Our Executive MBA profile series continues with a Q&A with First Year Executive MBA student Kris Green (Class of 2022). Green works in real estate in the Washington, D.C. area, and he was drawn to Darden for its case method learning approach, the supportive community and the School’s commitment to its students. Green is one of the newly elected leaders of the Black Executive MBA (BEMBA) student organization, and will be serving as Communications and Outreach VP.
Catch up on our earlier profiles with Collins Marshall (Class of 2022), Helen Yao (Class of 2022), Nate Scott (Class of 2022), Aisha Pridgen (Class of 2022), Jean Borno (EMBA ’17), Christy Sisko (Class of 2022) and Stephen Beaudoin (Class of 2022)
Q: What is your current role? What is your professional/academic background?
A: I work for a real estate developer based in the Washington, D.C. area as Vice President – Multifamily Property Management. In my role, I direct a team of on-site 
professionals that manages the day to day operations and financial performance of our portfolio of multifamily buildings.
I started my career in real estate property management while pursuing an undergraduate degree in accounting. After graduating with my undergraduate degree, I went to work for KPMG in external audit. After three years at KPMG, I decided to return to the real estate field to pursue my passion.
Q: How did you decide to pursue an MBA?
A: My current company went through a transformation immediately after I joined. I was brought on as a part of that transformation and was given the task to transition our portfolio of buildings from third party property management to a new in-house management arm.
After successfully launching the division, I began getting involved in the company’s real estate development, acquisition and asset management. As my interest and involvement in these areas grew, I recognized that there were management and financial decision skills that I could enhance to continue growing my career. Through conversations with coworkers and executives at my company, I was confident pursuing an MBA degree would allow me to develop additional skill sets to grow my career.
Q: What led you to Darden?
A: Interestingly enough, Darden was not on my radar when I decided I wanted to return to school. I ruled out most of the top-ranked schools as I knew I could not attend a full-time program, and I had the impression that Executive MBA programs catered to folks with 20 years of career experience. I initially invested my time into applying for part-time programs, but after researching and reading hours of online discussions on the Darden program, I decided to sign up for an Admissions event to learn more.
Darden checked all the boxes for what I was looking for in an MBA program. I knew during the first Admissions call that Darden would provide me the rigor I was looking for to accelerate my career. I appreciated the school’s approach to teaching using the case method, which would allow me to solve real business situations by analyzing case facts. As a working professional with a demanding job, I could also tell that I would be supported through the journey and that Darden was invested in the success of its students.
Q: What has been the impact of your Darden experience so far?
A: If you work in my office, you know I attend Darden. Not only am I known for wearing Darden gear around the office, but I often share case discussions from classes with my reports and executive management. The cases discussed throughout the program have been extremely relevant to many of the decisions we make as a growing firm.
Also, I am impressed with just how smart, talented, and hard working the cohort of students are. Darden has award-winning professors that are brilliant, but the body of students in the program is impressive and contributes significantly to the learning experience. In my short time at Darden, I have built relationships that I know I will maintain long after leaving the program. My classmates have been my biggest cheerleaders in my career success and have provided additional support when I need direction or advice on business decisions.
Q: What is your best piece of advice for prospective students?
A: As a part of preparing your application, ensure that you spend some time developing your story. Having a good grasp on what you have done, where you are today, and where you would like to be will help with the admission process. Also, I believe that mastering your story becomes even more beneficial once you have started the program. Knowing my story has allowed me to put in the extra time and effort into the rigorous program as I observe myself developing into the leader I aspired to be when I decided to pursue an MBA.
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