Shaping the Future: History of Women at Darden

1955

University of Virginia Graduate School of Business Administration

The University of Virginia establishes the first Graduate School of Business Administration in the South. The School opened its doors in Monroe Hall, its first home, in 1955.

1965

Betty Sue (Hamner) Peabody (MBA ’65)

Peabody was the first woman to graduate from Darden with an MBA in 1965. 2025 marks a celebration of her accomplishment and a history 60 years of women graduates at Darden.

1976

Charlotte H. Scott

Scott was a trailblazing University professor, economist, banking executive, philanthropist, and community member. The first African American woman to be appointed a tenured faculty member at the University of Virginia,₁ she joined the faculty in 1976, as a University Professor of Business Administration and Commerce, and Senior Fellow, Tayloe Murphy Institute at the Darden School of Business.₂⠀⠀⠀

"I knew Charlotte Scott in my early years on the Darden School faculty. She was a wonderful and kind colleague with a sharp intellect and a capacity to get quickly to the heart of a question. Most of all, I respected her courage. She was a pioneer – one of the few women faculty members at Darden in those years, and along with her husband, Nathan, the first tenured African-American faculty members at U.Va. Darden benefited by her example." - Charles C. Abbott₃

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1984-86

Susan Hurt

Hurt was the first woman to be president of the Darden Student Association (DSA); a group of students, elected by their classmates, which advocates on behalf of clubs and individuals representing the interests, concerns and desires of the student body.

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1990s

The Second Generation of Faculty

Throughout the 1990s, a corps of additional Second Faculty Generation members signed on to the growing academic enterprise in Charlottesville, and quickly became invested in sustaining the School's vision and values and in enhancing its achievements. Among this group were Lynn A. Isabella (1990) in organizational behavior, Jeanne M. Liedtka (1990) in strategy, Patricia H. Werhane (1993) in ethics, and June West (1997) in Communications. These faculty (among others) sank their roots deep into Charlottesville's soil and became pivotal to the School's progress.

 

2004-Present

Partnering with the Forté Foundation

In 2004, Darden was a founding partner school of the Forté Foundation. The organization's mission is to launch women into fulfilling, significant careers through access to business education, professional development, and a community of successful women. 2024 marked the celebration of 20 years partnering with the Forté Foundation.

Find Out About Forté

2014

Women@Darden

In the summer of 2014, the Darden School created the Women@Darden, a group of alumni, faculty and staff who examine and recommend actions in order to improve the quality of the Darden experience for women who are prospective and current students and alumnae.

“Darden was life-changing — I gained knowledge and became part of a community that enabled my success in business and in life. I’ve devoted much of my time to mentoring, coaching and championing women, but I was convinced I could do more. Naturally, I turned to Darden, where I found a clear way to address this opportunity.” - Sally Genster Robling (MBA ’82), Former vice chair of the Women@Darden steering committee

From 2020-22 Women@Darden expanded with the rollout of 18+ new initiatives dedicated to student entry, experience and engagement. One was held in September of 2022 when Women@Darden brought together members of the community for the Women in Leadership Summit: The Great Reinvention an event focused on leadership, networking and skill-building.₂
Discover Women@Darden

 

2019-2024

Princeton Review's Best Business School: Resources for Women

Since 2019, Princeton Review has ranked Darden in the top ten business schools for Greatest Resources for Women. In 2024, Darden rose to No. 6 overall, moving up three spots from the previous year. Read the Rankings

2020

KPI Club

Darden offers a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, including many avenues of support available to student founders. A pillar of this community is the KPI Club, an unofficial club of women founders that started by five women of the Full-Time Class of 2022.

“This community of fellow women founders not only gave me the encouragement and focus for my entrepreneurial journey at Darden, it helped me elevate my approach to various challenges I faced. Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely journey – only you truly understand the countless ups and downs that come with turning an idea into a real product. And I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a group where I get to share that journey with fellow women founders.” - Curie Chang (MBA '24)

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2023

Billie Jean King Case Series Partnership

UVA Darden and Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative establish a partnership to publish 10 cases highlighting the unique leadership opportunities and challenges facing women in leadership. Darden is taught entirely by the case method, and expanding protagonists in cases has been a priority for Darden faculty.

“These cases will bring a number of pressing issues with broad applicability into classrooms at Darden and around the world.” - Ed Freeman, Darden professsor and academic director of the Institute for Business in Society.

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2024

Martina Hund-Mejean (MBA ’88)

Martina Hund-Mejean (MBA ’88), former CFO of Mastercard Worldwide, was honored with the Charles C. Abbott Award. The highest accolade bestowed by the Alumni Association Board of Directors recognizes a Darden graduate who has made and continues to make significant contributions to the School’s legacy.
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