Yael Grushka-Cockayne, Melissa Thomas-Hunt Appointed as UVA Darden Vice Deans

Dean Scott Beardsley this week announced the appointment of two vice deans as he prepares to begin his third term leading the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Beardsley, who was reappointed in December 2024, named Senior Associate Deans Yael Grushka-Cockayne and Melissa Thomas-Hunt as Vice Deans, effective Feb. 1.

“I’m very pleased to appoint Yael and Melissa to these important new roles, which will help us build on the tremendous momentum the Darden School has for pursuing our mission of inspiring responsible leaders for business and the world,” he said.

Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne has led the Darden Professional Degree formats since 2020.

As Vice Deans they will lead the implementation of major academic initiatives, engage the Darden faculty collaboratively in advancing the School and ensure the ongoing success of Darden’s signature transformational education experiences.

The new roles for Grushka-Cockayne and Thomas-Hunt are an extension of their current roles as strategic leaders for Darden.

Grushka-Cockayne has led the Darden Professional Degree formats, including the Executive MBA, Part-Time MBA and MSBA with the UVA McIntire School of Commerce since 2020, and also serves as an academic director of the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business and a special advisor to the UVA Provost on AI. A professor of business administration and the Altec Styslinger Foundation Bicentennial Chair in Business Administration, Grushka-Cockayne’s teaching and research focuses on data science, forecasting, project management and behavioral decision-making.

She received the 2024 Darden Executive MBA Transformational Faculty Award. She also received Darden Outstanding Faculty Awards in 2013 and 2022 and won the University of Virginia All University Teaching Award in 2015.

Professor Melissa Thomas-Hunt has led the Darden Full-Time MBA program since 2023.

Thomas-Hunt has led the Darden Full-Time MBA program since 2023 and served as a special advisor to the Dean on connection and belonging after returning to Darden from a corporate role as global head of connection and belonging for Airbnb. She is the John D. Forbes Distinguished Professor of Business Administration and also serves as a professor of public policy at the UVA Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Thomas-Hunt is Founding Academic Director of the Behavioral Research at Darden (BRAD) Lab, an interdisciplinary lab supporting the development and application of behavioral science to business and society.

In 2017, she received the highest research award presented by the School, the Darden Wells Fargo Research Award. She has researched and taught leadership, team dynamics and negotiations for more than 25 years to MBAs and executives.

Beardsley, who was originally named Darden dean in 2015, is the longest serving dean at the University of Virginia today, and the only dean of Darden since its founding dean in 1955 to be appointed to a third term, which begins in August. Under his leadership over the past decade, the school has cemented its reputation as the top public business school in the country, significantly grown and invested in faculty excellence, enhanced Darden’s world-class student experience, attracted record support from alumni and friends, and expanded the School’s reach and impact in lifelong learning.

“I’m grateful for the honor of serving as your Dean. I am thankful to be part of such a committed and talented faculty and staff across Darden who are all essential to meeting the full potential of our mission,” he said.