all national parks were on my bucket list. An unexpected benefit of moving to Raleigh was finding love again, and in October I married Kris Herzberg. She has two daughters to go with my three, so my life surrounded by estrogen continues unabated.”

Chris Padgett padgett60@gmail.com

I am overwhelmed by the continued support from the Class when I ask (beg) for news a couple of times each year. This edition is no exception, with a few first- and second-time contributors joining the more frequent. And if you responded to my emails, your news is included in this edition of the Class Notes.

You might remember Matt Aaron’s epic tale of procrastination in the last column, having had my email request open on his desktop for nearly a month before responding (after the due date). Matt writes: “This time, I won’t just keep the email open without responding! My wife, Kiki, and I got together with Neville and Karen Smythe for the 2025 Major League Soccer season opener between Charlotte FC and Atlanta in early March. As is becoming an annual event (because Karen’s daughter, Denison, works with Charlotte FC), we got together with Team Smythe for the game and some great catching-up afterwards. What’s great is the conversations are like we saw each other yesterday, but it’s been over a year.”

By the way, Matt was the first responder this time.

First-timer (we both think) Carlos Cervetti writes: “Since I haven’t updated you in a

long, long time (if ever), I will give you a brief overview of what is going on with me. I’ve lived in Northern Virginia since 2008 with my wife, Andree, and my daughter Solene; I moved here after 17 years of working on Wall Street as a currency options trader. I traveled the world for about five years after the financial blow up of 2007, living in France (where my wife is from) and Argentina on and off.

“Since 2013 up to now, I have been working here as a court interpreter helping Spanish-speaking individuals navigate the intricate court/legal system in all proceedings like trials, depositions, immigration court hearings, etc. I love the work and it makes me feel good when my efforts are appreciated by those in need. I have lots of great stories, as you can imagine.

“Regarding hobbies, I will confide that I have become somewhat of a pickleball legend around here (at least in the senior tour), so if anyone you know is in the area and wants to hit a few, just let me know.

“I’m planning trips to Europe this summer, Japan in September and my usual yearly trip to the home country of Argentina in December.”

And here’s a great update from Dave Shanahan: “After completing 22 years of service in the Navy, I transitioned into the corporate world, spending the next 13 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting/IBM, where I spent most my time managing large SAP implementations. After IBM, I shifted my focus to supporting small businesses, helping them navigate and establish business opportunities within the federal sector.

“Now, retired for the past three years, I am

Maryland Grier-Union and Larry Union (MBA ’87)

enjoying a more relaxed pace of life in Bradenton, Florida, during the winters and in the North Carolina mountain town of Highlands in the summer. I spend a great deal of time trying to improve my golf game … a very tough challenge to say the least (SAP implementations were easier). I do enjoy meeting new friends and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with the sport.

“Trish (my wife and MBA ’94) spent three weeks in Italy last spring and will be back there again next year. We love the place. That’s all for now. Our life is easy going and quiet, just the way we like it.”

Having ended her “brief sojourn in the trucking business,” Laura Turner Linkous is focused on bigger things: “Werner Stahlecker and wife, Andrea, are coming to visit in September after dropping their youngest in boarding school in Toronto, Canada. So, they will be learning empty nesting from us! A crash course!

“I’m enjoying board work, volunteer teaching and tennis. We’re traveling a lot to visit family and abroad when we can. We are wondering where people decide to retire — near kids? the ocean? mountains or lakes? How do you decide? Anyone have a great retirement recipe to share? Let me know! That’s all from the land of bourbon and horses. Come visit!”

And from Larry Union: “After six years in Houston, Texas, my wife, Maryland, and I moved to Saint Augustine, Florida, in December of 2023. This move is hopefully the last as we are now closer to the kids and grandkids (in Fort Myers, Florida, and Columbia, South Carolina). We recently finished building our new home and we are settling in. I am no longer retired. You can find me in the ladies’ shoe department at Dillard’s in Jacksonville, Florida, utilizing all the sales and marketing skills from Darden as a shoe salesman. It keeps me busy and helps with furnishing our home. Of course she didn’t want to keep any of the old furniture.

“Coincidently, about a year ago, I started a part-time outfitter job (selling shoes, gear, and nutrition) at our local Fleet Feet running store. I had never worked retail, so I’ve learned (I think!) a new skill. Plus, I get lots of free running shoes and everything else at a discount, and I’m working with a bunch of terrific (and younger) people.”

Avid runner Dave Morris admitted he is “guilty of blowing you off on just about all of your requests for Class Notes in the past.” Chris: you are making up for it now! We’ll have

a family update from him in the next issue of Class Notes.

Kemp Dolliver writes: “I have seen or spoken with Nick Microulis, Charles Magolske, Michel Denarie, Greg Meyding, Joe Tyler and Seth Barnes about various healthcare business-related topics. I am still publishing investment research on healthcare companies, so ping me if you want to get in the loop. There is always something new and interesting here. Art O’Keefe and I regularly text about UVA/ Harvard athletics and other topics, which is entertaining.

“And I still get to Charlottesville twice per year for events at the McIntire School. I occasionally see Adelaide King when she has time between classes and other activities. They are opening a new building and starting the program in the second year instead of third year because employers are offering summer internships earlier to lock in future hires. It will be good to be a college graduate over the next few years because demand will exceed supply!”

Many of us are in the midst of retiring or getting acclimated to it. Here’s an update from Courtney Turner that might give some ideas for this phase of life: “I happily left the Foreign Service after 25 years and have been enjoying travel and volunteering ever since. I love to reap a second summer by visiting the southern hemisphere or warmer areas during our winter. I started with Italy and followed with a great hiking trip in Chile and Argentina. I visited friends serving in Tunisia and saw much of Morocco too. I toured around Thailand en route to friends in Cambodia, and then finished in Vietnam. In 2024, I hiked the Camino Portugués up the coasts of Portugal and Spain to the cathedral in Santiago, Spain.

“My first adventure of 2025 just concluded with two months in New Zealand. While I enjoyed each trip, New Zealand is a jewel. Each part is more beautiful than the last and you can hike, swim, kayak or ski depending on the season. When in the U.S., I volunteer as a tutor, garden educator and handyman for my elderly house. Life is good, and I’ve enjoyed seeing Darden friends along the way. Sending best wishes to all with encouragement to get out and play!”

Speaking of really retiring, this from Bob Strickland: “After 37 years with Coca-Cola, I retired June 2023. I was doing some full-time consulting with Coke over the last 16 months,

but now it looks like I am really retired. So, my focus now is on the pickleball and tennis leagues where I play, and trying to rediscover a golf game. And, when not playing tennis or pickleball, I still do a little real estate development on the side.”

Dick Dahling chimes in that, for him: “The retire/un-retire/retire trilogy is now complete. We are currently in Florida for a week and then back to New York to continue to work on what retirement looks like.”

Joel Mangham (happily) weighs in, too: “I finally retired! I was running a small endowment management firm, which became less competitive as endowments began to favor larger firms. Growing was not in the cards, so I merged with a larger wealth manager, focusing on families. I spent at least five years trying to figure this one out! At any rate, 2024 was my last year on a paycheck. Sudden retirement feels a little weird, but I am so glad to be moving on! No lack of new projects.

“We’re still on our farm, the same place we moved to after graduation. Here I will admit that we are a tad eccentric: the house is only 1,000 square feet and has no central air or heat. Unless you are farm-obsessed, there is no need for being envious! Michele and our two boys, Andy and Joey, are all fine. I’m also chair of the Miller School (a wonderful Hogwarts-like school west of Charlottesville). I don’t run into Darden classmates too much, which is why I so look forward to our 40th Reunion!”

Last year was also a year of change for Tony Smith: “The big news on our front is that after over 15 years of hard work and fun pur-

Teri Oechsle Frankiewicz (MBA ’87) and Chuck Frankiewicz walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

To update your contact information, call +1-434-243-8977 or email alumni@darden.virginia.edu

suing our passion of growing grapes and making wine, we sold Afton Mountain Vineyards in May of last year. We are enjoying the extra time to spend with kids and grandkids and travel a little bit more. We are still loving living here in Charlottesville/Afton. We are fortunate that our son, Hunter (born during our First Year at Darden), his wife and our two grandchildren (ages 11 and 13) also live in Charlottesville. And our daughter, Tyler (born during our second year at Darden), and her husband and our other two grandkids (ages 2 and 5) also live in Charlottesville.

“We are looking forward to a trip to Quebec, Canada, in June and Scotland in September. I am still enjoying teaching part time at Darden. I have over 100 students in my real estate classes currently between the full-time program and a course in the executive MBA program up in Rosslyn, Virginia. The students are so impressive!”

Reggie Lathan, who retired 13 years ago, remains very active as chair of the board of OTOXO Productions, a documentary film

company based in Barcelona, Spain, and as president of Full Court Press Olive Oil, which sources olives from their family farm. Reggie writes: “We are enjoying an uncomplicated life in a small and ancient fishing village on the Mediterranean Sea. Our daughter and her family moved to our beloved Begur, Spain, during the pandemic as they were working remotely in New York, and now do so from Spain.

“Werner Stahlecker and his family continue to be integral to our Europe adventures as we vacation with them regularly. Their sons come to Spain with friends and without their parents to enjoy the Spanish sun.

“Next month we will be vacationing with Scott Gregory in Cortana, Italy. Scott has made his way to Spain at least five times in the last 15 years. Laura Turner Linkous, Frank Burkitt, Paul Dougall and Tomas Muleta have also visited our small pueblo. For the last 15 or so years, I have been a guest lecturer at Darden’s Second Year class, ‘General Managers Taking Action,’ which was formerly taught by Professor John Colley and is now taught by

Jacqueline Doyle.”

Not yet retiring, Dave Page is currently a vice president at GovCIO, a mid-size government contractor. Dave writes: “I live in Culpeper County, Virginia, and recently made several trips to Charlottesville to get a new kidney. I really appreciate the quality of care at the UVA hospital. This summer I am planning my first long international trip in a decade, taking a cruise around Denmark and Norway and soaking up the Viking culture (I may have read too many Viking novels). I still plan to work for several more years as I am enjoying my work, which merges my engineering and business expertise.”

Okay, one more retirement update, to close out the Notes.

Teri Oechsle Frankiewicz gleefully writes: “I retired! After a privileged 32 years with the Crown Family here in Chicago, Illinois, I hung up my spurs on 3 March. I’m grateful that they put up with me for that long, running their land development and investment portfolio.

“My husband of 30 years, Chuck (another that has graciously put up with me), and I took

off for France and Spain, and we are hiking the Camino de Santiago. We hope to finish the 500 miles near the beginning of May and are heading to Portugal thereafter … and not hiking for a while.

“I think this is the first time since leaving Darden that I’ve been more than two and a half weeks away from work. I must say, it feels marvelous! And what a treat not knowing when we will be returning.”

As always, thanks for the participation and contributions. Those classmates we haven’t heard from in a while, please don’t be bashful! Everyone wants to know what you’ve been up to and what you have planned next. Keep those updates and photos coming!

Champe Fisher champe59@gmail.com

During February, Gerald Hensley led a contingent of ’89ers on a tour to his home country of New Zealand. Accompanying him on this adventure were Rooney and Barbara DeButts, Ellen and John Parsons, John and Monica Bridgforth, Audrey Hensley, Vince Hockett and Colleen Kelleher (MBA ’88), along with myself and Anne. The group initially gathered in Martinborough, Gerald’s hometown, to tour local vineyards and sample world class wines, attend horse races, and enjoy a wonderful dinner at Gerald’s beautiful family home at Kahu Vineyard. After several days in the Martinborough area the group split up to visit different parts of New Zealand’s spectacular landscape. Activities included a three-day trek on the world famous Routeburn track, exploration of the equally beautiful Milford and Kepler tracks, and a memorable overnight cruise through Doubtful Sound in Fjordland National Park. While on Doubtful Sound, the group pulled lobster traps, caught a delicious assortment of local fish and enjoyed the fruits of their labors for dinner that evening. For the finale in Queenstown, there was bungee jumping (aka the Nevis Swing), fly fishing and powerboat rides. Thank goodness the weather cooperated for the entire trip! As an additional note, on their way home, John and Monica had the good fortune of dining with Thomas Amann and his wife, Rongie, in Auckland, New Zealand. Thomas sends his regards to his classmates.

Steve Stradtman writes that he and his wife Jennifer are in Nashville, Tennessee, and

having a great time raising their twins, age 9, and spending time also with two grandchildren. Jennifer’s company was acquired by DreamFinders Homes in 2024 and she leads land acquisitions in the Nashville area. Keeping up with the international pilgrimage to Nashville by so many people keeps her quite busy.

The Stradtmans have become founding members at McLemore in the Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, area. They highly recommend checking out this emerging diamond in the rough. This beautiful emerging golf destination is a two-hour drive from Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama.

In their spare time, they launched a collection of Patchmaster franchises in middle Tennessee that help people complete nasty drywall repair and associated paint jobs.

Bill McGahan checked in to say he spent the last three-and-a-half years living in a Puerto Rico community called Dorado, which is about half an hour west of San Juan. He says the island life is nice and he spends time on the weekends going to other islands around the Caribbean. During the week Bill teaches a class at the local university. He says his Darden classmates might find it funny to hear that he is a college professor! But, rest assured, he says, he is on the lookout every day for sky deck shenanigans!

Ralph Stow provided the following update: He and his wife Linda were married in June 2024, and they honeymooned for a month in Africa. They moved to Lake Kiowa, Texas (about an hour north of Dallas), in a gated lake and golf course community and purchased a house — which they have been remodeling for 10 long months. They hope to move in the first part of April. Professionally, Ralph divested the last of his operating roles in 2024 and still serves on a few boards of prior portfolio companies. He is still actively engaged in oil and gas and real estate investing, albeit between golf games and hanging out with Linda. Please keep the notes coming and stay well.

Heather McGrew, Steve Silbiger heatherjmcgrew@gmail.com, silbigers@gmail.com

On a lovely weekend in Charlottesville in late April, close to 50 of our classmates, along with some of their partners, met up for our first reunion as a class since

2015. If you were in attendance, it was great to see you. If you weren’t able to make it, please know that you were missed.

As our Class of 1990 is 35 years out of school, we are mostly occupying a liminal space. A very trendy word used now a days. As a point of learning, a liminal space means being between one phase or place and another. It is usually accompanied by uncertainty and unease but also possibly and excitement for what’s to come. Our classmates by and large are in that space. Newly retired or thinking about it, downsizing, moving, assuming the roles our parents once held, empty nesting, building new or exiting older relationships, you get what I mean. Our Friday night class party was filled with those stories. Yep, even Ozempic stories too.

The Friday night party was well attended by our classmates and partners at the Oakencroft Farm & Winery in the Charlottesville countryside. Dorothy Batten was our host in her winery’s modern Tasting Room and entertaining space. Thanks, Dorothy, for hosting! The group was serenaded by a UVA acapella group and entertained by our invited teachers, Sam Bodily, Ed Freeman and Uncle Ken. There was a lot of energy for reconnecting and catching up and we didn’t get a lot of pictures that night, but we hope to add some of the photos by the Darden photographer to our class on line gallery. Per urban legend, it was our class that first began that Friday night class party tradition at the school. When we graduated, we needed neutral ground for our classmates who had mixed emotions about the school, you

Class of 1989 alumni were hosted by Gerald Hensley at his home in New Zealand.

To update your contact information, call +1-434-243-8977 or email alumni@darden.virginia.edu

know who you are, and we wanted to throw as wide a net as possible for the reunion.

Earlier in the day Friday there were various events on the Darden grounds. There was a case study about AI, it is the rage you know, and other breakout sessions. The Darden grounds has added a swank hotel called the Forum Hotel, not cheap to stay there, and a beautiful contemplative nature walk experience behind it, where once was a drainage ditch.

Paul Pliakas and I (your scribe Steve Silbiger) visited the law school to visit our old classrooms, just to get a perspective of how far the school has come. Yes, from a distant B-school rank climber (you may remember in 1990 Business Week ranked Darden as the 14th best business school in the country and described us as “the boot camp of business schools”) Darden has become a solid top 10 institution.

Saturday had a morning coffee and nosh, followed by the state of the school speech by Dean Beardsley. Afterward some went to the Foxfield horse races in the afternoon. Some played golf. Paul, his lovely wife, Jean, and I went to the downtown mall to lunch at a luchador café and to visit Heather Heyer Way off the mall, the scene of a horrific 2017 attack. Charlottesville has a long history of both good and bad like any other city.

Darden hosted the formal class dinner Saturday evening at the new Forum Hotel. We missed the rain and it was held outside, although a bit windy (Heather’s note: HA! Gale force winds.). In addition to the other faculty invited, Dean Emeritus Bob Bruner made the rounds with us. As the wind picked up, we headed inside for an all-classes after party. The weekend raced by all too quickly without enough time to catch up with everyone we wanted to talk to.

Post reunion, we received numerous updates from classmates.

Paul Pliakas shared that the 2025 reunion was the first time he had been to Charlottesville since 2010, and it was great to be back. Paul wrote that his only regret from the Reunion Weekend, was that he didn’t have more time to talk with several of our classmates who he saw through the corner of his eye but did not get to really talk with.

After working in consumer and retail marketing in Wisconsin and Minnesota for a total of six or seven jobs over 22 years, in 2012, Paul moved back to Providence, Rhode Island,

to open a small business and be closer to kids who both moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to go to college. He is the owner/operator of a Liberty Tax franchise in the Providence area; they just finished up their 15th tax season. It’s developed into an interesting business and they enjoy working with long-time, repeat customers and clients.

Paul and Jean’s kids are in their 30s now and both are extremely independent and hard-working. Paul shared, “Our kids remain one of the main joys in our lives. Jean and I look forward to celebrating our 40th anniversary in October, and the Liberty franchise is our main occupation. We have a lot of scheduling and work flexibility after 15 April every year. For anyone in our class who is near the Boston area — outside of tax season — please give me a call when you are in the area; we could get coffee, lunch, or dinner.”

Sanjiv Nayyar attended the reunion with his son Sahil as his guest. Everyone assumed that Sahil was a current Darden student or recent alumnus and he was peppered with questions about being a B school student in 2025. Sahil handled the questions graciously and corrected the record that he was not a current student but was hanging out with his dad for the weekend before starting a new job as a software engineer at Meta in Menlo Park, California. Sahil was thrilled to meet our own Steve Silbiger. He had read Steve’s book, Ten Day MBA, during his gap year back in 2016. At the reunion, Steve was kind enough to sign and give Sahil the only copy of the latest edition of the book he was carrying. Who knows … after a weekend on Grounds, Darden may have a future Executive MBA candidate in the making.

Phyllis Doig joined us for the reunion and very generously took the time to take photos and set up an online photo gallery (if you didn’t receive the link for it, please reach out to Heather who can send it to you). In recent years Phyllis has been working with Oracle Cloud SCM suite of applications, enjoying the consultative aspects while still being hands-on with the applications, as that is what she’s always loved doing. Beyond work, Phyllis enjoys travels, volunteering with her town’s trails club, and hosting international graduate students who come to Boston. Phyllis wrote, “After 15 years of hosting, however, the program at BU is ending, so I will be looking to make changes — even considering a move, so DC/Virginia

alumni I may tap you for advice! And I do apologize for missing many of you with the event photos; please come again, and I will be sure to snap your photo! In the meantime, if you are in the Boston area, come visit me in Hopkinton and I would be happy to take you for a walk on one of our many hiking trails.”

Sean Darby and his wife Patty were able to join us for the party at Dorothy’s on Friday night. Sean is splitting his time between Baltimore, Maryland, where he is transitioning out of leading his elevator maintenance building business, Allsafe Elevator Inspections, which he recently sold, and Charlottesville, where he and Patty are setting up their new home base.

Mark Lamarre retired after 33 years postDarden, in banking and capital markets roles. He and his wife, Vicky, moved from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Kennebunkport, Maine, a few years ago to pursue life in the slow lane. They have six (yes, six — emphasis his) daughters, who live in New York, Los Angeles and Boston. They were overjoyed to become grandparents, twice, in the past year! Mark and Vicky are both volunteering with not-forprofit organizations, and finding it challenging and rewarding. They run into Darden classmates Bill Maner, Ira Green, Alex Ware, Scott Gakenheimer, Tim Portland, Noell Michaels, Reenst Lesemann, Tim Gould and others from time to time. Mark writes, “Winters in Maine are proving to be not a lot of fun, but we have been travelling to escape. I enjoyed catching up with many classmates at the recent reunion; thanks for hosting all of us on our beautiful new campus.”

Speaking of Noell, he sent a note that he and Meg had a fantastic time both nights of the reunion. Meg still has her staging business, Albemarle Staging and Design, and works with numerous realtors she adores in Charlottesville. She really enjoys it and has a sharp Instagram game (which Noell admits he does not have). Noell is retired, but is keeping busy with duties and with staying connected with friends in the local Mountain Biking Club, a broader group of local Veterans, and with their far too dispersed yet close family in five different places.

Noell and Meg’s son, Thorne, and his wife, Erica, live in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and they are raising two young daughters. Thorne is at HarbourVest in Direct Co-Invest and Erica is with Insight Global doing tech recruiting.

Their daughter, Caroline, and her partner Cameron Gibbs (MBA ’21), live in Houston. Caroline works for Spotify on the Ringer podcast team. Noell shares that retiring has been a great transition and rewarding so far.

Sallie and Reenst Lesemann were a last-minute cancellation for reunion activities for a very happy reason. They were welcoming their new grandchild into the world.

David Feinbloom also had to miss the reunion for celebratory reasons. He was in Columbus, Ohio, for the weekend to attend his son’s graduation from veterinary school. His son’s next stop is the University of Florida for a 13-month internship. David’s daughter graduated from college last May and has been at Bank of America in Charlotte since August. His family will be celebrating both graduations and his and Lisa’s 30th anniversary with a family trip to Greece. David and Lisa are still enjoying working and, he writes, “will someday join the list of people retiring.”

Again, for those who were able to join the parties, it was great to see you. For those of you who were unable to attend, we hope to see you at our 40th reunion!

Your humble scribes, Heather and Steve

Laurel Peltier laurel77@comcast.net

An update from Alan Goldblatt: “I am proud to report that my daughter Allison is a Darden First Year in Section D! My wife, Tina, and I continue to live in Northern Virginia. Our oldest son works at the U.S. Treasury and our youngest son is pursuing a master’s of social work at Michigan. I’m really enjoying my time as CFO at National Cooperative Bank (NCB) in Arlington. For over 20 years, our family has been fostering rescue kittens.”

Asli K. Eksioglu asli@aslieksioglu.com

George Collins released his latest single, “New Way,” on 21 March 2025. This timely, edgy rocker is the kickoff track for an album of 14 new original songs titled “New Ways of Getting Old.” This release follows the successful releases of his previous albums, “It’s Been a Long Time” (2022), “Songs for Grownups” (2024) and “Acoustic Versions” (2025).

George is also putting the finishing touches on his first novel, Playing the Changes, a

jazz-infused love story that will be published later this year and for which he has already written a screenplay that is a finalist in several international competitions. You can keep up with George’s various creative pursuits on his website, https://georgecollins.com. George and his family divide their time between Prague, Czech Republic, and Key West, Florida.

Laura Curran, Rebecca Kilduff, May Ng lauracurran@me.com, beccaindc@gmail.com, ngmay2000@yahoo.com

Sandy Coburn sends this update: “Our youngest graduated from college last spring, but somehow the revolving door of kids returning home keeps spinning. So, currently our oldest is chez nous working on a startup idea in esports. (If you’re in that space and have time, give a shout.) That said, I’m now trying to join my husband, Chris, in his ongoing travels, as his work/advisory/ speaking continues to take him around the globe. Last year I made my first foray into Asia — Vietnam and Taiwan — and fell in love with both. This spring we headed to India, Estonia, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

“As we seem to be saying more and more at our age and in these topsy-turvy times, no time like the present to take advantage of these opportunities. The one thing I need to do better at is looking to track down classmates in these spots. So, consider yourself forewarned! And likewise, holler if you find yourself in Washington, D.C.!”

Laura Curran is teaching organizational behavior at Cal State Long Beach with 100 students via Zoom. It is a big switch from in-person, but a fun challenge.

Greg Ergenbright is in his third year as the CEO of private equity-backed OWL Services, and enjoying life in Savannah, Georgia. He encourages classmates to please reach out if you are in the area!

Ken Good and Yoichi Tamura recently had a fantastic reunion in Japan, reconnecting after more than three decades. Yoichi reported: “While Ken and I were not just study group partners but also close friends during our time at Darden, this was our first time meeting in Japan. We caught up in Hakuba, a renowned ski resort, where we reminisced about the past, shared updates about our families, and exchanged stories about our fellow classmates.

“Our conversation extended far beyond personal updates — we delved into discussions about U.S. and Japanese politics, international affairs, history and future global trends. It was a stimulating and thought-provoking exchange, reminding us of the depth of our Darden connections.

“As we parted, we talked about the possibility of meeting again, perhaps in Colorado. Hopefully, our next reunion won’t be another 30 years away!” At this rate, Ryo and Yoichi are responsible for multiple mini-reunions in Japan!

Tory Johnston shared: “Jan and I continue to enjoy life on Lookout Mountain (outside Chattanooga, Tennessee) with three married children and seven grandchildren. Two of our three (Ben and Jan) and their families live

George Collins (MBA ’92) released an album of 14 new original songs titled “New Ways of Getting Old.”

Greg Ergenbright (MBA ’93) and family in Savannah, Georgia

here; our oldest son, Hill, and his family are in Atlanta, Georgia, 90 minutes away. I hope to finish out the work part of my career at MoonPie, where I continue to lead sales and marketing. Jan volunteers regularly and is a very busy grandmother. We both send our very best to all of our Darden classmates! It seems like yesterday I carried Hill and Ben across the graduation stage. Wow, how time flies.” Editor’s note: Laura remembers babysitting Tory and Jan’s oldest child when we all interned at Microsoft.

Ryo Kanayama updates us: “After a 17year stint in the corporate world, first with Walmart and then with Deloitte, I returned to FleishmanHillard last April and have run its Japan operations as president since then. I am enjoying the chaotic nature of PR/communications agency businesses very much, though it is tougher for a man of 60 years old.

“To maintain my mental and physical

health, I have continued to go to a yoga class on a weekly basis, which is a habit I acquired in C’ville, where I went to the Integral Yoga class held on the second floor of its natural food store every Sunday morning. What a good, old memory from my C’ville life.”

Matt Lowry shared: “I attended the 30th Reunion in May 2023 and truly enjoyed it. My wife (Samantha, an OB/GYN) and I live in Boston, Massachusetts, and we have three awesome kids who still keep us busy. I am currently a pulmonary medicine physician practicing mainly outpatient, working for Mass General Brigham.

“For about ten years, up until the pandemic, I was chief medical officer at Norwood Hospital, a community hospital in Norwood, Massachusetts. This hospital was destroyed in a natural disaster in June 2020 and so I moved back to full time clinical, which I really love and will be the final phase of my career.

“My extracurricular passion is guitar, and I have been working for two years with a professional who has pushed me to play better each week. I am sending good wishes to all of the Class of ’93, which I am so proud to be a part of.”

Donna McAleer reports: “Vince Bowen made a surprise visit to Park City, Utah, and I enjoyed making several turns with him at Deer Valley. Vince, Ted Forbes and I met for a quick chat in the rental shop. Donna and Ted both work at Deer Valley.

“In May 2024, Bicycle Collective celebrated the grand opening of our New Hub and Headquarters. This dream was nearly 10 years in

the making. This New Hub is the launchpad to increase our impact throughout Utah, accept more donated bikes to refurbish, give more bikes to people in need, keep more unwanted bikes out of landfills by recycling materials properly, and offer revamped community education.

“We fully funded this $6 million construction through a combination of equity and debt financing. This chic, hip, and functional new Hub and State Headquarters on the 9 Line is a reality because of many who have invested in us and provided more than half of the capital to build this.

“Cycling is not just a fun activity, it’s a great way to promote a healthy lifestyle, reduce pollution, and improve public safety. Our work in providing independent transportation in meeting everyday needs is an integral part of the homeless services provider community and essential to building a bridge to self-reliance.

“We often meet our clients when they are most vulnerable; our focus is on human kindness and being both human and kind by rebuilding bikes and building communities.”

Roy Perticucci reports: “I am wrapping up my third year as CEO at Allegro. Allegro is Europe’s largest native marketplace (about $11 billion GMV). It’s gone very well (I was rated as the third ‘most value accretive CEO for 2024’ in Poland), but I am ready to reclassify myself as semi-retired. My last child (of four) graduates in June, so I will soon be free! I will be moving to Munich, Germany, by the end of the year to join my girlfriend, Lisa, who lives there. Over the past 18 months I was lucky to see Meredith and Todd Bolon in Prague,

Ken Good and Yoichi Tamura (both MBA ’93) reconnected in Japan.

Tory Johnston (MBA ’93) and family in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee

Donna McAleer, Vince Bowen and Ted Forbes (all MBA ’93) met in the ski rental shop at Deer Valley in Utah.

Ryo Kanamara (MBA ’93) says he maintains mental and physical health with weekly yoga.

Czech Republic, and host them at my house in Ibiza, Spain. Chris Haga and Ken Good came all the way to Warsaw, Poland, last summer. I am looking forward to a motorcycle tour through the Dolomites and Apennines in Italy with other Darden classmates this June.”

Marcia Muller shared: “All is going well despite politics and hiccups in the economy. But we end up learning to live with all that. As for me, I’m not sure if I am retired or just on another sabbatical since I feel banking is still ticking me along. But as time kicks in, hiring gets harder. In the meantime, I am working on my swimming skills on open water (a great way to be close to nature). I’m still on my 5Ks but working to do something more aggressive. I’m also spending lots of quality time with my furry baby girls.” This is Marcia’s first contribution to the Class Notes; it’s so great to have it.

Tamara Harvey de Dios, Kathryn Welsh Thompson tamaradedios@yahoo.com, kthompson@girlsontherun.org

Let’s start this edition with a warm welcome to Kathryn Thompson, who is joining me as our co-class secretary! She played a key role in planning our reunion last spring, so I couldn’t help but hit her up for a bigger volunteer role. This is great news for our class; you’ll have a new perspective for these Class Notes.

Kathryn writes: “Thank you, Tamara. I look forward to using the Class Notes as a reason to stay in touch and not wait another five years before emailing everyone about the reunion (save the date for April 2029). I have had a

slow start to this first edition, which I attribute to my recent sabbatical, so we are going to lean in to Facebook posts for our updates this time.

“One interesting fact about me: I had a six-week sabbatical this past fall earned after 10 years at Girls on the Run. If anyone is interested in implementing a sabbatical policy at their organization, feel free to contact me. After returning, I worked for about a week before saying, ‘Hey, I think I will take even more PTO’ and enjoyed a long weekend with Chris Howe at Rhona Wendler’s home in Kiawah, South Carolina, a trip that has become almost an annual tradition.

“When she’s not hosting friends at her home, Rhona Wendler may take the prize for her amazing travel adventures. She and her husband, Chip, are literally globe-trotters as they chalked up a safari in Africa, luxury cruises, cross-country travel with their camper and staycations to explore fun locales close to home. Rhona was named a Top Producer by McCabe World Travel for 2024 and in February she was awarded the status of Virtuoso Cruise Icon. Seek her out to help plan your upcoming bucket list travels!”

David Richardson and his wife, Towns, sent us a note about their Great Loop adventure: “We recently completed the Great Loop on our boat. Doug Fletcher traveled with us in 2023 and 2024. We also had the following on the boat at various locations: Robert and Daryl Lubin in Jersey City, New Jersey; Bob Amos in Chicago, Illinois; Mark Riser in Oyster Bay in Long Island, New York; and Doug Kirkman in Charleston, South Carolina. Voyager

has officially earned Gold Looper status after completing her journey over a period of 24 months.

“Our crew, David and Towns Richardson of Louisville, Kentucky, and our dog Rugby started 24 October 2022 from Green Turtle Bay Marina, Lake Barkley, Kentucky, and we completed our journey 12 September 2024. Our route was 6,700 statute miles of beautiful rivers, canals, lakes, waterways, oceans and bays, all of which offered something interesting and unique. We traveled down the inland rivers and around the Florida Keys, up the St. Johns River to Jacksonville, Florida, and up the Potomac River to Washington, D.C.

“We stored the boat on the Eastern Shore of Maryland near Oxford in the fall of 2023 after spending the summer on the Chesapeake Bay. We resumed in May of 2024 and took another side trip to see Long Island Sound and our three kids in New York City. We turned around at Mystic, Connecticut, before heading up the Hudson to Montreal, Canada, via Lake Champlain. Our two months in Canada on the Richelieu, Chambly Canal, St. Lawrence, Ottawa River, Rideau, Trent–Severn, Georgian Bay and North Channel were particularly special and fulfilling. We completed 138 locks during our 133 days on our 46-foot, 2006 Grand Banks Europa.

“While we spent most nights in marinas or on Parks Canada walls, we also spent some of our best nights at anchor in beautiful and remote locations. While we are happy to have completed the Great Loop, we already miss the daily challenge and accomplishment, the

Marcia Muller (MBA ’93) enjoys swimming in open water to be close to nature.

Kathryn Thompson, Chris Rowe and Rhona Wendler (all MBA ’94) went on a girls weekend trip in November 2024.

Mark Riser and Peter Vu (both MBA ’94)

camaraderie and especially the friendships experienced during our amazing two-year adventure of a lifetime.”

Another great reason to travel is for athletic competitions. Chris Matt traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, where he continued his winning streak in fencing. On 6 January, he won silver and bronze medals for the National Championships. He was honored to be named a fencer of the year for 2024 (Veteran 60). His next competition is in April in Los Angeles, California. We wish him the best of luck!

For a Florida-based adventure, you can rely on Cliff Farrah’s wife Kim and their Laurel Hill Farm venue for weddings and private events. We hear that the property is spectacular, and they also host some amazing events for the public!

Please continue to share your news about travel, accomplishments, meetups with classmates and any other news to help keep us connected. Every day on this Earth is precious and we love hearing from you.

We’ll close this set of Notes with deep sadness as we share the news of the passing of our dear classmate Sanjeev Sehgal on 24 December 2024, after a valiant fight with cancer. Sanjeev was a cherished member of the Darden family, known for his kindness, intelligence, and the soft-spoken, positive energy he brought to every interaction. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. As we remember Sanjeev, our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to his family, especially his wife, Harsha, and daughters Purvi and Jahnvi. A memorial service was held on 3 January in Chandler, Arizona.

Khalid Azim was a dear friend of Sanjeev, and he shared a loving tribute about Sanjeev’s journey (shortened for our Notes here from the full version shared previously through email with our Class):

“Sanjeev was raised in India by a devoted family who valued education. He immigrated to the United States with just a suitcase and $100, demonstrating bravery and resilience. Sanjeev received multiple graduate degrees from prestigious institutions, including Darden and the London School of Economics. Sanjeev embodied resilience throughout his professional life, excelling as an M&A consultant, quantitative specialist, technology advisor, strategic thinker, financial guru, entrepreneur and visionary. His intellect and hard work

earned him a position on his company’s board of directors and led him to spearhead a $340 million deal with Goldman Sachs just two months before his passing.

“Sanjeev was a devoted husband to Harsha and a loving father to Purvi and Jahnvi. His two children are the manifestation of his lifelong sacrifices and commitment. Sanjeev always spoke of how proud he was of them. Sanjeev just turned 60 years old before he passed away. The cutting short of his life is a terrible tragedy because he had so much to give and was full of so much love. He and I would regularly fight about whose turn it was to make tea for everyone, and out of that we shared a nickname for over 30 years, ‘Chaiwala.’ This means the ‘tea person’ in Hindi. We would start most of our phone calls and emails referring to each other as Chaiwala. So, to the eternal spirit and soul of my dear Chaiwala friend, I say to you that I love you very much and it is my turn to make the tea. I promise to serve it to you one day.”

Nene Spivy, Gina Merritt nspivy@aol.com, gmerritt@nreuv. com

Many thanks are due to our awesome reunion committee that made our first reunion in 10 years spectacular, led by co-chairs Ariel Eckstein and Teresa Epperson and many others who joined the committee to encourage a great turn out from the Class of 1995! Gathering together in Charlottesville felt all the more sweet after missing our last reunion due to the pandemic.

Highlights of the weekend included a Friday night reception at Jack Bocock’s family home, where we enjoyed great company and gorgeous views of the Shenandoah as well as a wonderful Saturday afternoon at the lovely home and garden of Dan and Leslie Gregg The Darden Grounds have grown even more impressive over the past decade with the addition of the Forum Hotel and surrounding botanical gardens. It’s hard to imagine a more perfect venue for a weekend of gathering and celebrating with multiple restaurants, bars and garden settings throughout the hotel area. By our next reunion — it’s never too early to plan for April 2030 — we will likely see many new buildings for Darden student housing and additional gardens and trails, now under construction. Classmates got all the good

Jack Bockock (MBA ’95) hosted the Class of 1995 for dinner on Friday night of reunion weekend.

out of Darden and Charlottesville on reunion weekend, from early morning runs to the Rotunda, attending Foxfield, dining at gourmet Exxon and Bodos, and much more.

Shout out to Van Wishard who keeps our DMV-area classmates well connected with happy hours multiple times each year. Van couldn’t make the reunion due to a family conflict, so he organized a prereunion happy hour at the Caboose in Vienna, Virginia, the week prior. Van was joined by Ajay Laheri, Brad Macomber, Pam Silberman, Jennifer McDowell, and Art and Nene Spivy.

Speaking of prereunion meet-ups, Ajay Laheri and Jay Baumohl, along with their wives Seema and Diana, caught up with each other in St. Louis, Missouri, in March as the Laheris were helping their son move back to Virginia from his medical internship.

Dave Couture sends his best wishes to the Darden network. He was sorry to miss the reunion due to family and work conflicts, but he shared that he and Karla are still living in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. They are now empty nesters as their kids are off finding their own pathways. Karla is entering her second year of quasiretirement and still contributes a lot to the local education system, and Dave is approaching 30 years with Deloitte in August.

Jeff Trump and his family have had a busy year with their daughter, Liz, graduating with her master’s degree in Cardiff, Wales. After completing her coursework and dissertation, she was married in a castle outside of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a beautiful venue,

complete with bagpipes and owls to deliver the wedding bands! Now, she and her new husband live in Ireland. They are planning more travel in the year ahead and enjoying opportunities to see more of this beautiful world.

Nene Spivy celebrated a major professional milestone with the recent groundbreaking of the new Northern Virginia Science Center, a $100 million-plus project and a public-private partnership. She and three other Darden grads — Jill McNabb (MBA ’99), Amy Burke (MBA ’02) and Keith Krut (EMBA ’13) — helped start and grow the nonprofit over the past two decades to create a world-class interactive science museum. They began with a museum without walls and mobile STEM programs, opened an interim museum site called the Children’s Science Center Lab in Fairfax 10 years ago and anticipate opening the new fullscale museum in 2027. Nene is grateful for the Darden network and the many classmates who have encouraged and supported this effort over the years — especially Art Spivy, who has been an invaluable consultant every step of the way!

Want to stay more connected and see photos of classmates year round? Please join our Darden Class of 1995 Facebook Group!

Frank Martien frank.b.martien@gmail.com

Lynn Atkinson still lives in San Francisco, California, and works at Mainsail Partners as COO. One of Lynn’s daughters is in college at Dartmouth and the other is a junior in high school. Lynn continues

to enjoy skiing in Tahoe, time in the wine country, and lots of high school and club soccer games. She sees Ligia Zamora from time to time for dinner and John Fruehwirth when he’s in town for work or to see his and Christine (Arnold) Fruehwirth’s daughter at UC Berkeley.

Chris Baldwin is approaching 30 years in investment banking where he’s focused on real estate and leisure (e.g., resorts, casinos, cruise lines, housing and construction, high yield and structured debt, cross border M&A) at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, a bank with $2.5 trillion in assets. His kids are largely on their way and out of the house.

Toni Nichols Bowden and Bruce Bowden have become empty nesters, moved to New Hampshire on Lake Winnisquam, and enjoy their new lake life of boating, golfing, and beautiful sunsets on the water. Bruce is in his third year as CFO at Rocket Software, a Bain Capital portfolio company. Nico just graduated from MIT and is headed to New York to work for Blackstone. Tyler is at USC, loves Los Angeles, California, and just completed the Austin Marathon. Toni and Bruce enjoy visits to USC with tailgating, football games and fraternity parties and great food.

Danica (Hunt) Harrahy retired in April after over 25 years in financial services. She’s looking forward to relaxing this summer at their house on Damariscotta Lake in Maine. In addition to hosting friends at the lake, she will build a leadership coaching practice and spend time with friends and grown children in Richmond, Virginia, during the winter months. Camden, age 25, recently won the Virginia

State Pinball Championship and represented Virginia at the North American Championship Series in Rochester, New York. Raegan, age 22, is also a competitive pinball player and graduated from VCU in May with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Kent Goeking is working on many aspects of the BioEconomy as a consultant with LEC Partners and as an entrepreneur with Kitsune Technologies. For LEC, he recently worked with Fiji Airways to assess the feasibility of manufacturing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from sugarcane for the island nation of Fiji. For Kitsune Technologies, he is developing an e-waste solution to economically recover precious metals from discarded electronic chips and boards in combination with pyrolysis to convert residual plastics into energy. He still lives in Bangkok, Thailand, and works primarily from home where he also enjoys cooking, gardening, meditation, aquariums and refurbishing electronic equipment.

Tony Jacobs completed a one-week cruise in Croatia with Daniel and Robert Kuftinec last August. He is currently CEO of Bazooka Brands, which was bought by Apax Partners. He recently received the Kettle Award for his contributions as chair of The National Confectioners Association.

Gene Kim works as CFO of a graduate school in Seattle, Washington. Denise, age 36, is now a senior legal counsel at Amazon and enjoys sports. Andrew, age 30, works for OpenAI and has had the opportunity to work with Luanne Pavco’s and Lance Luttschwager’s (MBA ’95) daughter, who also attended Darden.

Tony Jacobs (MBA ’96) received the Kettle Award as chair of the National Confectioners Association.

The Class of 1995 connected in The Forum Hotel during reunion weekend.

Dan and Leslie Gregg (MBA ’95) hosted classmates for a garden party on Saturday afternoon during reunion weekend.

domination and taking over all sports and culture. The true Dr. Evil behind this secretive organization is our very own Sonia Burda, who serves as CFO of the National Pickleball League. You can check out pickleball regularly on both traditional TV and streaming, and I am not talking about The Ocho (ESPN 8 for non-Dodgeball fans), as well as on their website (www.nplpickleball.com), where the efforts to grow the 12-team league and host an annual championship are chronicled.

Matt Lennarz has accepted a role as lean coach at Westinghouse, based in Cranberry Woods, Pennsylvania, where he leads their Lean Transformation effort, starting with the launch of a new Kaizen Promotion Office. He will lead a 26-week Kaizen event in 2025 along with rolling out lean training to the Americas Outage and Maintenance Services organization of about 850 employees. His wife, Kristin, is enjoying her role as assistant dean of the business school at Saint John Fisher University, and their three daughters are thriving, with two having graduated from college and one in high school. Alex is launching a mobile app for physical therapy patients; Tori will be spending a year in Korea to teach English as a second language; and Kat will be on a high school exchange program to Denmark for her junior year starting this fall.

Frank Martien and Laura share that Craig, age 23, has deployed as an AmeriCorps team lead for continuing FEMA recovery from last August’s Hurricane Debby in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Grayson, age 18, has been accepted into several engineering programs for freshman year next fall.

Ed Molchany was named COO of the Media Research Center earlier this year. Julie and he have property in the Outer Banks where they hope to build when he retires.

Elhan Orhon and Esra are still at United Airlines in Chicago, Illinois. Elhan has been promoted to the chief risk officer role. Lara, age 23, graduated from Wake Forest University and started her career as a paralegal at a law firm in Chicago and Kaya, age 20, is a soph-

omore at Kelly Business School at Indiana University Bloomington.

Arpan Sheth and Nikita still live in Vienna, Virginia, though he shuttles back and forth to Asia every other month or so. Their eldest lives in New York City working for Mastercard, their middle son is at UVA and in Air Force ROTC, and their youngest is preparing to apply for college this summer.

Matt Tice has taken a couple of more board chair roles and has launched a podcast, “the Insurgent Mindset” with Rondo Moses (MBA ’97), which supports business leaders in building a challenger mentality to enhance competitiveness and avoid typical traps of incumbent behavior.

Rebecca Wilson shares that her eldest daughter, Bella, graduated from Notre Dame last May, lives in New York City, and works for a health care investment bank just a few blocks from Rebecca’s office. Her younger daughter, Ava, is a junior at Lehigh and studying in Paris this semester. Rebecca lectures on careers in real estate at UVA and Darden among her contributions on Darden’s Alumni Board.

Mark Bridgers and Karen Castellon

MBridgers@ContinuumCapital.net, KarenCastellon908@gmail.com

Go ahead and block your calendar: Our next reunion year is fast approaching in April 2027 and represents 30 years. How could so much time have passed?

Politics, global conflict, DOGE, the list of worries goes on, but the real issue for our class is ... pickleball. It is on the path for world

One of our sasquatches (that rare individual who made such a high-quality choice when graduating from Darden that they remain at this employer today), David Cooper, offers a family update. His oldest son, Max, is studying and just about finished with a marketing degree from Babson. His other two children, Henry and Ruby, are finishing high school and entering high school. Dave is on to his 25th year of marriage to Charis and still living in Westport, Connecticut; 28th year at Bain; and 21st year as a father…all great milestones to which we should each aspire. As an extracurricular activity, Dave has begun serving on boards of directors, including the firm WC Bradley, a family-owned conglomerate headquartered in Columbus, Georgia.

David Eichler last reported in during 2021 to describe his departure from New York City, New York, on to Cleveland, Ohio, and then on to Kansas City, Missouri. He now reports the formation of his own firm where he serves as co-founder and managing partner of Valeo Ventures, which serves as the investment manager for Cobalt Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. Way to go Dave with the formation of your own firm!

We rarely hear from Rhod Gibson, who was recently promoted to co-CEO of DASI in parallel with a new president taking over the role previously performed by Rhod.

Todd Gilliam, as you may recall from the last notes, moved across the country to the greater Seattle, Washington, area and in getting settled has taken on a role helping to develop and lead young people through the Washington Volleyball Academy, where he is serving as a coach. As an interesting side note, Todd and Mark Bridgers were roommates in an apartment in Rocky Hills, Connecticut, for our summer internship between first and second years. The apartment

Robert Kuftinec, Steve Kuftinec and Tony Jacobs (all MBA ’96) in Croatia

Rebecca Wilson (MBA ’96) lectures on careers in real estate at UVA and Darden.

complex had a more risqué name from the 20-somethings that primarily lived there during the summary of 1996…check in with Todd and see if he can recall!

Louis Gump’s book, The Inside Innovator, turned one year old in March, and Louis posted a short thank you video on LinkedIn. The book is an Amazon best seller and some of you may recall that The Class of ’97 had its first ever Zoom call in February 2024 to celebrate the publication. We hope to complete two of these zoom calls per year, and if you have ideas or are working on a concept you want some exposure for, reach out to Karen and m to see if we can get another one of these Zoom calls scheduled!

You probably heard from our class agents, Gibboney Huske and Jim Meneely, recently on the Day for Darden fundraising. Last year, 48 Class of ’97 members contributed and the push was to exceed this total.

Torrance Houlihan’s wife, Christine, has a brother (James Murray) who is one of the lead cast members of Impractical Jokers. James is on tour and made a stop in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Mark Bridgers and wife Catherine attended the raucous show and, through some arm twisting from Christine, were invited backstage to a cast and crew afterparty that, well, was indescribable. The experiences and observations for those three hours will offer a lifetime of humor and reflection that we can retell at countless cocktail parties about our 15 minutes of fame.

Jeff Lax has been a supporter and fundraiser for multiple sclerosis research for much of his adult life, including competing in the MS150 bike race. He most recently raised over $10,000. Multiple classmates made Jeff’s Hall of Fame for their support, and they included Clay Cosby, Rob Hays, Gavin McFarland, Gee McVey, Susan O’Neal, David Tayman and Janie Truitt. Jeff will be embarking again on this fundraising effort later this year, so sock away your spare change and support Jeff in this effort.

Dan Newhall is still working at Vanguard and reports in on his kids. Oldest Emily has been working for two years as a direct equity analyst at Hamilton Lane in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Middle daughter Clair is a senior at Williams College, Dan’s alma mater, where she is following in Dan’s footsteps and is a varsity lacrosse athlete. She graduated in May

and has Dan’s flair for finance as she will be working at Goldman Sachs starting in August. Twins Charlie and Henry both graduated from Conestoga High School in 2024. Henry is a Division 1 swimmer at Colgate and Charlie is at Trinity College in Connecticut. Wife Jennifer just completed a 21-mile “ruck” race in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.

Always one for interesting side trips, including trips to the hospital for shoulder surgery, Kip Pagach offers an update on his upcoming travel chasing after kids Jordan and Kendall and girlfriend Michele. He will be headed to Mallorca, Spain, first to bring a long-distance relationship a little closer to home. He says, “Hopefully the current immigration shenanigans will not get in the way or our plans to spend the summer together here in Norfolk, Virginia.” Kip’s daughter Jordan graduated from The New School in Manhattan, New York, in May. Kip planned to follow that event with a visit with daughter Kendall in Bar Harbor, Maine, as she completes her first year at the College of the Atlantic and transitions to working at Peggy Rockefeller Farm for the summer.

(Quick History Lesson: The Rockefeller family owned much of the land on Mt. Desert Island that later became Arcadia National Park when they donated it to the U.S. federal government. Mt. Desert Island is the largest island on the Maine coast, and Bar Harbor is the main town on the island. The Peggy Rockefeller Farm was gifted to the College of the Atlantic by David Rockefeller Sr.)

Vijay Venkateswaran has taken the entrepreneur track and is both CEO and founder of Viventum (www.viventuminc.com). He is helping C3Spectra with the scale-up effort on their innovative products within the wireless and communications market.

Last, the next Bridgers Crab Fest will be hosted by the Bridgers family on 2 August 2025, one week before it is normally hosted due to our high school senior’s (Malone) matriculation to the University of Georgia. Go ahead and mark your calendars for Raleigh, North Carolina, in early August, when we will host the 27th annual Crab Fest. We look forward to a large Darden attendance.

With that, we close this edition of the Darden notes and remind everyone about joining both our Darden ’97 group on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/groups/2066360/) and our Facebook groups. We currently have 143 mem-

bers of our class connected via LinkedIn and would love to collect the rest of you so join up.

Bill Young Wyoung44@gmail.com

Greetings, Class of ’98. I’ll try to be a bit more on the ball with my outreach, but please don’t hesitate to reach out in the meantime. Interesting times for many of us living out the sandwich generation with kids who are becoming adults and parents that might need a bit more attention. To that end, the Virginia Beach, Virginia, Young household is at three with two kids out and a mother-in-law in. The class network is alive and working as Dave Anderson hooked up my son with some of his old contacts at Becton Dickinson, so Davis is settled in Upstate New York and Liza is in a rotational program at GE Aerospace in Cincinnati, Ohio. We officially have extra bedrooms if you’d like to make the trek to Virginia Beach this summer.

John Godbold also is putting out the welcome mat, if you’d like to visit him and Jackie in either Houston, Texas, (December to April) or in Cashiers, North Carolina (May to November). John bought and sold an energy company over the past five years and is debating what’s next, without feeling a whole lot of urgency. On the home front, his daughter just graduated from Wake Forest University and is now with P&G in Orlando, Florida. Since John got used to paying tuition, his son took her spot. He’s playing baseball so hopefully John and Jackie are getting a little help with the bill. John’s looking for recommendations in and around Cape Cod, Massachusetts, as that’s where his son will play ball this summer. Currently, John is volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club in North Carolina, working with kids on a STEM project (of course, building and launching rockets in a call back to his Georgia Tech roots). He’s preparing to walk the 500-mile Camino Frances in Spain late this summer. If you’re interested, drop a note to John at John@thegodbolds.com and he’ll get you a link to follow his hike or you can hit him with tips and tricks for his visit to the Cape.

Hallie Smith sent a nice note from Washington, D.C., where she and Chip have replaced hands-on parenting with high maintenance dogs. She is heading into her 10th year at Compass Pro Bono and is looping in other Darden alums where she can. A recent

To update your contact information, call +1-434-243-8977 or email alumni@darden.virginia.edu

highlight was reconnecting with Roy Dykes, who’s “absolutely crushing it” on a strategy project for a D.C. area nonprofit. If you’re in the D.C. area; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; or the Twin Cities region of Minnesota and want to make a difference in our increasingly fractured communities, drop Hallie a line at hallie@dcsmiths.com and she’ll give you the low down about how to put your skills to work as a pro bono volunteer or nonprofit board member. Hallie and John G. can share training tips as the Smiths are hiking in Italy this May and then gearing up for another Grand Canyon rim-to-rim trip.

Hiking seems to be in vogue, as I believe I just saw some pics on Facebook with Aileen McConnell hiking up lots of steps on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Back in Washington, D.C., she and Kirsten Brown are still going strong with the book club they started 24 years ago along with Tom Labrecque’s wife, Christine. I’m waiting for confirmation, but she shared that Tom Labrecque is now president of a veteran-founded startup delivering handson innovation, leadership development and technology training through STEAM-focused problem-solving and team-building programs.

Kendall Greene and his wife moved to Bethesda, Maryland, last year. Kendall is building a commercial real estate portfolio when he’s not tracking the achievements of his son, Kahlil. Since graduating from Yale in 2022, Kahlil has been nominated for two Emmys for his work with Nickelodeon. He won the prestigious Peabody Award, and he was recently honored by Forbes for his work as a content creator.

Patrick Sweeney continues to create his own content with a week paragliding and diving in Cape Town, South Africa; living it up at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and generally globetrotting between Chamonix, France; Milan, Italy; and Boston, Massachusetts. He is now working in venture capital in Europe.

Kenny Monroe is living the dream in Midlothian, Virginia, with an UnderHoo down the road. He’s keeping his options open for a second career by working on his mad guitar skills and building his inventory of instruments.

Last but not least, Jenny (Tatum) Kaeppler checked in from Charlotte, North Carolina, where she and Kevin (MBA ’99) moved 20 years ago. Jenny has been running a horse boarding and training business outside of

Charlotte for the past seven years, and Kevin is working in M&A with Fifth Third. They went all-ACC with their thre kids — UNC, Clemson and NC State — so they’ve increased their odds for a conference championship. In the “time flies” game, Jenny reminded me of our shared helicopter ride in Kauai, Hawaii, some 28 years ago on our honeymoons a couple weeks after we graduated from Darden. You never know where in the world you’ll connect up with the Class of ’98.

Keep me posted on your next adventure. Until next time.

Rob Steinberger, Bob Loria robsteinberger@hotmail.com, Rloria@gmail.com

Meredith Tutterow recently had the chance to get together with classmate and learning teammate Daryl Rogers in Minneapolis, Minnesota: “Even though it had been more than 25 years, it felt like barely any time had passed. There’s nothing like good friends that stand the test of time.” Well said!

Stephen Wu has continued his traveling and sharing his adventures: “It was great seeing everyone at the reunion. Oh gosh, how time flies! Retirement life is going well. Last year I logged 11 trips, mostly in North America except for one short trip to Shanghai, China. Too many highlights, but going up 7,000 feet in the air on a hot air balloon during the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was just a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Tomorrow I am going to the Azores in Portugal. I will visit Germany in June and hike Camino de Santiago in October.

“I started to learn painting, hopefully channeling my late wife’s artistic spirit. I finished editing my father’s amazing memoir, which contains some shockingly candid observations of the tumultuous Chinese contemporary history, and I am searching for publishers at the moment. (If anyone has resources, I’d really appreciate it.) Other than that, I continue to serve as treasurer for the Arizona Metropolitan Youth Symphony.”

Jenelle and Dan Sullivan shared that their son Nate had the chance to travel to Southeast Asia last May/June. Justin Ho was very kind to offer Nate some advice about his travels and show him around Bangkok, Thailand, for a day. Jenelle and Dan say: “Justin, thank you again for hosting Nate.”

And a note from Vadim Kapustin: “A few years ago, after a career of eight years in entrepreneurship (retail, distribution, real estate development), 11 years in management consulting (at A.T. Kearney), and eight years in corporate work (at Walmart and X5 Retail Group), I decided it was time to move on and spend more time with my family. When looking back at my life, I did not want to regret not spending enough time with my kids before they flew from the nest for good. I am calling it my retirement, though not the ‘rocking chair and mai tai’ type, but the ‘do what I truly enjoy doing’ and ‘leave the legacy behind’ type.

“To broaden the ‘legacy’ part of my retirement, in addition to focusing on my wonderful kids I also started teaching graduate and undergraduate students business strategy, supply chain strategy and geopolitics at two

Reggie de Villiers, Mariana Bulgherone and Alex Paz Menendex (all MBA ’99) met up in Punta del Este, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Meredith Tutterow and Daryl Rogers (both MBA ’99) connected in Minneapolis.

universities in Russia: NSU in Novosibirsk and HSE in Moscow. Yes, as a family we decided to move from Florida to Moscow last year. Many people ask our family why we decided to move to Russia. It is a long story for another day. For now, let’s just say it has to do with my views of the world and what the long-term future will look like. Both kids and Blanche (MBA ’00), my wonderful spouse, are doing their best to learn Russian and settle down in our new place in Moscow. If any of my (or Blanche’s) classmates will ever be in our neck of the woods, please, give us a holler. Email is best: vadim. kapustin@gmail.com.”

Reggie de Villiers is still in New York and is about to celebrate ten years at UBS. In November, he was named co-head of Latam Global Banking; this is in addition to his role as head of Structured DCM for the Americas. Reggie continues to travel extensively across Latin America for his job and is always looking to reconnect with classmates while on the road. Recently he was able to meet up with Reese Soares in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Mariana and Alex Paz Menendez in Punta del Este, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Check in with Reggie for some exciting personal news as well. Congratulations all around, Reggie!

Laura Paul writes: “After five years living in London, Jeff and I have relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. We had gotten engaged on a holiday in Croatia and then got married on Cape Cod last summer. We were so happy to have some Darden friends celebrate with us: Nick and Chrisse Walzer, Edward and Virginia Barry, Damon and Laryssa Woo. We had

an incredible honeymoon in the Seychelles followed by an unforgettable safari in South Africa. We’re still doing quite a bit of traveling and are spending most of our time in Boston in our new home, as well as enjoying time in our home on the Cape. I decided our relocation was a good time to step away from my career and I’m now happily retired. I hope everyone is doing well and please reach out if you are in the New England area; I would love to reconnect and catch up!”

Tina Opie had a chance to present on careers and do a book signing for Shared Sisterhood at the Massachusetts Conference for Women in December 2024. Way to go, Tina!

Prasad Vuyyuru writes: “We moved to a lakefront house after the kids went to college. We would love to host any of our friends transiting through Dallas, Texas. My daughter got married and is now working in New York. My son finished his graduation and he moved to New York as well.”

Nels Nordquist started a new job on 20 January in the White House leading international economic policy as deputy director of the National Economic Council and NSC senior director for International Economics. His offices handle economics for the NSC and national security/international issues for the NEC. On the personal front, his youngest is a college freshman, so he now has an empty nest. The daughter that Nels’ wife, DJ, was expecting at our Darden graduation is now wrapping up her graduate work in the U.K. He still sees his brother-in-law Carter Houghton all the time, and is looking forward to visiting the Grounds

in May for his daughter Amelia’s graduation. Congratulations, Nels!

And direct from Carter Houghton himself:

“I live in Dallas, Texas, now. I moved here in 2019 after 18 years in Boston, Massachusetts. I have spent most of my career working in medical technology businesses, and currently run a company based in Connecticut that is a supplier to the diagnostic and life science industries. My wife (who is Nels Nordquist’s sister) and I have three children aged 22, 19 and 16. Our oldest daughter is a member of the Class of ’25 at UVA’s School of Nursing. I interview for the Jefferson Scholars Foundation’s Darden fellowship, so I am on Grounds at least once a year. If you are ever in Dallas, please reach out!”

Carlos Ruiz has also been busy: “I have been leading the execution of a mining project since I joined Antofagasta Minerals in April 2022. In April of 2024, we received the full release of funds and we had a great run last year achieving a project progress of 30 percent by the end of December 2024. This will be the second year of full execution and we need to progress it by more than 4 percent per month. The project name is Nueva Centinela with $4.4 billion capex. The expected ramp up will be during 2027, and we expect to increase copper production of the mine by more than 140,000 tons per year. There is also gold as a byproduct, which definitely helps in the project economics. I will keep you posted with the progress and with some project pictures. Saludos to everyone.”

Karan Capoor is keeping busy

Justin Ho (MBA ’99) showed Nate Sullivan, the son of Dan Sullivan (MBA ’99), around Bangkok, Thailand, last summer.

Class of ’99 alumni Reggie de Villiers and Carlos Ruiz met up in Santiago, Chile.

Wei Jin and Rob Steinberger (both MBA ’99)

with his independent advisory firm and has advised clients in the U.S. and internationally on clean energy transition. He is thankful that his daughter, Anya, is in college a short drive away from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at Penn State. He says: “She hopes to major in math and economics with a minor in statistics and data science, along with (thankfully) some cool courses like ‘Thinking About Popular Music in the 20th Century’! I can’t believe her first year will be done by the time this is published!”

And from Seth Webber up in southern Maine: “I got caught up with Pete Costa on 10 March — he finished up a several-month program on woodworking at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockland, Maine. He is also working as a coach with Darden’s Alumni Career Services.”

Seth continues with more news from Maine: “Raina Maxwell was recently named to the board of Camden National Bank — based here in Maine. Read the announcement here: www.camdennational.bank/press-releases/ camden-national-corp-appoints-raina-maxwellto-board-of-directors. Way to go, Raina!

“Andrew and Lee Ann Ritter’s son will be playing soccer for Bowdoin College in the fall, so we’re hoping to see the Ritters in southern Maine.

“On the more personal side: Mollie (freshman in high school) is spending two back-to-back weeks in Huntsville, Alabama, this summer for Space Camp and the Aviation Challenge, as she continues to pursue her dream of becoming an astronaut. Josh (junior in high school) is going to play Willy

Wonka in a junior production this summer at Maine State Music Theater on 11 August. He continues to be active in music and theater. He’ll be in an All-Eastern Chorus in April as well, one of five kids chosen from Maine.”

Thank you also to those who sent submissions this round. Keep them coming. Please feel free to reach out and update me at any time — I will save them and include them at the next opportunity!

All the best, Rob and Bob

Serena Matsunaga, Paige Killian serenamatsu2@gmail.com, paigekillian@mac.com

After missing our official reunion five years ago, our class was determined to make up for it this year. And did we ever. Mission accomplished, as over 70 classmates returned to Grounds at the end of April for Darden Reunion Weekend. A dedicated class committee, led by Ilan Danieli, Jose Zertuche and Serena Matsunaga made sure it was a special time for everyone. Many thanks to these three and all the others on the committee that helped to make it such a success!

Things kicked off early as many of our international classmates were in attendance and arrived on Thursday. With some help from local Dave Keppel, all who were in town gathered at the Hotel Doyle rooftop and the reunioning commenced. The photos flooding our shared WhatsApp chat created FOMO and many have committed to making the next reunion a threenight affair next time.

Friday kicked off with First Coffee, and then there were a host of different sessions to partake in throughout the day. From AI to UVA undergraduate admissions to effectual entrepreneurship to getting new professional headshots, there was something for everyone. With our attendance numbers, you literally couldn’t walk down the hall, gather in front of the mailboxes or enter a session without seeing a former classmate or two.

One of the best attended sessions by our class, though, had to be the private equity panel where our very own Alex Whittemore spoke on the current trends, challenges and opportunities in private equity. He did us proud for sure!

On Friday night, the class took over Saunders Hall for our class dinner. Between connecting over cocktails and appetizers and enjoying the amazing buffet, we also took an updated photo on the steps of Saunders. Our illustrious reunion committee put together a slideshow of the Class of 2000s greatest hits, complete with cold calls for explanations and elaborations. Let’s suffice it to say that entertainment and laughter were not in short supply. We also took time out to remember Justin Shein and Darryl Lange, who are gone but not forgotten. After dinner, we were serenaded by a UVA men’s acapella group and then the festivities lasted well into the night, with the after party moving to The Forum Hotel. No word on whether any classmates ended up on The Corner Friday night.

On Saturday morning, Pickleball Commissioner Heather (Heaton) Wiederholt put

Tina Opie (MBA ’99) presented at the MA Conference for Women in December 2024.

Stephen Wu (MBA ’99) at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

The Class of 2000 got an updated class photo on the steps of Saunders Hall during their 25th reunion celebration.

together a great class pickleball tournament on Central Grounds. We had everything from beginners to aces, and our commish took that into account when forming the brackets. It was a tough fought battle but Stephen Stalker and Paige (Newton) Killian took the rookie division while Kerry (Davenport) Fitzgerald and Ilan Danieli killed it in the expert division. All had a great time, and although there were some close calls on the slippery courts, we are happy to report no injuries or trips to urgent care were required.

Our class then spent the afternoon catching up and enjoying a perfect spring weekend at King Family Vineyards in Crozet, Virginia, courtesy of Susan Luo’s generous sponsorship of the event, and we were fed and watered by the generosity of our illustrious reunion committee (Ilan, Jose, Serena, Pablo Ciano and Reid Townsend killing it again; you guys rock!) with, you guessed it, sandwiches from gourmet Exxon. Yes, they are as good as you remember. The pickleball commish even brought some super fancy chocolates from Switzerland to uplevel the dessert spread! Wine, conversation and fun flowed throughout a picturesque afternoon in the Charlottesville countryside.

But Saturday wasn’t over yet, and the party continued as our class returned to The Good Sport in The Forum Hotel for a wonderful dinner and class socializing. And leave it to our classmates to take the entertainment up a notch and not only do an acapella version of “The Longest Time,” but rewrite the entire song with Darden Reunion-esque lyrics! Dave and Abby Pinto, Jiggy Santillian, Brandon Krueger and George Uy-Tioco, you guys should take the show on the road. It was truly a performance for the ages. Let’s hope we can cajole them into an encore performance in 2030. And yes, there were confirmed sightings of late night disco dancing at The White Spot on The Corner. You know it’s a good weekend when The White Spot is involved!

Thank you to all who were able to take part in our 25th reunion weekend. Yes, the events were fantastic, and Darden did a spectacular job of hosting us all, but it was the attendance of each and every one of you that made it the special event that it was. If you weren’t able to make it, you were sorely missed, and it is our deepest hope that we see you in five years.

Special thanks to the reunion committee who met on Saturday zooms throughout the year to organize the event and spearheaded

our outreach efforts. The committee included Ilan Danieli, Jose Zertuche, Serena Matsunaga, Dave Keppel, Erik Thoreson, Erin Byrczek, Gina Flango, Heather Wiederholt, Jaime Crittenberger, Jay Evans, Jen Finn, John Loverro, Nikhil Nath, Pablo Ciano, Paige Killian, Pam DeGuzman, Reid Townsend, Sarah Crawford, and Will Lyon

In the meantime, if you aren’t already connected with us over in WhatsApp (Darden MBA 2000 - 25yrs), come on over and join us. There’s lots of fun banter and great connection is available to all from our class, and I am sure it will be a treasure trove of info as we gear up for 2030!

Enjoy the summer, Serena and Paige

Trina (Jones) Rogers jones_trina@yahoo.com

It’s less than a year until our 25th Darden Reunion! Mark your calendars for 24–26 April 2026. Now, on to our updates!

Scott Walsh reported from San Diego: “This fall I made a major career change and took over as head coach for San Diego State University’s rowing program. Thirty years of sustainability consulting was starting to feel like enough; an opportunity opened and I pounced. It’s been a real turnaround project — the team nearly collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, and the recovery has been slow. I hit up both Coleen (Sullivan) Curry and Eric Anderson for advice on organizational change. It’s required all sorts of skills we learned at Darden, including Strategy, Operations, Finance and especially Organizational Behavior.

“I’ve been reminded of an Operations case we did first year on an underperforming factory where we worked through all sorts of hypotheses to identify the key constraint until we figured out it was a single disgruntled forklift operator. Kleber Santos raised his hand and said, ‘I don’t understand, I thought this was an Operations class, but this is really an O.B. case.’ Our Operations professor threw down his chalk and exclaimed, ‘I’ve been trying to teach you this all year! All of life is O.B.!’

“And so it is with Aztec Crew. I’ve been putting all my O.B. skills to work managing athletes, club leaders, school administrators, alumni, assistant coaches, vendors, other clubs, etc. — and it’s working! Our crews are

Steve Godfrey (MBA ’01) got to see Steve Finnie (MBA ’01) in Anaheim, California, at the Natural Products Expo West show.

getting faster and faster, the alumni and administration are giving more and more support, and we’re starting to win some key races. As an added bonus, Sasha and I got to host Lou and Chris Berl for a weekend, putting them to work as assistant coaches and race directors while they were here. Chris is still super busy running the world’s biggest and best restroom supply company, but I’m hoping I can hire Lou to come coach with me — and drag Chris with her. All this to say, I am having a blast.

“Come on out to San Diego, California; it really is America’s finest city. There’s a growing list of our classmates who can confirm that I will show you a good time. Especially now that Sasha and I are empty nesters, we have space and time to host you in the fine fashion you deserve. Come visit!”

In January, after a way-too-long search for a small business to buy in Richmond, Virginia, Jessica and Steve Godfrey acquired LillyBean, a business that produces a variety of top-nine allergen-free baking mixes for retail and food service operations (check it out at LillyBean. com). Steve is learning a lot and having fun every day, especially the day he got to see Steve Finnie in Anaheim, California, at the Natural Products Expo West show! Outside of work, Steve and Jess are grateful for good health and enjoying the transition to empty nesting and parenting “adult children” with their community of friends in Richmond.

Several other job changes also popped up on LinkedIn. Allison (Sewell) Bridges started a new role as general manager of Healthcare Provider Engagement at PhilRx.

To update your contact information, call +1-434-243-8977 or email alumni@darden.virginia.edu

Herz when I come into town, and maybe we’ll recruit additional hikers in the near future.”

Trina Rogers (your faithful scribe) enjoyed multiple visits to Charlottesville this spring. She and John attended the 50th anniversary of the Center for Christian Study, where they enjoyed catching up with former Darden Christian Fellowship (DCF) president Paul Diemer (MBA ’00) and Darden faculty members Larry Mueller, as well as meeting current student members of DCF. They returned the following weekend for KFest, an annual celebration of Kris Kishore’s life and the Kris Kishore Scholarship. They returned for a third celebration at Trina’s undergraduate reunion in May. There truly is no place like Charlottesville, and it was a joy to be back.

Ngoc Tran started a new position as VIP matchmaker at Three Day Rule Matchmaking (https://www.linkedin.com/company/threeday-rule/).

Alexander Fraser became executive vice president and global head of private equity at OMERS Private Equity.

After more than 20 years in the corporate world managing card partnerships and growing credit card portfolios, Alejandro Moreno took a leap into business ownership to launch a PIRTEK franchise. PIRTEK offers on-site hydraulic hose repair and fluid transfer solutions to construction, manufacturing and transportation businesses.

In relocation news, Tim Walsh is moving back to North Carolina from South Bend, Indiana, in August. He shared: “We are going to live in Pinehurst this time (we had lived in Chapel Hill for 20 years after school). I’m always happy to tee it up with UVA visitors to the area!”

Ann Nicholson is about to have another Hoo in the house! Ana Jo is graduating in May with a biomedical engineering degree and data science minor (if you have any connections at Abbott or GE Healthcare, she is a rock star in that program!). Ann wrote: “I’m proud of her for doing it in four years and posting a 3.8 GPA despite her tenacious grip on the UVA social scene. Quinn is settling into adult life, and he still melts hearts with those brown eyes. I am traveling a lot this year for fun. I’ll be looking for classmates — holler if you are in Zurich, Switzerland; Dublin, Ireland; or Vienna, Austria! It’s been really nice to reconnect with Erika

Thanks to everyone who submitted notes. Be on the lookout for lots of communications and fun prompts in the lead-up to our reunion. Please reach out if you would like to help with reunion planning. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since we were together (though our COVID-19 happy hour/toast was fun!). We are going to have a great weekend in Charlottesville!

02

Flip Pidot flippidot@gmail.com

Lourdes Alers recently moved to Málaga, Spain, a beautiful and cosmopolitan province with fantastic culinary, cultural and outdoor activities. Lourdes would be eager to show you around if your travels ever bring you to the area.

Adam Carter, Ashby Hackney, Derrick Moreira, Jeff Shoaf, Kevin Klau and Mark Hutto caught up and enjoyed some pre-game cocktails during UVA Parents Weekend last October. They each have (at least) one child attending UVA, a club John Faulk will also join this fall. Go Hoos!

03

Jill Lewandosky

jill.lewandosky@gmail.com

After a lot of traveling and seeing each other last year, everyone must be lying low with fewer updates.

Leslie Curry, Pam Taylor, Cindy Jed and Abby Ruiz de Gamboa traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona, for some catch-up late 2024. It was a second chance to celebrate our reunion year! Will Luckert was in San Francisco, California, for work, which made catching up very easy for me. We enjoyed burgers at Gott’s at

the Ferry Building. My 10-year-old was fascinated by Will’s work with risk assessment and said it was much cooler than my job. Will is about a year into his role as head of business development at Susquehanna International Group, where he focuses on contingency insurance (sports contracts, event cancellations and marketing promotions).

The Washington, D.C., crowd also continues to organize themselves. Maurice Watson, Clint Jackson and Mehul Vora had an impromptu happy hour. Clint is a little over a year into his role at AWS in their Data Center Real Estate Group. Maurice focuses on business development and was in town visiting from Atlanta, Georgia, and Mehul is at Chordia (and wins the prize for consistently wishing everyone a happy birthday on Facebook). Uday Gupta and Mehul met up at the UVA Venture Capital Conference in the same month. I love the activity in the D.C. area!

Helen Sheirbon is keeping herself busy with Half Ironmans. She completed the Oceanside 70.3, then lined up Chattanooga, Tennessee, for a few months later. May we all be inspired by her swimming, biking and running.

On the professional front, Markus Kritzler started a new role as chief revenue officer at Carbon Upcycling Technologies after seven years at Ingenia Capital.

Class of 2002 classmates Adam Carter, Ashby Hackney, Derrick Moreira, Jeff Shoaf, Kevin Klau and Mark Hutto caught up and enjoyed some pre-game cocktails during UVA Parents Weekend last October. 05

ToTran Nguyen totran05@gmail.com

What an amazing and unforgettable 20th reunion, especially after having to miss out on a 10th reunion in

Ann Nicholson (MBA ’01) and family hung out on UVA Grounds in Charlottesville. Her daughter graduated UVA in May.

Class of 2005 Section C was the only section coordinated enough to get a group photo during reunion, pictured here at the class party hosted Adrian and Alieda Keevil (both MBA ’05).

From left to right, Class of 2006 classmates Jerald Gaines, Trevor Brown, Niyi Awosope, Antar Al-Qawwee, Michael Crome, Travis Larrier, and Jeffrey Toromoreno reunited in Las Vegas for a mini reunion, capped off with a Las Vegas Raiders game.

C’ville. Almost 80 classmates made it from different corners of the world. Sections B (with Ted Hiratani coming from Japan!) and C led the way in attendance. Adrian and Alieda Keevil threw a beautiful outdoor class party at their home, complete with BBQ, a cocktail truck, and live music from Ed Freeman, Adrian Keevil, and their blues jam band.

Class Reunion Giving co-chairs Alyssa Franklin and Nick Pomponi shared: “We just wanted to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us. It was truly wonderful to see so many familiar faces and reconnect again at such a truly special place. The energy, laughter, and stories we shared made it feel like no time had passed at all.”

Thank you to our co-chairs and the reunion committee for the months spent rallying classmates and also raising our class gift. Over $150,000 was gifted to Darden’s Annual Fund. Thank you all!

Anna Walker had a great reason for not making it to reunion. She was running the Vancouver Sun Run and achieved a new personal record: 10 km in under 69 minutes! Like many, she hopes to make it to the next reunion in 2030.

Chris Langhorne was unable to make it to reunion but shared that he and the family are embracing an exciting new chapter balancing life between Houston, Texas, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Chris recently took on the role of chief strategy officer at Almarai, the Middle East’s largest food and beverage company. In this role, Chris is leading strategic initiatives across mergers and acquisitions, long-term

planning, and expansion into new categories and markets. His work is focused on driving sustainable growth and positioning Almarai for continued success in the region.

While Chris is based full-time in Saudi Arabia, his wife, Brooke, and their three children remain in Houston. Brooke has been instrumental in ensuring a strong foundation for the family during this transition, creating the best environment for their kids while also exploring new passions, including floral design and travel. She enjoys visiting Chris in Saudi Arabia, and, as a family, they love traveling together — most recently spending Christmas in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and ringing in the New Year in Saudi Arabia.

Their eldest son, CJ, age 15, is a ninth grader who has a deep passion for baseball and photography. Cameron, age 13, in seventh grade, is an avid basketball and football player and enjoys creating home movies. Their youngest, Morgan, age 11, is a dedicated

and Chris

gymnast, spending much of her time training and perfecting her routines.

Stay connected! To join our new Class of 2005 group on LinkedIn, get the link to reunion photos or share an update for the next issue, please email totran05@gmail.com.

Ellie Off Pomeroy ellie.off@gmail.com

Jerald Gaines writes: “I’m excited to share an update on a recent family experience trip with my cousin, Sara (Prince) France (MBA ’05), and our good friend Carla Andrews (MBA ’05). Sara plans an annual family trip, and this year we had the opportunity to explore the beautiful country of Peru. One of the highlights was visiting the breathtaking site of Machu Picchu. I’m looking forward to connecting with the Darden community and hearing your updates!”

Michael Crome hosted classmates Jerald Gaines, Trevor Brown, Niyi Awosope, Antar Al-Qawwee, Travis Larrier and Jeffrey Toromoreno in Las Vegas, Nevada, for a Raiders game in November. Niyi takes the prize for the longest journey, traveling from Nigeria for the two-day visit.

Heather Danforth Hill, Ryan Davis, Alice Rolli heatherraedanforth@gmail.com, ryandavis07@gmail.com, aliceanna@gmail.com

A note from Marco Terruzzin and family: “I wanted to take a moment to share a personal update with you. As some of you may

Anna Walker (MBA ’05) missed out on reunion but hit a personal record at the Vancouver Sun Run.

Brooke

Langhorne (MBA ’05) and their children in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

To update your contact information, call +1-434-243-8977 or email alumni@darden.virginia.edu

Jerald Gaines (MBA ’06), Sara (Prince) France (MBA ’05) and Carla Andrews (MBA ’05) visited Machu Picchu in Peru.

Heather Danforth Hill (MBA ’07) and her family spontaneously ran into Jason and Jessica (Pohl) Sinnarajah (both MBA ’07) and family in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

ed just how invaluable the lessons we learned at Darden are — not just in business, but in life. The strength of community and close relationships, the ability to see the big picture, stay practical and remain positive, and the drive to innovate in every situation have all helped us navigate this moment. Most importantly, this experience has reinforced the importance of being ready to help others when the time comes, just as so many have helped us.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We look forward to reconnecting soon and, one day, paying it forward. With gratitude, The Terruzzin Family”

know, our family (Marco and Laetitia and our children, Leonardo, age 4, and Francesca, age 1) was deeply affected by the Palisades fire in January, which resulted in the loss of our home. It has been a challenging time, but the good news is that we are all safe, healthy and

moving forward with a positive spirit.

“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from so many of you. Your kindness, generosity and encouragement have meant the world to us in these past weeks.

“Through this experience, I’ve been remind-

Hagan Kappler reports on the tremendous progress made by the company she cofounded and leads: “I started Daisy a little over a year ago to build the first national home technology installation and services company. Our goal is to help ease the frustration that most customers feel with the technology in their homes by building a national brand and leveraging our scale to offer a quarterly service to help clients with their technology needs (e.g., AV,

LILY WEST (MBA ’12)

A Journey Home

BY CAROLINE MACKEY

For Lily West (MBA ’12), it was love at first visit.

An admissions interview at the Darden School marked her first time in Charlottesville and, without a doubt, that visit changed everything.

West, who earned her undergraduate degree in journalism and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, spent her early career in broadcast news, national politics and public service.

“But Darden changed the course of my life in every possible way,” West says. “I wouldn’t be in this job. I wouldn’t be living in Charlottesville. I wouldn’t have the life I have now without the relationships, the education and the opportunities that Darden afforded me.”

Today, as President and CEO of the University of Virginia Alumni Association, West leads with the same values she developed at Darden, nurturing relationships that span generations. Her mission?

To make sure every UVA graduate feels connected to and invested in the life of the university.

“We’re in the business of relationship building,” she says. “Keeping people connected for a lifetime.”

Today, West is helping shape a chapter in the history of the UVA Alumni Association: a new Alumni Hall.

The building, set for groundbreaking this year, will replace the alumni association’s 1936-era home and serve as a modern, welcoming hub for future generations of alumni.

“It’s the most ambitious thing we’ve ever done,” West says. “It’s going to help us meet the needs of all the alumni we serve, now and into the future.”

“

AS LONG AS YOU HAVE VALUES-BASED LEADERSHIP AND STRONG BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS, YOU CAN TACKLE AN EXTRAORDINARY RANGE OF CHALLENGES.

West’s leadership style was shaped at its foundation by her Darden experience.

“At Darden, you learn to lead with your values and make good decisions with limited information. As long as you have values-based leadership and strong business fundamentals, you can tackle an extraordinary range of challenges.”

She continues to carry Darden with her, both personally and professionally.

Some professors became mentors and lifelong friends. She still remembers the anxiety of sitting in Professor Luann Lynch’s accounting class, only to end up loving the subject and ultimately becoming close friends with Lynch.

Beyond the university, West fosters an active life in the Charlottesville community.

She founded a local women’s networking group, The She Lab; guest lectures at Darden; and enjoys the chaos and joy of life with her two young sons, Benjamin and Harrison.

Her advice to current students? Lean into the alumni network.

“Darden’s alumni base is arguably its most valuable resource,” she says. “And I promise, that email you send to an alum, it might be the brightest spot in their day.”

As West sees it, every connection counts. And thanks to Darden, she’s made a career — and life — out of nurturing them.

security cameras, lighting, shades, control systems, etc.). To date, we have acquired 10 companies and franchised seven locations. We have raised $25 million in venture capital to date, and planned to close on a $15 million Series C at the end of February. The Darden/ UVA network has been incredible in building this company. Some of my strongest support on the angel investment side came from my Darden classmates, including James Ruggles, Michael Finnegan, Kyle Kiang and Rick Ramsey, who all participated in our Series A. I also reconnected with my old Section C classmate Will Hartwell, who was looking at next steps in his career in the Miami, Florida, area, and I mentioned that I was working on something pretty interesting. Will now leads our Southern Florida operations and is a key member of our leadership team. My general counsel is incredible and is a UVA Law graduate — Mallory Craig-Karim. I reconnected with Ellen Scanlon, another Darden classmate, and was invited on her podcast. Now we just need a Charlottesville location (and, of course, we are working on it)!”

Khurrum Malik reports that he recently joined Walmart as vice president of marketing for Walmart Connect, the company’s closedloop omnichannel media business. He is excited to take on this role while remaining in the New York City area, with Walmart Connect’s offices based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Khurrum and Erica have two sons at Wake Forest University — a freshman and a sophomore — and one son in ninth grade. He says: “If you’re ever in the New Yok City area, feel free to reach out to catch up!”

Heather Danforth Hill shares just how small the world is: “While traveling in South America with my family (with Jon and our children, Aubrey, age 14, Warren, age 12, and Carline, age 9) over winter break we visited the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral to view the changing of the guard. We looked up after the pageantry to see Jason and Jessica (Pohl) Sinnarajah, along with their two boys (Taylor, age 13, and Matthew, age 10) walking down the steps right in front of us! I am sure our spontaneous reunion, which led to meeting up that evening for dinner and watching the Buffalo Bills, was a spectacle for those around us. It brought back memories of our Darden travels together Second Year to Egypt, Dubai and Bahrain with Sherwood Frey!”

Got news? Please send contributions to

the Class of 2007 notes to Heather, Ryan or Alice anytime.

Lizzie Breyer, Neal Pavlic lizziebreyer@gmail.com, pavlic16@gmail.com

From Katie (Tower) Vorsilak: “My parents lost their house in the Palisades fire in January. It has been the worst experience of my life. It was my childhood home and hosted several Darden classmates over the years. I would not have gotten through this without my Darden friends who were among the first to lean in. Some of them literally fed us in the first few chaotic days of my parents staying with me and my husband. I could not be more grateful for Chrissa Pagitsas, Kate Canale, Gina Rajpal Felton, Erica Malkasian, Christine Davies, Katie Griesbeck, Mandy Lozano and Christine Bohle or more proud to be part of a community of such open-hearted people.”

We love a Darden run-in! Mandy Lozano and Rich Baltimore (MBA ’08) were excited to bump into Sara (Diedrich) Brohl and Brett Brohl in the gondola line while skiing at Vail, Colorado, over the holidays. They spent the day skiing with Sara and Brett and their two sons, Jax and Logan, before the Brohls went to watch their beloved Vikings in the playoffs.

EMBA

Tami Moore tamimoore09@gmail.com

Katherine (O’Brien) Hennessey lives with her three daughters in Annandale, Virginia. She works at NightDragon, a growth venture capital firm that specializes in cybersecurity and defense technology. Katherine plans to run the Marine Corps Half Marathon in May, if anyone wants to join.

Terry Brown retired from health care and promptly purchased a restaurant with his kids. He recently completed his second novel, The Dissection, which should be published by May. Two other novels are in the early stages of writing and planning. Terry and his wife, Debbie, are finding time to travel in between caring for grandchildren, “part-time” restaurant work and writing.

EMBA

Mandy Lozano (MBA ’09), Rich Baltimore (MBA ’08), Sara (Diedrich) Brohl (MBA ’09) and Brett Brohl (MBA ’09) went skiing in Vail, Colorado. 14 16

Maury Denton maurydenton@gmail.com

Hi everyone! I hope all is well with you and yours. Join us in congratulating our

cohort members for the following updates.

Leo Basola just finished his first stint as CFO of Spire Global, a distressed data and analytics public company that operates a proprietary constellation of satellites for weather and global security applications. The experience came with a lot of ups and downs — including shareholder lawsuits that were finally dismissed by the judge in Alexandria, Virginia.

After 11 years at Houlihan Lokey, Faiz Vahidy recently switched to Solomon Partners, a boutique investment bank.

EMBA

Liz Goldstein, Jessica Pearson lizgoldstein15@gmail.com, jessica.obradovic.pearson@gmail.com

Hi everyone! We hope all is well with you and yours. Join us in congratulating our cohort members for the following updates!

All the best, Liz Goldstein and Jessica Pearson

We are happy to share that Mike McDermott is headed to Monterey, California, as the incoming CEO of Montage Health.

And as Mike leaves the state, Chris Newman shared this update with us from Virginia: “I am excited to announce that I have been promoted to president and chief executive officer of Mary Washington Healthcare. Mary Washington Healthcare is a nonprofit health system based in Fredericksburg, Virginia, consisting of two acute care hospitals, four emergency departments and over 80 additional locations. Mary Washington Healthcare has 5,000 employees and 1,000 physicians and providers.”

The Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) welcomed Praveen Kathpal to their board of directors in late 2024. CELI is a nonprofit dedicated to creating a new kind of energy leader. CELI partners with experts from universities, companies and organizations to offer energy education and leadership development opportunities. Finally, congratulations are due to James Ruffin on his marriage to Erica and his growing family with their young son, James Calvin. We hope everyone is looking forward to a great spring and summer!

GEMBA

Amanda Fox amanda.j.fox.1@gmail.com

Amanda Fox recently accepted a new role as vice president of revenue operations and strategy at Ellucian, the market-leader education technology company built to power higher education. Amanda is excited to take on this new challenge with a broader scope leading the go-to-market operations, support and customer retention teams. Crissie Hall married her wonderful partner in February 2025, and is excited to start this new chapter. Additionally, she recently took on a new role as senior director of strategy and corporate development for the Americas at Siemens Healthineers. She is looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that this position will bring, as well as the chance to contribute to innovative health care solutions.

Lauren Hansen, Collin Bauer, Kali McFarland

lehansen23@gmail.com, collin.bauer@gmail.com, kalimcfarland12@gmail.com

Andrea Larrauri and Cesar Diaz welcomed their son, Vasco, on 3 March. Maia has smoothly transitioned to her role as a big sister and the four of them are enjoying this new adventure.

EMBA

Adam Doyle, Laura Pettus, Chris Schenkkan adamdoyle0369@gmail.com, lmpettus1276@gmail.com, cms4v@hotmail.com

Meghan Azevedo is enjoying her new role at T. Rowe Price as head of sports partnerships. In February, she attended the Baltimore Orioles’ Spring Training opener. She also had a chance encounter with classmate James Thomas while they were both vacationing with family in Magic Kingdom.

Matthew Dettman continues to enjoy life in Northern Virginia with his wife and two growing kids (Laura, age 6, and Nikolai, age 9). The year 2025 marks his third year at Integrity, a research firm dedicated to providing objective and actionable evidence to decision makers in order to direct effective humanitarian and international development efforts globally. Unfortunately, as Integrity held some USAID contracts, nearly all staff have been laid off. He is now taking this opportunity to explore new roles, using his experience in business development, organizational strategy, and in building tailored professional development and training programs (among other things!).

Please feel free to reach out if you are interested or if you are similarly affected and would like a sounding board.

Peggy Bermel, Sophie Jung, Cait Pearson, Freyan Soonawalla, Allison Yarborough mmbermel@gmail.com, sophie.n.jung@gmail.com, cms2hu@virginia.edu, f.j.soonawalla@gmail.com, ayarborough12@gmail.com

On 7 September 2024, Liz McMann married Connor Carman in Detroit, Michigan, surrounded by family and friends, including fellow Darden alumni from the Classes of ’14, ’17, ’18 and ’19.

In the wake of a devastating fire that significantly damaged his business, Justin

James Ruffin (EMBA ’16), his wife Erica, and their son James Calvin

Andrea Larrauri (MBA ’18) and Cesar Diaz (MBA ’18) pictured with their son Vasco and daughter Maia.

Meghan Azevedo (EMBA ’18) with Oriole Bird at a Baltimore Orioles spring training game

Liz McMann and Connor Carman with fellow Darden Class of 2019 alumni at their September 2024 wedding.

DIEGO PACHECO (MBA ’19)

Navigating a Pickle(ball)

BY DAVE HENDRICK

The son of a U.S. Special Forces soldier, Diego Pacheco (MBA ’19) had a globe-spanning childhood, with stints in New Mexico, Europe, Asia, Oklahoma and Kentucky, among others.

The common denominator in Pacheco’s recollection: new schools and new houses, with the latter sparking an interest that would grow into a passion.

“From a very young age, I remember driving around new neighborhoods, helping my family find our next home,” said Pacheco.

His father urged him to explore commercial real estate after college, and Pacheco was accepted into the prestigious Wheel training program at real estate giant CBRE.

He spent more than four years working with companies like Kroger, Rite Aid and Banco Popular, but it was the brand in the portfolio that no one quite knew what to do with — Sky Zone Trampoline Park — that would prove to be both a resounding success and a repeatable framework for another fast-growing recreational activity a few years later.

Working with Sky Zone’s real estate lead, Pacheco helped usher in a period of rapid growth. It was exhilarating, but he knew his financial acumen was not as strong as it could be.

After graduating from Darden, he landed a coveted private equity role in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2021, Pacheco moved to JLL Technologies’ venture capital arm. Then his former Sky Zone partner called — was Pacheco interested in pickleball?

“He said, ‘Remember all this experience we got in building Sky Zone and doing big box retail real estate? Well, what if we started an indoor pickleball franchise concept?’” Pacheco said. “He said, ‘I want you on my side, because you have all of the relationships and now you know the financial side.’”

Pacheco thought often of Professor Peter Belmi’s “Paths to Power” course and the imperative to move on if not surrounded by a supportive team. Here was a team he wanted to be a part of.

PACHECO’S PITCH WAS POWERED BY THE LANGUAGE OF FINANCE HE HONED AT DARDEN, ALONGSIDE NARRATIVE BUILDING AND RELATIONSHIP CULTIVATION.

Pacheco joined Ace Pickleball Club as chief growth officer and a founding team member as pickleball realized a meteoric ascent. The club opened its first location in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, in 2023, has 35 clubs open or under development, and has sold more than 150 franchise licenses across the country.

Major corporate landlords and experienced franchisees knew the Sky Zone growth story and saw the care and attention the Ace team was giving to a successful rollout, Pacheco said. He explained to major commercial real estate companies why a new Ace is more appealing than another discount clothing store. His pitch was powered by the language of finance Pacheco honed at Darden, alongside narrative building and relationship cultivation.

With Ace thriving, Pacheco recently transitioned to an adviser role and took a full-time position as senior vice president and partner with TSCG, once again helping new and established brands grow across the country.

Professor Shane Dikolli led a case study for the Executive MBA Class of 2020 during their fifth reunion festivities.

Natalie Cucchiara and Brent Fisk (both EMBA ‘20) celebrated the arrival of their baby girl, Rooney Caroline Fisk, on 7 May.

vanBlaricom is working to rebuild and move forward. Support from friends, family and the wider community has been a powerful source of strength. A GoFundMe page has been set up to aid in recovery efforts, and any help from fellow Darden alumni is deeply appreciated. Reach out to Justin at vanblaricomp19@alum.darden.edu if you’re interested in lending support.

EMBA

Karen Henneberger karen.henneberger@gmail.com

April 2025 marked our 5-year reunion — hard to believe we graduated from Darden 5 years ago! What a fun weekend! It was great to see those classmates and their families who were able to attend. The Rosslyn section returnees represented the majority of attendees (Go ROS!) while the Charlottesville section raised their ranks a bit via “pop-ins”

over the weekend. Professor Shane Dikolli was kind enough to sponsor a case discussion for our class on whether the U.S. government should eliminate the penny — Shane, thanks for bringing back great memories of our time in the classroom at Darden (and thanks to Jonas Porcar for organizing this fun)! Collect your pennies while they last! Your class reunion committee is looking for ideas to improve attendance at future reunions and class events. If you have ideas or are interested in helping plan class events, please reach out. Mike Doerr, we need help inspiring CHO.

Congratulations to Natalie Cucchiara and Brent Fisk on the arrival of their baby girl, Rooney Caroline Fisk, on 7 May 2025. The best reason we’ve heard for missing reunion!

John Palmer

johnpalmer@berkeley.edu

Victoria Luk and David Alfonte welcomed their first child on the first day of spring! Baby Olivia was born on 20 March 2025 in Charlottesville, where both parents work remotely and attend every UVA men’s basketball home game. In starting a new family, Victoria transitioned to a new role with Deloitte Consulting’s enterprise portfolio management team supporting the firm’s chief growth officer and David started teaching as an adjunct professor at the UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science. Hooray for new beginnings in Hoo-ville. Wahoowa!

Victoria Luk (MBA ’21) and David Alfonte welcomed their first child on 20 March in Charlottesville, where both both parents work remotely and attend every UVA men’s basketball home game.

EMBA

Michelle Cobb

James Hoffman has accepted a position as vice president of external and customer affairs with Alabama’s premier middle-mile fiber provider, Alabama Fiber Network (AFN). Founded by eight electric cooperatives with the support of Alabama Power, AFN has been awarded $264 million from the American Rescue Plan and Alabama legislature to assemble and operate a 400 gigabit fiber network that stretches 6,600 miles and serves over 550 Community Anchor Institutions and all of Alabama’s 67 counties. AFN’s goal is to be an integral part of providing internet connectivity to all Alabamians.

EMBA

Annette Stock

Elizabeth Brunette and her husband (UVA Med ’23) recently marked one year since their move to Seattle, Washington, following graduation. This spring, they are also celebrating their son Arthur’s first birthday, as well as their daughter’s third! Since graduating from Darden, Elizabeth has transitioned into the role of head of strategy and business operations for a technology sourcing and infrastructure team within Amazon’s eCommerce Foundation. In this role, she drives key strategic initiatives, oversees the team’s operating plan and shapes the longterm strategy, including the three-year vision. She also manages critical business mechanisms, such as monthly and quarterly business reviews, ensuring that her team stays

The Executive MBA Class of 2020 celebrated its fifth reunion at Darden in April.

To update your contact information, call +1-434-243-8977 or email alumni@darden.virginia.edu

aligned with organizational goals and delivers high-impact solutions for customers.

Elizabeth says: “It’s been incredibly rewarding to apply the strategic and analytical skills I honed at Darden to drive innovation at Amazon. Darden’s emphasis on leadership, problem solving and data-driven decision making has been invaluable as I navigate the complexities of scaling technology sourcing and infrastructure to support Amazon’s customers worldwide.”

Elizabeth Brunette (EMBA ’23) and her family

DARDEN LEADERSHIP BOARDS

The two leadership boards of the Darden School of Business are composed of nearly 100 distinguished leaders who serve as an innovative force in the advancement of the Darden School throughout the world.

(as of 30 June 2025)

Thank you to our alumni and volunteer leaders for a record year of support for Darden.

DARDEN SCHOOL FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Chair

Frank M. Sands (MBA ’94) Sands Capital

Vice Chair

John D. Fowler Jr. (MBA/JD ’84) Baycrest Capital LLC

Immediate Past Chair

Martina Hund-Mejean (MBA ’88) Retired, Mastercard International Inc.

Scott C. Beardsley University of Virginia Darden School of Business

John P. Bolduc (MBA ’90) H.I.G. Capital

Kim Brown (MBA ’93) Canterbury Partners

H. William Coogan Jr. (MBA ’82) Retired, Firstmark Corp.

James A. Cooper (MBA ’84) Thompson Street Capital Partners

Guillaume M. Cuvelier (MBA ’91) Alps Beverages LLC

Robert G. Doumar Jr. (MBA/JD ’88) Park Square Capital LLP

Debra Draughan (MBA ’84) The Process Management Group LLC

Frank S. Edmonds (MBA/JD ’95) Panning Capital Management

Arnold B. Evans (MBA/JD ’97) JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Richard B. Evans University of Virginia Darden School of Business

Catherine J. Friedman (MBA ’86) GV

Kirsti W. Goodwin (MBA ’02) Tower3 Investments

Peter M. Grant II (MBA ’86) Anchormarck Holdings LLC

Owen D. Griffin Jr. (MBA ’99) Currie Medical

Yael Grushka-Cockayne University of Virginia Darden School of Business

Constance J. Hallquist (MBA ’91) Garnet Hill

Robert J. Hugin (MBA ’85) Retired, Celgene Corp.

Mark J. Kington (MBA ’88) Kington Management LLC

David M. LaCross (MBA ’78) Morgan Territory Brewing

Beverly B. Ladley (MBA ’92) Consultant

Douglas R. Lebda (EMBA ’14) LendingTree Inc.

Lemuel E. Lewis (MBA ’72) Iv Media LLC

Nicole M. Lindsay (MBA/JD ’99) Mastercard International Inc.

Amanda Lozano (MBA ’09) North Fork Partners LLC

Paul Mahoney University of Virginia School of Law

Richard A. Mayo (MBA ’68) Game Creek Capital

Donald E. Morel Jr. (TEP ’97) Progenitor Capital LLC

Adair B. Newhall (MBA ’09) StepStone Group

Diem H.D. Nguyen (MBA ’01) SIGA

G. Ruffner Page Jr. (MBA ’86) O’Neal Industries LLC

Carl Peoples (MBA ’94) Goldmach Sachs Group Inc.

C. Evans Poston Jr. (EMBA ’17) Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

Matthew J. Reintjes (MBA ’04) YETI

James E. Ryan University of Virginia

Michael Sabel Venture Global LNG

Erik A. Slingerland (MBA ’84) EAS International S.A.

Robert W. Smith (MBA ’87) Retired, T. Rowe Price Trust Co.

Shannon G. Smith (MBA ’90) Abundant Power Group

Susan N. Sobbott (MBA ’90) Independent Consultant

Cynthia K. Soledad (MBA ’02) Egon Zehnder

Anand Emmanuel Stanley (MBA ’03) Airbus

Mark J. Styslinger Altec Industries Inc.

Bruce R. Thompson (MBA ’90) Bank of America

Lilo Simmons Ukrop (MBA ’89) University of Virginia Darden School of Business

Edward W. Valentine (MBA ’93) Harris Williams & Company

Steven C. Voorhees (MBA ’80) Retired, WestRock

Marietta Edmunds Zakas (MBA/JD ’84) Mueller Water Products Inc.

DARDEN

ALUMNI

ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair

Cynthia K. Soledad (MBA ’02) Egon Zehnder

Rachel Barnes (MBA ’21) Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC

Jennifer Briggs (MBA ’14) Pfizer, Inc.

Stephen (Gregg) Brooks (MBA ’09) Self employed

Mary Buckle Searle (MBA ’86)

Jordan H. Casserley (MBA ’20) McKinsey & Company

Sandhya K. Chhabra MD (EMBA ’17) Albemarle Endocrinology

Sean M. Corrigan (MBA ’05) Boston Consulting Group

Richard P. Dahling (MBA ’87) Consultant

Zhana Edmonds (MBA ’19) CVS Health

Richard C. Edmunds III (MBA ’92) PricewaterhouseCoopers

Rachel M. Edwards (MBA ’22)

Sarita T. Finnie (MBA ’01) Bayer

Theresa O. Frankiewicz (MBA ’87) Retired, Crown Community Development

James Freedman Aponte (MBA ’10) Meta

Michael J. Ganey (MBA ’78) GaneyNPD

Leslie P. Gordon (MBA ’89) Korn Ferry

Betsy Gorton (MBA ’04) Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Jacqueline Grace (MBA ’10)

Taylor P. Heaps (MBA ’13) Robert W. Baird

Karen O. Henneberger (EMBA ’20) 7 Rules Consulting LLC

Sonia L. Hounsell (MBA ’99) FunkkOFF! Inc.

Evan Inra (EMBA ’08) Amazon

Gen A. Izutsu (MBA ’15) Veralto

Marcien B. Jenckes (MBA ’98) Comcast Corporation

Melissa Jenkins (MBA ’16) Kansas City Current

Kendall Jennings (MBA ’12) Accenture

Claritza E. Jimenez (EMBA ’21) Paramount/CBS News

Wei Jin (MBA ’99) Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company

Patrice Ju (MBA ’14) Google

Matthew A. Kaness (MBA ’02) GoodwillFinds Ecommerce Inc.

Markus A. Kritzler (MBA ’04) Carbon Upcycling Technologies

Xiang Liu (MBA ’05)

Jared Love (MBA ’07) NBCUniversal

Kristina F. Mangelsdorf (MBA ’94) KFM Executive Coaching (self-employed)

Sherry McCray (MBA ’05) Constellation

Lois M. McEntyre (MBA ’95) Intuit Inc.

Harold W. McGraw IV (MBA ’07) S&P Global

Rajan J. Mehra (MBA ’93) March Capital

Michael W. Meredith (GEMBA ’17) Command Star Capital LLC

Tami M. Moore (EMBA ’09) Tillman Fiber Co.

Tiffani C. Moore (EMBA ’16) Federal Housing Finance Agency

Betsy M. Moszeter (EMBA ’11) Green Alpha Investments

Nikhil Nath (MBA ’00) InterGlobe Enterprises

Ann H. S. Nicholson (MBA ’01) Corning Inc.

Chetan Peddada (MBA ’15) RJA Technologies

Alyssa N. Perez-Melendez (MBA ’20) Bain & Company

Alex R. Picou (MBA ’89) JP Morgan Private Bank

Jason Sinnarajah (MBA ’07) Kansas City Royals

Malcom Stewart (MBA ’24) Brown Advisory

David L. Tayman (MBA/JD ’99) Tayman Lane Chaverri LLP

Kelly M. Thomson (MBA ’99) Mubadala Capital

Zachary G. Upcheshaw (MBA ’15) Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Gerrud Wallaert (TEP ’18) Brightmark

Meghan Welch (EMBA ’10) Plaid

Carter Whitelow (EMBA ’24) Virginia Chamber of Commerce

Daniele M. Wilson (MBA ’11) Google

Rebecca M. Wilson (MBA ’96) 20/20 Foresight Executive Search

Jose Maria Zertuche (MBA ’00) BlackRock

The Darden School offers its condolences to the families of the following individuals whose deaths have been reported to us in the past six months.

Andrew M. Allen (MBA ’65)

John D. Barbieri (MBA ’70)

Lucien L. Bass III (MBA ’65)

Timothy Brooke-Hunt (MBA ’73)

Freddie S. Brooks (MBA ’85)

J. Dabney Carr Jr. (MBA ’77)

James F. Carter (MBA ’67)

David S. Davies (MBA ’80)

Sara E. Davis (MBA ’79)

John B. Dawson Jr. (TEP ’65)

Kieran M. Doran (MBA ’98)

William K. Ebel Jr. (MBA ’60)

Ian H. Falconer (MBA ’71)

Patricia E. Faulkinberry (MBA ’81)

Paul Lowe Foster, Ph.D. (DBA ’69)

David A. Furrow (MBA/JD ’77)

Susan Ford Hammaker, Ph.D. (TEP ’92)

L. Shepley Hermann (MBA ’80)

Kenneth R. Kanter (TEP ’80)

Monica S. Krieger, Ph.D. (MBA ’82)

Robert E. Lee Jr. (MBA ’64)

Jody Howard Luck (MBA ’70)

Christopher B. McCluney (MBA ’80)

Michael T. Morrissett (MBA ’83)

James W. Murray Jr. (MBA ’72)

James D. Ogg (TEP ’87)

Katherine S. Perry (MBA ’77)

Lewis Price Jr. (TEP ’76)

George W. Redd (TEP ’82)

William P. Reed Jr. (MBA ’81)

Morton T. Saunders (MBA ’67)

Sanjeev Sehgal (MBA ’94)

C. Alexander Spivey (MBA ’74)

INCREASE THE ROI OF YOUR L&D.

HELP YOUR ORGANIZATION EXCEL IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING BUSINESS WORLD DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS

UVA Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning is a world-class learning solutions partner, providing immersive educational experiences, business transformation and talent development for your organization, through:

• Customizable leadership development for succession planning, functional excellence and strategic execution capability.

• Open enrollment offerings for key strategic talent within your organization.

• Learning & development at scale with blended and custom digital offerings to build key skills.

Discover why we’re a trusted, award-winning capability partner for Fortune 100 companies, U.S. military and federal agencies, and global associations. Darden Alumni and group enrollment discounts available for open programs.

University of Virginia Darden School Foundation

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WE ’ RE ON THE BRINK OF A FUNDAMENTAL DISRUPTION IN HOW BUSINESSES ATTRACT,