Darden Appoints Tech Strategist Patrick Higgins to Lead AI Ethics Institute
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business named Patrick Higgins managing director of the LaCross Institute for Ethical AI in Business, effective June 1, 2026. Higgins, who earned his MBA from Darden in 2016, brings nearly a decade of enterprise technology work to the role as organizations grapple with how to deploy generative AI responsibly.
Higgins previously held positions at IBM, WillowTree, and Robots & Pencils, where he developed AI-first delivery strategies. His career has focused on helping companies move from technology promise to actual business practice.
What the Institute Does
The LaCross Institute works across faculty research, student engagement, and industry partnerships to help leaders apply AI responsibly. It combines Darden's strengths in business ethics, stakeholder theory, and analytical decision-making to develop frameworks for AI deployment.
Higgins succeeds Marc Ruggiano, who led the institute during its first two years. Rajkumar Venkatesan, co-academic director, said the appointment positions the institute to build a community of scholars, students, and industry leaders who can deploy AI effectively and ethically.
The Business Problem Higgins Sees
Executives face significant uncertainty about how to handle AI adoption. Many are frozen between the technology's potential, its risks, and the speed of change. Higgins said leaders lack frameworks for unpacking the problem with their teams.
"What is still missing are broader frameworks of how to approach and start unpacking this problem with your teams," he said. "There is a lot of information flowing around, and organizations need a trusted source."
Higgins believes Darden can fill that gap through research and collaboration focused on innovation with positive societal impact. The institute's approach combines analytical rigor with human-centered leadership-a methodology Darden has emphasized for years.
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