UVA Conference on Ethical AI in Business

Over more than two decades, John Stauffer has established himself as a leader in digital strategy and customer experience, pioneering innovative approaches at the intersection of technology, commerce, and business transformation for marquee clients worldwide. As Chief Strategy Officer for Merkle Americas, he oversees a $32M Strategy Practice and a team of 130 strategists across Business Consulting, Experience & Commerce, and Technology Strategy. Under his leadership, the organization has achieved 26% year-over-year growth—double the industry average—while unifying formerly separate strategy teams, developing Merkle’s “Business Agility & Growth” value proposition, and securing major global wins with clients such as Arrow Electronics, Principal Financial, and Haleon. His work has been recognized by leading analysts including Forrester, IDC, and Everest.

Previously, John served as Managing Director of Strategy at DEG Digital, where he helped shape the “Agency of the Future” vision, drove double-digit growth, and guided its acquisition by dentsu. Earlier in his career, he held regional strategy roles with Ogilvy in Asia Pacific, earning a Cannes Lion Silver Award for Ford. Named to multiple “40 Under Forty” lists and WPP’s High Potential Group, John is also a dedicated court-appointed special advocate for children in the family court system. He studied at the University of Maryland and Charles University in Prague and has been a guest lecturer at Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, and UVA Darden School of Business.

Jimmy Sindwad | AI Product Lead at Doordash

Rajkumar Venkatesan | Academic Director of the LaCross AI Institute at The Darden School of Business

Rajkumar Venkatesan, Ph.D., is Academic Co-Director of the LaCross AI Institute and the Ronald Trzcinski Professor of Business Administration at UVA Darden School of Business. He teaches and writes on quantitative digital marketing and AI, with books including Cutting Edge Marketing Analytics and AI Marketing Canvas. His research has appeared in leading journals and outlets such as Harvard Business Review and California Management Review. Over 450,000 learners have taken his Coursera courses, and he has consulted for companies across technology, retail, financial services, life sciences, and more, including Capital One, ExxonMobil, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and State Farm.

Omar Garriott | Executive Director of The Batten Institute at The Darden School of Business

Omar Garriott is Executive Director of the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Prior to UVA, Omar had a successful 15-year career as a Tech executive. He was the Global Head of the $100M+ Education business for Qualtrics and led education product marketing for Salesforce, LinkedIn, Apple, and Adobe. In addition to his corporate bona fides as an "Intrapreneur for Good," he is a teacher and mentor, having taught 3rd grade through Teach for America and advised students ranging from high schoolers to Executive MBAs on college and career transitions. He also worked as a Career Coach at both the UC-Berkeley Haas and the University of Virginia career offices, was a reporter for Major League Soccer, and has been published in The New York Times, Forbes, and The Washington Post.

Paul Cherukuri | Chief Innovation Officer at The University of Virginia

Paul Cherukuri serves as a Special Advisor to the Provost for UVA Innovates, a pan-university entrepreneurship initiative.

Cherukuri will lead the next phase of the development of a University-wide innovation ecosystem—fostering cross-school collaboration, empowering faculty and students to translate ideas into impact, and expanding partnerships with industry, government, and regional stakeholders. This initiative reflects UVA’s commitment to excellence, entrepreneurship, and driving positive change on both a local and global scale.

Cherukuri has served as the inaugural vice president for innovation and chief innovation officer at Rice University since 2022. At Rice, Cherukuri spearheaded initiatives that redefined the university’s innovation enterprise, from launching the Rice Biotech Launch Pad and RBL LLC to rapidly advance lifesaving technologies, to forging the $12.5 million Woodside-Rice Decarbonization Accelerator to transform greenhouse gases into next-generation materials, and creating the Rice Nexus hub at Houston’s Ion District to scale AI-driven startups—efforts that firmly positioned Rice and Houston at the forefront of global innovation. Prior to this, he served as executive director of Rice’s Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering, forging interdisciplinary research partnerships with federal agencies and corporations and securing nearly $37 million to accelerate the development of new technologies into commercial products.

Nikki Hastings | Executive Director of Cville BioHub

Professor Hastings is an operations biotech executive and entrepreneurial ecosystem builder with over 15 years of experience with early-stage biotech/medtech and medical device companies, specifically with expertise in working with academic and first-time founders. She has led operations in executive management roles at early-stage biotech companies. Professor Hastings co-founded and is the Executive Director of CvilleBioHub, a private nonprofit organization that runs the Commonwealth BioAccelerator at North Fork Discovery Park. Professor Hastings is Track Director of the M.S. in Commerce's Biotech Track and adjunct faculty member in the UVA McIntire School of Commerce. She holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Peter Beling | Professor of Data Science at UVA School of Data Science

Peter A. Beling is a professor at the University of Virginia School of Data Science, where he focuses on generative AI research as part of UVA’s new National Security Data and Policy Institute. His work centers on resilient, mission-aligned AI, with broader interests in cyber resilience and trusted systems. At the nexus of systems theory and artificial intelligence, Beling explores large language models, reinforcement learning, and the co-design of algorithms and the systems in which they operate. His research supports a range of national security applications, including mission engineering, test and evaluation, and predictive maintenance.

Rory McDonald | John Tyler Associate Professor of Business Administration at The Darden School of Business

Rory McDonald is an Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Ethics area at Darden where he teaches Disruptive Strategy: Building and Sustaining a Successful Enterprise in MBA and executive education programs. Before Darden, he spent a decade as a professor in the Technology and Operations Management unit at Harvard Business School. He has been named one of the world’s top 40 business school professors under 40 by Poets and Quants, and his article “What is Disruptive Innovation?” was named as one of Harvard Business Review’s Definitive Management Ideas. He is the co-author (along with Christopher Bingham) of the recent book, “Productive Tensions: How Every Leader Can Tackle Innovation’s Toughest Trade-Offs,” (MIT Press).Professor McDonald’s award-winning research focuses on how firms compete and innovate effectively in new technology-enabled markets.

Professor McDonald received his PhD in Management Science and Engineering from the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. He also holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, an MA in economic sociology from Stanford University, as well as two engineering degrees from the University of South Florida. McDonald is on the board of YCG Funds, an Austin-based mutual fund company, and is an advisor to several startups.

Keith McCormick | Bodily Bicentennial Professor of Analytics at The Darden School of Business

Keith McCormick currently serves as the 2025-2026 Bodily Centennial Professor of Analytics at Darden. Keith is a highly accomplished professional consultant, mentor, and trainer, having served as keynote and moderator at international conferences focused on analytic practitioners and leadership alike. Keith has built predictive analytics models for more than three decades, utilizing popular industry advanced analytics solutions such as IBM SPSS Statistics, IBM SPSS Modeler, KNIME Analytics Platform, and other popular machine learning tools. He’s authored seven books on the effective use of predictive analytics software and techniques. He has guided organizations to establish highly effective analytical practices across industries, including the public sector, media, marketing, healthcare, retail, finance, manufacturing, and higher education. His LinkedIn Learning courses and frequent conference workshops have reached 100s of thousands of individuals trying to learn statistics, machine learning, and data science.

David Danks | Professor of Data Science, Philosophy, & Policy at University of California, San Diego

David Danks is Professor of Data Science, Philosophy, & Policy at University of California, San Diego. Starting January 2026, he will be the Polk JSF Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy, AI, & Data Science at the University of Virginia. One part of his research examines the ethical, psychological, and policy issues around AI and robotics across multiple sectors. He also develops novel AI systems and computational cognitive models. Danks was an inaugural member of the National AI Advisory Committee (USA), and currently serves on multiple advisory boards for industry, government, and academia.

Robert Phillips | Ruffin Professor of Business Ethics at The Darden School of Business

Robert Phillips is a Professor of Business Administration in the Strategy, Ethics, and Entrepreneurship area at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Before coming to Darden, he was the George R. Gardiner Professor in Business Ethics, Professor of Sustainability, and Director of ​the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business at York University’s Schulich School of Business. His PhD is from the University of Virginia’s Darden School. Prior to Schulich he held positions at the University of Richmond, University of San Diego, The Wharton School, and Georgetown University. He was also the Gourlay Professor of Ethics in Business, at Trinity College, University of Melbourne, visiting professor at LM Thapar School of Management (Punjab), and Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (Shanghai).Schulich he held positions at the University of Richmond, University of San Diego, The Wharton School, and Georgetown University. He was also the Gourlay Professor of Ethics in Business, at Trinity College, University of Melbourne, visiting professor at LM Thapar School of Management (Punjab), and Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (Shanghai).

Jason Campagna | Senior Director, AI Practice Strategy at Worldwide Technology

Jason Campagna is a strategic technologist with a proven track record driving innovative go-to-market in cloud, automation, and now AI. He currently leads AI solution strategy at World Wide Technology, helping enterprises navigate the next wave of intelligent systems—from AI assistants to autonomous agents. Since 2001, Jason has been at the forefront of virtualization, cloud, and automation related evolution, with deep experience in platform architecture, service delivery, and organizational transformation. His work consistently bridges the gap between disruptive technology and operational reality. Jason champions teams built on diverse perspectives and rapid iteration—key ingredients for scaling meaningful innovation in today’s fast-changing landscape.

Carlos Bortoni | Senior Director, Tech Hub, Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology, UVA Darden School of Business

Carlos Bortoni serves as the Senior Director of the Tech Hub at the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology at the Darden School of Business. As leader of the Tech Hub, his mission is to connect students, alumni, faculty and industry around technology and innovation. Carlos earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard University and launched his early career in consulting and education-tech roles, including at PwC, Hanover Research and Qualtrics, where he directed their global education business. Also a Darden MBA, he guides strategic partnerships to help develop future-ready leaders who can both harness emerging technologies and drive meaningful impact.

Marty Weiner | Founding CTO of Reddit & Pinterest

Marty Weiner is a seasoned engineering leader, startup founder, and advisor known for helping companies scale from early-stage ideas to global platforms. As a founding engineer at Pinterest, Marty spent four and a half years building and evolving the product during its explosive early growth.

In 2015, he joined Reddit as the company’s first Chief Technical Officer, where he guided the technical organization through a period of rapid modernization and expansion.

After retiring in 2019, Marty “de-retired” to launch VerifyYou, a startup focused on solving one of the internet’s most persistent challenges: identity and accountability online.

Today, alongside building VerifyYou, Marty advises a wide range of companies—helping founders navigate the journey from tiny startup to IPO-scale success.

Lisa Cannell | Senior Managing Director, Client Solutions, UVA Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning

Lisa Cannell (MBA ’17), Senior Managing Director of Client Solutions for Executive Education & Lifelong Learning (EELL), works closely with organizations and their learning and development teams to address their talent and organizational needs through diagnoses of the leadership development and capability building requirements needed to retain top talent, grow to the next level and successfully manage change. She’s been with Darden since 2014, serving as Darden’s Chief HR Officer for four years before moving into her current role with EELL. Prior to Darden, Lisa spent 20 years in HR leadership roles in banking, information services, and insurance.

In her current role as a client relationship manager, she enjoys connecting clients and their leaders with Darden’s top-ranked faculty and world-renowned thought leadership by developing custom solutions and programming to meet their talent development needs.

Sara Smith | Director of Enterprise Technology at NVR, Inc. 

Sara Smith is Director of Enterprise Business Technology at NVR Inc., where she leads AI integration across enterprise workflows with a focus on responsible innovation, business value realization, and human impact. Her career spans military service, software engineering, and executive leadership, giving her a unique perspective on ethics and technology. Passionate about inclusive leadership and talent development, Sara advocates for AI strategies that balance business goals with societal responsibility.

Yael Gruska-Cockayne | Senior Associate Dean for the Full-Time MBA, Landmark Communication Professor of Business Administration, Academic Co-director for the LaCross AI Institute, and Special Advisor to the Provost on AI
 

Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne is the Senior Associate Dean for the Full-Time MBA, Landmark Communication Professor of Business Administration, and Academic Co-director of the LaCross Institute for AI at the Darden School of Business. Her research and teaching focus on data science, forecasting, project management, and behavioral decision-making, and her work appears in leading academic and professional journals. A highly decorated educator, she has received numerous awards including the Darden Outstanding Faculty Award, UVA’s Mead-Colley Award, the All-University Teaching Award, and recent Transformational Faculty honors in both the Executive and Part-Time MBA programs.

Prof. Grushka-Cockayne teaches Darden’s core “Decision Analysis” course and electives in project management and data science, and she leads executive programs for organizations such as AARP. Before academia, she worked in San Francisco as a marketing director for an Israeli ERP company and has since consulted widely in aerospace and pharma. A leader in her field, she serves as an associate editor at major journals, is active in INFORMS and PMI, and has taught hundreds of thousands of learners through her Coursera and Harvard Online courses.

Bobby Parmar | Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Shannon G. Smith Bicentennial Professor of Business Administration

Bidhan ("Bobby") Parmar is the Associate Dean for Faculty Development and the Shannon G. Smith Bicentennial Professor of Business Administration. Parmar teaches First Year Ethics, Second Year electives on collaboration, and creative and critical thinking at the Darden School of Business. He was named one of the top 40 business school professors under 40 in the world and has won several teaching and research awards.

Parmar's research interests focus on how managers make sense of uncertainty and collaborate in ways that create value for stakeholders. His work helps executives better handle ambiguity in their decision-making. Parmar's work has been published in Organization Science, Psychological Science, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Organization Studies, Business & Society, and the Journal of Business Ethics. He has co-authored two books on stakeholder theory.

Parmar works with executives in a wide variety of industries and functions on topics related to decision making, stakeholder management, design-thinking, leadership, and collaboration and influence.

Bruce Holsinger | Linden Kent Memorial Professor of English, UVA Department of English

Bruce Holsinger specializes in the literature and culture of the medieval world, with additional interests in historical fiction, modern and contemporary theory, the history of the book, and premodern religious cultures. His new book, The Parchment Inheritance: Animals, Archives, and the Making of Culture from Herodotus to the Digital Age (forthcoming from Yale University Press in 2022), explores the parchment record of the premodern world from a number of different angles: environmental history, theology, historical genetics, and so on. His research for this project has involved extensive collaboration with an international team of bioarchaeologists, conservators, and other scholars in the emerging field of "biocodicology": the biomolecular analysis of written objects, particularly parchment. His previous books, including The Premodern Condition: Medievalism and the Making of Theory as well as Neomedievalism, Neoconservatism, and the War on Terror, have explored the shaping role of the medieval in the making of modern critical thought and political discourse. His first book, Music, Body, and Desire in Medieval Culture: Hildegard of Bingen to Chaucer, won the Modern Language Association Prize for a First Book, the John Nicholas Brown Prize from the Medieval Academy of America, and the Philip Brett Award from the American Musicological Society.

Jason S. Gambill | Senior Strategic Advisor, Dominion Energy

Jason S. Gambill is a Senior Strategic Advisor at Dominion Energy, specializing in the exploration and implementation of artificial intelligence to drive enterprise-wide innovation and operational excellence. With a keen eye for both emerging technologies and organizational needs, Jason evaluates external vendors and internal solutions to ensure alignment with strategic objectives and to identify high-impact AI use cases.

A trusted partner to business unit leaders, Jason excels at uncovering opportunities that enhance accuracy, efficiency, and decision-making through advanced AI applications. As a cross-functional connector, Jason fosters a culture of consistency, knowledge sharing, and collaboration, ensuring that AI adoption and governance are cohesive across the enterprise.

Becky Heironomus | Director of Product Management, Meta

Becky Heironimus joined Meta 3 years ago and is currently a Director of Product Management and Head of Facebook Risk. She is responsible for regulatory compliance and risk management for Meta Facebook & Messenger products. Her team is responsible for creating and enforcing a cohesive strategy to support risk mitigation while enabling product teams across Facebook to proactively build sustainable risk mitigations into their products.

Prior to Meta, Becky was the Head of Enterprise Data Governance and Privacy for 16 years at Capital One Financial Corporation. Her robust career at Capital One bridged all lines of business. She led Capital One’s innovative API transformation strategy driving an enterprise effort to deliver reusable, expandable products available both across the enterprise and externally to users. In addition, she drove multiple enterprise risk initiatives including compliance with broad sweeping Privacy regulations.

Before joining Capital One, Becky was a Management and Technology Consultant with PWC, focusing on emerging technologies in leading energy and healthcare companies. Becky graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Systems Engineering and an MBA from UVA’s Darden School of Business.

Neal Magee, Associate Professor at the UVA School of Data Science, Faculty Director of Systems Architecture

Neal Magee is an Associate Professor at the UVA School of Data Science and the Faculty Director of Systems Architecture. His areas of interest include solution architecture, cloud computing, event-driven computing, and cloud-native design patterns. Before coming to the University in 2016, he worked for over a decade in industry as a developer, systems administrator, cloud architect, and manager of internet operations and data teams.

Tim Laseter, Professor of Practice at The Darden School of Business

Bruce Holsinger specializes in the literature and culture of the medieval world, with additional interests in historical fiction, modern and contemporary theory, the history of the book, and premodern religious cultures. His new book, The Parchment Inheritance: Animals, Archives, and the Making of Culture from Herodotus to the Digital Age (forthcoming from Yale University Press in 2022), explores the parchment record of the premodern world from a number of different angles: environmental history, theology, historical genetics, and so on. His research for this project has involved extensive collaboration with an international team of bioarchaeologists, conservators, and other scholars in the emerging field of "biocodicology": the biomolecular analysis of written objects, particularly parchment. His previous books, including The Premodern Condition: Medievalism and the Making of Theory as well as Neomedievalism, Neoconservatism, and the War on Terror, have explored the shaping role of the medieval in the making of modern critical thought and political discourse. His first book, Music, Body, and Desire in Medieval Culture: Hildegard of Bingen to Chaucer, won the Modern Language Association Prize for a First Book, the John Nicholas Brown Prize from the Medieval Academy of America, and the Philip Brett Award from the American Musicological Society.