Vivian Riefberg

Prior to joining Darden’s faculty in 2020, Vivian Riefberg spent more than three decades helping clients navigate a wide array of strategic, organizational, and operational challenges at McKinsey & Co. She built and co-led two of the consulting firm’s industry practices, focusing on healthcare and the public sector, and ultimately retired as a senior partner. 

Today, Riefberg uses her experience as a practitioner to write new cases for Darden and to lead thoughtful classroom discussions. She teaches in multiple formats, including courses on “Solutions and Innovations in Health Care,” “The Consulting Process,” and a new course she conceived in “Leading in Uncertainty and Crisis.” She is conducting research on how leaders handle institutional crises. She has a particular interest in women’s leadership and recently co-led an effort to help Darden become a graduate school of choice for women interested in management.

Riefberg is a board member of ONWARD (EBR:ONWD), Waystar, K Health, Accompany Health and Lightrock, an impact investing firm.  In the past she served as a board member for Signify Health which was acquired by CVS in March 2023. In the nonprofit space, she serves on the boards of the Public Broadcasting Service, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, and the National Education Equity Lab. She is also an advisory board member for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.