Scott C. Beardsley is Dean and Charles C. Abbott Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. After studying electrical engineering at Tufts University and earning an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Beardsley became an international management consultant at McKinsey & Company, leading their strategy practice and global learning and leadership development. He rose quickly to senior partner in Brussels and was eventually elected to McKinsey's global Board of Directors. Feeling the call to a new career path, Beardsley completed a doctorate in higher education management at the University of Pennsylvania before accepting his role as dean. He currently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia.