Public policy is top of mind year-round, but perhaps never more so than during election season. Developing global leaders is at the heart of Darden’s mission, and a successful intersection between business and government continues to be a priority for constituencies around the world.

Next Thursday, 12 November, Darden Admissions will host an online event exploring the value of an MBA for policy professionals. The session is open to both full-time and executive MBA candidates, and will feature a number of Darden alumni who currently have careers in public policy or who have put their MBA to work translating between business and politics. Sign up here for the event.

For candidates from policy backgrounds, an MBA can be many things — a meaningful educational differentiator, a skillset that allows graduates to translate between business and political constituencies, an important developmental opportunity that makes students more effective managers and leaders, a credential that expands potential career paths — the list goes on.

Next week’s session will feature insights from a number of recent Executive MBA alumni, including:

Laura Pettus (GEMBA ’18), Director of Budget and Finance, US Dept. of Commerce/Nat’l Telecomm. & Info. Admin.
Freddy Barnes (EMBA ’19), U.S. Public Policy, Tik Tok
Paul Kohnstamm (EMBA ’20), Administrative Director for Senator Tammy Duckworth
Zack Golden (EMBA ’20), Client Service Director, Dyson Capital Advisors
Alison R. Williams (EMBA ’15), Chief of Staff, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson

Fun fact: Several of the panelists have been guests on The ExecMBA Podcast. Learn a bit more about their backgrounds and experiences during our 1-1 podcast conversations:

Alison Williams (EMBA ‘15): Ep. 135

What’s it like to be a Chief of Staff? Alison shares thoughts about how her Darden experience shapes and informs her work as Chief of Staff for Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.

Paul Kohnstamm (EMBA ‘20): Ep. 88

Paul is Administrative Director for Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, and in this episode he makes the case for an MBA for policy professionals and offers tips for candidates from less quantitatively-oriented backgrounds.

Zack Golden (EMBA ‘20): Ep. 87

Before transitioning to an investment advisory firm, Zack spent several years working for Virginia Senator Mark Warner. Hear his thoughts on identifying the right time to pursue an MBA.

Darden Executive MBA Students in Politics: Ep. 34

This episode features conversations with several politicos from recent Executive MBA classes: Julie Lasseter (EMBA ‘18), Steve Gilleland (EMBA ‘19) and Freddy Barnes (EMBA ‘19) share reflections on how an MBA can fill in technical gaps and create career options for policy professionals.

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