Karen Pfister
University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business
Age: 49
“Driven wife, mom, and business owner who loves live music, sports, philanthropy, and traveling.”
Hometown: Brambleton, Virginia
Family Members: Lewis (husband), Lauren (21, senior at Virginia Tech), James (20, junior at Virginia Tech), Jackson (13, 8th grade)
Fun fact about yourself: I am a vegetarian who is really not a fan of most vegetables.
Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Virginia, B.A. in Government
Where are you currently working? OPSPro, CEO and Co-Owner
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles: LAWS Board Member. Loudoun Chamber GovCon Committee Member/Sponsor, a 2025 Washington Business Journal Diversity honoree
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The truth here is I am most proud of completing the program. Everyone has their own things they are trying to balance. I was running and growing a business, I am a wife and mom, I had several health challenges including a torn meniscus that I ended up having surgery to repair during the program. This is a very academically challenging program and I did not necessarily feel that I belonged. But I do belong and I did it and I am extremely thankful and proud.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I am proud of taking the leap to be a business owner and entrepreneur. I acquired my business three years ago with my business partners. I started with the company working part-time as a specialist and after some time away from the company, worked up to being Director of Operations. Seizing the opportunity to acquire the business was terrifying, but a risk I am glad I took. Owning a business is rewarding and hard work; it is not always glamorous. But I am thankful for the learning opportunities and growth that have come with it.
Who was your favorite MBA professor? Shane Dikolli is my favorite professor. I had Shane for Accounting II and he was the professor for the Australia global residency. I sat in on one of his classes after stopping by to say hello and I witnessed his pure joy as students in the class were grasping complex costing with no prior experience in the area. He is knowledgeable, genuine, generous, and just a wonderful human being.
Why did you choose this school’s executive MBA program? I am a proud Wahoo, Darden’s program has excellent academic rigor, provides for some time at the main campus in Charlottesville, and has some of the best professors around. It was the only program I considered — had I not been accepted, I was resigned that I would not pursue a graduate degree.
What is the biggest lesson you gained during your MBA and how did you apply it at work? One of the biggest blessings of being in business school while owning a business is the ability to take something that I learned and immediately incorporate it into my business. We had a great leadership course that emphasized the often-underestimated power of listening to your gut. Leaders carry a lot of weight. Often, executives carry weight that is not shared with others. Leaders need to be comfortable in knowing they are making decisions based on the information they had at the time. If it ends up not being the best decision, a good leader will learn what they need to from it and keep moving forward and not look back with regret. We heard from many current and former executives and CEOs who emphasized the importance of this and I really took it to heart. I have encouraged the other leaders in our organization to embrace their gut and focus on forward growth instead of rearview mirror regret.
Give us a story during your time as an executive MBA on how you were able to juggle work, family and education? My MBA journey was a constant juggle. I have one on grounds weekend (when we had classes Friday to Sunday in person) that conflicted with my father receiving an award. Though the absence would have an impact on my grade, I missed classes to attend my father’s award ceremony. I returned to my hotel room and conducted a two-hour virtual quarterly Town Hall for my company and then read cases so I was up to date with my classes even though not present. Family is my top non-negotiable. And my focus in the program was to increase my knowledge and share with others if that was helpful. My focus was not on grades.
Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Oh my, there are so many. Our cohort is comprised of some very accomplished and wonderful humans. I will say as a mother, I most admire my classmates who had children during the program and kept up and excelled with case studies, finals, and the marathon on-Grounds weekends with classes Friday to Monday.
What was the main reason you chose an executive MBA program over part-time or online alternatives? With my responsibilities at work and my desire to graduate as quickly as possible, an executive program was the clear option. It also meant that I was more likely to have some generational contemporaries as part of the cohort.
How did you finance your EMBA and what did you do to make tuition and associated costs more affordable? I recognize that I am extremely fortunate that I was able to self-fund most of my tuition. My company graciously paid a portion of my tuition, as we do have a tuition assistance benefit, and the balance I was able to pay using 529 funds that were not needed by my two oldest children who are in college and use savings.
What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? Ultimately, I would like to have a role in teaching and supporting the next generation of business leaders and shining a spotlight on the opportunities available for MBAs to have tremendous impact and success in small businesses.
DON’T MISS: BEST & BRIGHTEST EXECUTIVE MBAS: CLASS OF 2025
© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.
