Academy students will meet monthly for six months to learn and practice leadership skills taught by faculty, alumni, and business leaders.

Recently, twenty students began a new leadership development program – Pamplin Leadership Academy. Designed as a bridge between our one-day Pamplin Student Leadership Conference and the 18-credit business leadership minor, the Academy seeks to offer Pamplin undergraduate students opportunities to develop leadership and professional skills through coaching and mentoring relationships with leaders and scholars in our professional communities.

The pilot program was a joint collaboration between the Accounting and Information Systems (ACIS) Department, the Innovate Living Learning Community, and the Business Leadership Center within the Department of Management. The students’ majors focus mainly on accounting and finance, as well as business information technology, management, and marketing. Other departments represented include Spanish, Fashion Merchandising and Design, and Economics. Eleven of the students are members of the Innovate Living Learning Community.

“We saw a need for development of soft skills that our students are not receiving in their in-major courses. With the help of a generous ACIS donor, we were able to partner with the Business Leadership Center to provide this new leadership program,” said Reza Barkhi, Professor and former head of the ACIS Department. “I think this program will be of great value to our students.”

The 2016-2017 cohort includes:

  1. Emma Adams, of Williamsburg, Virginia, a fifth year student pursuing a masters in accounting and information systems.
  2. Danielle Agosta, of Flanders New Jersey, a senior double majoring in Accounting and information systems and finance.
  3. Jennifer Bagby, of Herndon, Virginia, a junior double majoring in management and finance.
  4. Alexander Bahrami, of Great Falls, Virginia, a junior majoring in business information technology with a minor in international business.
  5. Alexandra Egan, of Richmond, Virginia, a sophomore majoring in accounting and information systems.
  6. Emily Engdahl, of Lafayette, New Jersey, a sophomore double majoring in accounting and information systems and finance.
  7. Bella Fauzi, of Charlotte, North Carolina, a sophomore majoring in accounting and information systems.
  8. William Humble, of Richmond, Virginia, a junior majoring in finance.
  9. Nicole Johnston, of Christiansburg, Virginia, a senior double majoring in accounting and information systems and marketing.
  10. Ann Karta, of Germantown, Maryland, a sophomore double majoring in finance and Spanish, with a minor in entrepreneurship and new venture growth.
  11. Taylor Kenyear, of Richmond, Virginia, a sophomore majoring in management.
  12. Jason Ksanznak, of Dumfries, Virginia, a senior majoring in accounting and information systems.
  13. Brett Langstaff, of New Providence, New Jersey, a senior majoring in business information technology.
  14. Yanina Merida, of Annandale, Virginia, a senior majoring in accounting and information systems.
  15. Rachel Phandinh, of Burke, Virginia, a sophomore double majoring in marketing and fashion merchandising and design, with a minor in entrepreneurship and new venture growth.
  16. Casey Polk, of Chilhowie, Virginia, a sophomore double majoring in accounting and information systems and finance, with minors in business leadership and consumer studies.
  17. Yassmin Shamma, of Herndon, Virginia, a sophomore majoring in business information technology, with minors in entrepreneurship and new venture growth and computer science.
  18. Alexander Shirshov, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, a junior majoring in economics, with a minor in entrepreneurship and new venture growth.
  19. Ted Simopoulos, of Lynchburg, Virginia, a junior majoring in business information technology.
  20. William Xie, of Charlottesville, Virginia, a junior majoring in business information technology.

To take part in the Leadership Academy, each of the students participated in a competitive process including an application, a faculty recommendation, and an interview.

Academy students will meet monthly for six months to learn and practice leadership skills taught by faculty, alumni, and business leaders; two of these seminars will occur off-campus in the New River Valley and Alexandria, Virginia. They also will conduct a service learning project in collaboration with the Community Foundation of the New River Valley. In addition, the program has a mentoring component in which 2-3 students will be paired in a mentoring relationship with a Pamplin alumna or alumnus.

Facilitators for the Academy include:

  • Dr. Kimberly Carlson, Management Department
  • Ms. Laura Croft, Community Housing Partners
  • Ms. Heather Evans, Leadership Education Collaborative, Virginia Tech
  • Dr. Lisa Fournier, Management Department
  • Ms. Brenda Harrington, Adaptive Leadership
  • Mr. Joel McPhee, Bank of America
  • Mr. Barry O’Donnell, Management Department
  • Mr. Gary Thomson, Dixon, Hughes, Goodman
  • Ms. Shannon Turner, Storyteller
  • Ms. Jessica Wirgau, Community Foundation of the New River Valley
  • Grant Thornton