Scott C. Beardsley Takes Office as UVA Darden School Dean

For the first time in 10 years, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business has a new dean. Scott C. Beardsley took office 1 August as the ninth dean of the School and Charles C. Abbott Professor of Business Administration.

“I am honored and thrilled to start my tenure as dean. Darden provides the world’s best educational experience, bar none, and I can’t think of any place I would rather be,” said Beardsley.

Passionate about business education, Beardsley was drawn to Darden for the School’s global focus, its unparalleled education experience and faculty, passionate alumni and the University’s Jeffersonian tradition of excellence. A values-driven leader, he believes in Darden’s mission to develop and inspire responsible leaders and advance knowledge.

“I want to help students and organizations realize their full potential and go out and change the world,” he said.

Dean Beardsley’s first priority is to launch a strategic process to crystallize Darden’s far-reaching priorities. “There are many strategic opportunities for Darden to build on its strengths, to innovate and to advance.”

Since being named Darden’s next dean in January 2015, Dean Beardsley has invested significant time meeting with members of the Darden community. He spoke to the Classes of 2015 and 2016 when he was introduced by UVA President Teresa A. Sullivan at a special First Coffee, a Darden tradition, in January. He visited Darden several times in the spring to meet with every member of the faculty, spoke to hundreds of alumni throughout Darden Reunion Weekend in April, and even met many future members of the Class of 2017 during Darden Days, a weekend for admitted students.

Later this month, he will officially welcome Darden’s Class of 2017, including students in the residential MBA, the MBA for Executives (EMBA) the Global MBA for Executives(GEMBA), and Ph.D. program. There will be many opportunities in coming months to meet Dean Beardsley, as he hits the road. This fall, he will attend events and receptions in Brussels, London, Geneva, Silicon Valley, Richmond, Washington, D.C., and New York, among other cities. In September, he will join GEMBA students for their Western Europe residency in Paris, where he will also host Darden alumni at a special event, the Darden Paris Leadership Forum, and hold a meeting of the School’s Global Advisory Council.

“In the coming weeks and months, I will continue to meet with Darden stakeholders — with students, faculty, staff and alumni — and to listen,” Dean Beardsley said. “I will step into the rhythm of the calendar and get involved in all aspects of Darden with the outstanding leadership team we have in place. I will not only accelerate a process to think through where we want to go for the next five to 10 years, but also try to be agile, innovate and get things done. I anticipate that we will be ready to share our long-term priorities by January.”

Dean Beardsley arrives at the Darden School after 26 years at leading global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. — the last 24 spent in Belgium — where he quickly ascended the ranks to senior partner, leading learning and leadership development globally for the firm’s professionals. He holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Tufts University, an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and an executive doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.