Darden Students Announce Award Winners, Graduation Speakers and Class Pledge Milestones for 2026
By Molly Mitchell
The Class of 2026 of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business announced recipients of multiple honors at awards ceremonies this spring and celebrated the close of the class pledge campaigns.
The Full-Time MBA Class elected Mel Phillips as student speaker for graduation, and elected the following as faculty marshals: Yiorgos Allayannis, Pnina Feldman, Bo Sun and Gaurav Chiplunkar. The Executive MBA Class elected Bruce McAdams as student graduation speaker and Luca Cian as faculty marshal. The Part-Time MBA Class elected Stuart Nystrom as student graduation speaker and Yael Grushka-Cockayne as faculty marshal.
Darden’s Academic Regalia Ceremony is scheduled for 16 May on Darden Grounds in Charlottesville, and UVA’s Final Exercises ceremony including Darden is scheduled for 17 May on the Lawn.
Other spring awards include:
Full-Time MBA
Club Excellence Award:
- Education Club
- Entrepreneurship through Acquisition Club
- Media, Entertainment, and Sports Club
- Net Impact Club
Batten Institute Club Innovation Award:
- Running Club
Kitty Smiley Friend of the Student Award:
- Mike McGee
Theo Herbert International Award:
- Alberto Ramirez
- Smaran Shantharaju
Faculty Advocacy Award:
- Elena Loutskina
Outstanding Faculty Award:
- Gaurav Chiplunkar
Executive MBA
Friend of the Student
- Yael Grushka-Cockayne
Transformational Faculty
- Michael Ho
- Jim Detert
Part-Time MBA
Friend of the Student
- Lauren Lopez-Mauer
Transformational Faculty
- Ayhan Kose
Learn more about Darden graduation.
Class Pledge Campaigns
The Full-Time MBA Class of 2026 pledged $85,337 to the Darden Annual Fund.
The Class of 2026 also celebrated the close of its class pledge campaigns, which invited students to make a symbolic commitment to future Darden students through annual giving.
Part-Time MBA Class of 2026: $8,125 pledged
Campaign Committee: Melanie Goerke, Samantha Karp, Stuart Nystrom and Maria Servodidio
Executive MBA Class of 2026: $60,255 pledged
Campaign Chairs: David Carver, Lauren Pate, Shafile Rashid and Marissa Weisenburger
Full-Time MBA Class of 2026: $85,337 pledged
Campaign Chairs: Raquel deMordaunt and Charlotte Vance
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (Full-Time MBA, Part-Time MBA, Executive MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 20,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Press Contact
Molly Mitchell
Senior Associate Director, Editorial and Media Relations
Darden School of Business
University of Virginia
MitchellM@darden.virginia.edu
