Meet the 7 Faculty Members Joining UVA Darden in 2026–27

A new academic year brings seven new faculty members and scholars to the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, with expertise spanning analytics, communication, finance, marketing and strategy. 

Here’s a look at the newest members of the Darden community. 

Michael Berthold, Bodily Bicentennial Professor in Analytics 

Michael Berthold.

Berthold joins Darden as a visiting scholar for the 2026–27 academic year. He previously held a machine learning chair at the University of Konstanz and later co-founded the open-source analytics company KNIME, where he served as CEO and helped grow the company to more than 250 employees. 

While at Darden, Berthold will focus on writing and curriculum development based on lessons from his transition from professor to CEO. 

Chris Dobmeier, Assistant Professor, Communication 

Chris Dobmeier.

Dobmeier most recently served as an assistant professor at Western Michigan University’s School of Communication. His research focuses on strategic storytelling, communication campaigns, persuasive message design, and the role of emerging media and technology in shaping how people think and act. 

At Darden, he will teach the core communication course and electives. He earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University at Buffalo. 

Dr. Tracey Hoke, Assistant Professor and Chair, Innovation in Healthcare Operations

Dr. Tracey Hoke

Hoke (TEP ’12) is a pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist who has served in a variety of roles with UVA Health since 2006. As chair, innovation in healthcare operations, with a joint appointment at Darden, she will seek to translate real world operational problems facing healthcare into interdisciplinary innovation projects supported by students and faculty.

Hoke earned her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and M.D. from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She also holds a graduate degree in outcomes research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Richard Maxwell, Assistant Professor, Finance 

Richard Maxwell.

Maxwell’s research interests include private equity and venture capital, entrepreneurial finance, and household finance. At Darden, he will teach the core financial management and policies course. 

He recently earned his Ph.D. in finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and previously earned his bachelor’s in finance and MBA from Brigham Young University. Before beginning his doctoral studies, Maxwell worked as an investment banking analyst for Wells Fargo Securities. 

Noah Myung, Associate Professor, Data Analytics and Decision Sciences 

Noah Myung.

Myung joins Darden on a part-time basis through a joint appointment with UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, where he is an associate professor of public policy and economics. His research interests are in game theory, organizational economics and financial economics.  

He earned his Ph.D. and a master’s in economics from the California Institute of Technology. He received a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in mathematics and economics. 

Ryann Noe, Assistant Professor, Strategy, Ethics and Entrepreneurship 

Ryann Noe.

Noe’s research examines how industries and technologies emerge and evolve, with a focus on the role of collective meaning-making. At Darden, Noe will teach the core ethics course and a Ph.D. course on crafting a dissertation. 

She recently earned her Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Harvard University, where she also earned a master’s in sociology. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and English from Williams College. Before pursuing her Ph.D., she worked in economic consulting. 

Arabella Pollack, Assistant Professor, Marketing 

Arabella Pollack.

Pollack joins Darden from Hunter College. Her research focuses on new product development and design thinking, including how different business roles influence innovation outcomes.

At Darden, she will teach electives in business-to-business marketing, digital marketing and AI in marketing across all degree formats.

Pollack earned her MBA from Darden, a Ph.D. from the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University in June 2026, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in engineering materials science from the University of Cambridge. Before entering academia, she spent more than 20 years working in finance, sales and marketing.