About University of Virginia Darden School Foundation

Professor Edward D. Hess is a Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and serves as an Executive-in-Residence at the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. With over 30 years of experience in the business sector, he has held senior executive roles at notable firms, including Warburg Paribas Becker and Arthur Andersen. Hess is a prolific author, having written 13 books and over 160 practitioner articles, focusing on growth systems and strategies. His notable works include Learn or Die (2014) and Hyper-Learning (2020). His current research investigates the Darden Growth/Innovation Model and the challenges of managing growth in private companies. He has also taught executive education programs globally and has contributed to various media outlets, enhancing his reputation as an authority in organizational performance and innovation.

Jared Harris is a faculty member at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics. He teaches strategic management and ethics to MBA students, military officers, and business executives. His research focuses on the intersection of ethics and strategy, particularly in corporate governance and interorganizational trust. Harris has published extensively in top journals and has authored several influential books, including Public Trust in Business (2014) and The Strategist’s Toolkit (2013). His work has garnered recognition in major media outlets, and he has received multiple awards for teaching excellence.

Doug Thomas serves as the Academic Director of the Sands Institute for Lifelong Learning and the Henry E. McWane Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. With degrees from Cornell University and Georgia Institute of Technology, he has established himself as a leading expert in supply chain management and quantitative modeling. As co-founder and chief scientist of Plan2Execute, he develops innovative supply chain software and consulting solutions. His academic career includes professorships at Penn State's Smeal College of Business and visiting positions at INSEAD and Cornell. Thomas has contributed significantly to the field through his research on production and inventory planning, published in prestigious journals like Management Science. He has extensive experience in executive education, leading programs across four continents and consulting for major corporations including ExxonMobil, IBM, and Pfizer. His expertise is further demonstrated through his co-authorship of "Inventory and Production Management in Supply Chains" and his role as senior editor for Production and Operations Management.

Vidya Mani serves as an Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, specializing in sustainable global value chains. With degrees from MS University, IIT Mumbai, and UNC Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School, she brings extensive expertise to the field of supply chain management. Her research focuses on creating responsible business operations that benefit society and the environment across various sectors including electronics, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, and retail. As a Franklin Fellow at the Department of State and member of key sustainability working groups, she contributes to developing industry standards and policy recommendations. Her work includes developing solutions for counterfeit risk mitigation in defense supply chains and evaluating environmental safety compliance in various industries. She teaches Sustainable Global Value Chains in both Residential and Executive MBA programs while leading the P3 Impact Award Program, demonstrating her commitment to advancing sustainable business practices globally.