Overview
For more than two decades, Patricia (Pat) Harned has helped organizations empower employees to make ethical decisions and foster workplace cultures that spark innovation, strengthen long-term performance, and build enduring trust.
Since 2004, Dr. Harned has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI), a prestigious research and membership organization that established and maintains the industry standard for effective ethics and compliance programs. Under Pat’s leadership, ECI became renowned for its global longitudinal research gauging ethics and compliance trends and identifying emerging risks. Dr. Harned also serves as principal in ECI’s advisory services, partnering with boards and executives to address compliance lapses, to foster safe speak-up cultures, and to strengthen their commitment to integrity enterprise-wide.
Dr. Harned is regularly asked to advise boards on matters of governance. Her subject-matter expertise has also been sought by policymakers; Pat has testified before Congress, advised the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and briefed the OSHA Whistleblower Protection Committee on strategies to promote safe employee reporting of operational challenges and other concerns.
Prior to her executive role, Dr. Harned served in senior management at ECI, overseeing research and the development of educational resources to foster individual moral development. Pat came to the ECI with 10 years of previous experience working in higher education and in the field of character education.
Dr. Harned has extensive board experience, having served for 21 years as a director for the two organizations comprising the ECI. She was also a member of the board for the U.S. Center for SafeSport and the International Association of Independent Corporate Monitors (IAICM).
Pat is a multi-year honoree as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics, and as one of the Top Thought Leaders in Trust. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Elizabethtown College, a master’s from Indiana University, and a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh.