UVA Darden’s Black Professional MBA student organization hosted Leadership and Legacy: Darden Black Alumni in Conversation last Friday. The event welcomed alumni and current students as well as prospective students to Sands Family Grounds.
The panel, moderated by Professor Laura Morgan Roberts, covered everything from leadership development journeys to each panelists theme song.
Meet the panelists:
Daniele Wilson
Wilson is the head of nonprofits at Google, where she leads initiatives to empower mission driven organizations through technology and innovation. With a diverse background, spanning sales, marketing and strategy, she has worked across industries including technology, consumer packaged goods, healthcare and business services. Passionate about leveraging digital solutions for social impact, Wilson is dedicated to helping nonprofits maximize their reach and effectiveness in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Wilson attended the University of Florida for undergrad and is a 2011 Darden alum.
Theme song: Defying Gravity, Cynthia Erivo
“The network is a critical component. Take the time, that I know you don’t have, on fostering a network by reaching out to alumni and connecting across your cohort. When I was at Johnson&Johnson, I was ready to leave, and I thought I wanted to be a CEO but was unsure. I reached out to folks in my class, and the amount of people that were open to having a conversation with me was amazing.
It just so happened, Jeff Rudnicki, who is a senior partner at McKinsey, is someone I reached out to. At the time, he was leading all North America recruiting and asked if I wanted to work at McKinsey. I knew I didn’t want to, but I’ll take the offer to have a conversation. That helped open the door, and through interviewing McKinsey, I was connected to Google. I was connected to Rebecca Wahl, the now COO and Vice President at Google, through a Darden alum. I had no idea how important she was and she was willing to make the time because I was also connected to this Darden alum. You never know how this network is actually connected to people, but by having those relationships and willing to take the time to reach out, it can go so far.”
Steven Daley
Daley’s vantage point is corporate strategy as a Development Associate at a Navy ship builder. In his role, Steven supports enterprise growth initiatives, market analysis and M and A execution. He has over five years of experience in the defense industry with roles spanning finance and strategic advisory. Daley holds an undergraduate degree from Colby College, a certification in sustainability accounting, and is currently a member of the Part-Time class of 2025 where he also serves as Co-president of Black Professional MBA student organization (BPMBA).
Theme song: Hustlin’, Rick Ross
“Showing up prepared is very important. Whenever I have a conversation with somebody as a leader or high up in an organization, know at least five things about them ahead of time. By doing my homework in advance, I’m able to bring something to the conversation that allows me to ask more effective questions. People are often shocked and surprised I show up prepared.”
Alan Thompson
Thompson is the owner and operator of multiple DC area Chick Fil A franchises. After opening his first restaurant in 2019, Thompson was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year by the National Black MBA Association, Washington DC Chapter. Prior to Chick Fil A, Thompson served in the US navy as a cryptologic warfare officer, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander and as civilian employee of the Air Force, US Cyber Command and eight years at the CIA. In addition to the Naval Academy, Thompson holds a Master’s in systems engineering and is a 2018 Darden alum.
Theme song: Anything by Kendrick Lamar
“Darden was really instrumental in how I thought about my career. I came into Darden thinking I’m going to be a climber or if I make a transition, it would be aligned to my professional experience. I sat down with Jim McNish and some other folks, and they really helped me think through my goals. What did I really value? Personally, I wanted the opportunity to spend more time with my family, to make more money, but also have a more direct impact on people. So what helps me achieve that? I didn’t want to put myself in an isolated situation, business wise, where it was just me. So, the franchise model made sense, because you’ve got a partner to lean on. It was a big shift for me because I didn’t have retail experience. I was a senior officer at the agency sitting down with very senior officials having very serious conversations to flip into sitting down with a 20 year old who’s having what they think is a crisis. It is hard mentally to make that commitment, but if you stick with it, if you made the right choice, things will start to work out for you.”
Karen Pfister
Pfister is the CEO of Ops Pro a Virginia based company providing back office support to small businesses. She has 15 years of experience in government contracting with roles spanning the full spectrum. From small businesses to industry giants like Booz Allen Hamilton and SAIC, Pfister’s background in Program Operations Management has equipped her to successfully manage projects ranging from small, independent projects to complex multitask order contracts exceeding $400 million. A double Hoo, she holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and is currently a member of the Executive MBA class of 2025.
Theme song: Rear View Mirror, Pearl Jam
“It’s important to keep your connections. By maintaining relationships with folks I’ve worked with, even from years ago, it’s helping in business. After I acquired my business, I sought out other leaders like me, so I joined the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce, and that has been such a great resource. We recently had a dinner put together by someone I met through that organization, and it was 30 black business owners at that table. That connection is so important because we can relate and help each other succeed.”
Ron Cook
Cook is the Vice President of Accounting for Generation Income Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust. Cook has held executive and financial leadership roles over the past 10 years in consulting, family office and real estate private equity. His career highlights including leading IPO initiatives, buy side and sell side due diligence engagements, as well as overseeing and managing a $3 billion real estate development portfolio. Cook holds a degree in finance from James Madison University accounting, from University of Maryland, Global Campus, and is a 2020 EMBA alumni.
Theme song: I Get Money, 50 Cent
“With IPO deals in general, anything that requires a right answer is going to have wrong models. Someone explained to me a long time ago that all models are wrong, but some are useful. And so many deals look at the numbers, but the people that read between the lines are the people who make the world actually tick.
Spend your time, especially at Darden and in any relationship, looking for those soft things. The quant is always going to be there. We’ve got tons of tools and the math is important, but read what the numbers are not saying. IPOs are very stressful. Typically, you’re running parallel with some big, massive private equity company trying to compete with the public market. So be mindful of the different interests within the stakeholders, surround yourself with people who think about deals, and if you see deals pop up in publications or online, start tinkering with those and seeing what it’s like.”
