Darden Class of 2019 Announces Graduation Faculty Marshals, Speakers

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business Class of 2019 honored top students and staff, beloved professors and a significant philanthropic gift at a special graduation-themed First Coffee on 17 April.

The annual event comes roughly one month before graduation, when hundreds of members of the Darden MBA Class of 2019 will receive diplomas on Flagler Court at the Darden School.

The full-time MBA Class of 2019 selected Anne McKenna as its graduation student speaker, while Chris Thomson was chosen by his peers to address the Executive MBA Class of 2019.

Full-time students chose Professors Lalin Anik and Bobby Parmar to lead the graduation procession as faculty marshals, while EMBA students chose Professor Paul Simko. Retiring professors Jim Freeland, Robert Landel and Paul Farris were named honorary faculty marshals.

Anik and Parmar were both further honored by the full-time MBA students, with Anik receiving the Faculty Diversity Award and Parmar receiving the Outstanding Faculty Award. Executive MBA students honored Professor Peter Debaere with the Transformational Faculty Leadership Award.

With a record 99 percent participation, the full-time Class of 2019 pledged a class gift of $147,124, presenting a check to Dean Scott Beardsley. Receiving the oversize check, Dean Scott Beardsley said the gift “means so much” to the School, and said the group had set the bar high for future classes.

The Executive MBA class pledged $45,997, with 92 percent participation.

The full-time MBA graduating class presented the Theo Herbert International Award to Lorena Quezada Zaragoza and the Kitty Smiley Friend of the Student Award to the staff of Café 67. The class, which was the first to achieve 50 percent gender equity in club leadership, honored the Darden School of Brew with the Club Prize for Excellence.

The Executive MBA graduating class presented its Friend of the Student Award to Callie Thompson, Kathy Masloff, Anne Ward, Cheryl McGough and Allison Price of the Executive MBA program staff.