• Darden women make a significant impact every day — at Darden, in Charlottesville and around the world. They are student club presidents, community leaders, entrepreneurs and more. Darden is committed to recruiting women who want to positively impact the world, and empowering them for long-term success in whatever role they choose. Darden has a history of advocacy on behalf of women, moreover, including our Dean's recent participation in the White House Roundtable to outline best practices for cultivating women leaders and improving workforce conditions for women and families.

    Over the course of two years at Darden and as a life-long member of the alumni network, you will be able to take advantage of mentorship, alumni and career development resources, and you will develop skills critical to gaining respect as a business leader. Darden’s distinctive case method of instruction — designed to strengthen students' confidence in their communication, decision-making and teamwork skills — and experiential learning opportunities create a great learning environment for women.

    In the following video, you'll meet five women from Darden who talk about the challenges they faced — and the successes they found — as they worked to find their voices in business school.

    Below you will be able to meet some of Darden's female leaders, see what our female students are involved with and peruse a collection of resources developed particularly for women.

  • Menu

    Meet Darden Alumnae

    Gaelle Mawadjou Tchokoua

    Gaelle Mawadjou Tchokoua — Darden Class of 2017

    A native of Cameroon, Gaelle came to Darden to grow her public speaking skills and her career. Gaelle now works at M&T Bank and also plans to pursue impact investing in Africa.

    Read more about Gaelle's Darden experience

    Carolyn Miles

    Carolyn Miles — Darden Class of 1988

    As the CEO of an international nonprofit, Save the Children, Carolyn models how a Darden an MBA can prepare you for a successful and rewarding career in the nonprofit sector.

    Read more about  Carolyn's Accomplishments

    Jennifer Hayes

    Jennifer Hayes — Darden Class of 2001

    As partner at Bain & Company and mother of three, Jennifer's life is a wonderful story of success both in her career and at home.

    Read more about  Jennifer's Accomplishments

    Shelley Reese

    Shelley Reese — Darden Class of 2008

    Shelley Reese, a Senior Associate at Booz Allen, was recently interviewed as one of Booz Allen's "Leading Ladies." Read her Q&A to see how she continues to grow professionally, how she mentors others, and how she regularly exceeds expectations.

    Read the full Q&A

    Katherine Neebe

    Katherine Neebe — Darden Class of 2004

    Since graduating from Darden, Katherine has worked with a wide range of corporate, government and nonprofit organizations. After spending six years at WWF managing one of the world's largest corporate-NGO partnerships, Katherine joined Walmart's sustainability team and leads Walmart's external stakeholder relationships.

    Contact Our Alumnae

    Reach out to one of our many alumnae ambassadors to hear more about their experience at Darden, and their journey since graduating.

    Contact an Alumnae Ambassador

    Darden and the Forté Foundation

    Forté Foundation, an organization committed to helping more women pursue business leadership roles. While every woman at Darden can join Forté, each member school has the opportunity to select Forté Fellows.

    The Forté Foundation offers many resources unique to Fellows. In addition to the financial support provided through fellowships awarded by individual Forté member schools, Fellows gain exposure to leading companies and professionals in the Forté network. They also gain an immediate network of Fellows that extends beyond their individual business school.

    Application Fee Waiver

    Darden offers application fee waivers to Forté MBALaunch members. If you have been accepted into the Forté MBALaunch program, please enter the code "10059" on the Program Information page of our application to receive your waiver.

    Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) 

    Darden’s chapter of Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) promotes the role of professional women by developing a greater appreciation for issues of diversity among men, women, faculty and administration. GWIB provides resources related to women’s issues in pursuing a career in business and helps students create and build their professional and personal networks.

    Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) 

    Darden’s chapter of   Graduate Women in Business (GWIB) promotes the role of professional women by developing a greater appreciation for issues of diversity among men, women, faculty and administration. GWIB provides resources related to women’s issues in pursuing a career in business and helps students create and build their professional and personal networks.

    1:1 Program for Prospective Student Women

    Darden is known for having a tight-knit community. In order to give you a more personalized introduction, the  Graduate Women in Business Club and the Office of Admissions are pleased to offer the 1:1 Program for Prospective Student Women.

    The program will pair you with a current female student mentor in late summer so that you can have a one-on-one connection with a member of the Darden community. Previous participants have found that this is a fantastic way to learn about the School, the student community and the many academic opportunities and resources. 

    If you are interested in applying to be a part of the 1:1 Program, please email  Haley Whitlock Gyory . 

    UVA Resources for Women