Author of Boots on the Ground AI (forthcoming), the definitive guide to leading AI execution at scale.

Dave spent three decades leading large organizations through high-stakes technology transformations. As Chief AI Ethics Officer for the U.S. Army AI Integration Center, he developed operational frameworks for deploying AI in environments where failure isn't an option. He led the operationalization of the Army's Responsible AI Strategy, establishing decision rights, accountability structures, and governance models that work at scale.

Before that, Dave served as Professor and Deputy Department Head at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he shaped the leadership development of future military and civic leaders. His military career culminated in command and staff positions across multiple continents, consistently focused on organizational readiness for technological change.

Today, Dave advises boards and senior leaders on organizational readiness for AI transformation. He operates upstream of implementation—ensuring leadership, governance, and operational processes are ready to execute before time, money, and credibility are at risk.

Credentials & Recognition

Academic Affiliations:

• Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School M-RCBG

• Visiting Professor, Technical University Munich (Institute for Ethics in AI)

• Former Visiting Fellow, Oxford University (Institute for Ethics in AI)

• PhD in Philosophy, University of Colorado Boulder

• MA in Philosophy, UMass Amherst

• BS Aero-Mechanical Engineering, USMA West Point

Industry Recognition:

• Forbes "Top 15 AI Ethics Leaders Showing the World the Way of the Future"

• Internationally recognized speaker on AI governance, leadership, and execution

Areas of Expertise:

• AI organizational readiness and leadership alignment

• Governance frameworks that enable execution at scale

• High-stakes decision-making under technological uncertainty

• Enterprise digital transformation (defense, healthcare, cybersecurity, finance)

Author of The Ethics of Military Privatization: The US Armed Contractor Phenomenon and multiple articles on armed conflict and emerging technology, Dave has been an invited panelist and speaker for over 100 national and international events.

Why Military Leadership Experience Matters for AI Execution

Military operations demand two things most AI initiatives lack: clarity on decision rights and operational discipline at scale.

In the military, when you deploy a new capability, you define:

• Who makes decisions and who doesn't

• What happens when the system fails or produces unexpected results

• How to maintain operational tempo while managing risk

• How to ensure teams can execute under pressure

These aren't abstract principles. They're operational requirements. And they're exactly what organizations need when deploying AI at enterprise scale.

Dave brings military-tested frameworks for large-scale operational execution to the AI readiness challenge. Not as metaphor. As methodology.