The Data & AI Leaders Summit program is designed and delivered by the experts at TDWI and the Summit Advisory Board. Attend the entire summit and earn a TDWI Data & AI Leadership Certificate on Building and Governing for AI.


Track Key:
 Agenda Highlights Breaks/Lunch
 NonClick Strategy Summit
Monday, November 17, 2025
TIME EVENT
Monday
7:00 am
  
Registration and Check In for the Data & AI Leaders Summit
Monday
7:15 am - 8:00 am
  
Breakfast
Monday
8:00 am - 9:00 am
  
Keynote // Building for Trust in the Era of Agentic AI

Cal Al-Dhubaib, Head of AI & Data Science, Further
Monday
9:15 am - 9:40 am
  
Welcome and Kick Off // Trends and Priorities in Data and AI Governance 

Fern Halper, Ph.D., VP and Sr. Research Director, TDWI

Donald Farmer, Principal, TreeHive Strategy and TDWI Fellow
Monday
9:40 am - 9:50 am
  
Industry Perspectives: Leading AI Transformation: Practical Steps for Data Leaders

Sean Knapp, Founder & CEO, Ascend.io
Monday
9:50 am - 10:40 am
  
Expert Speaker: Building the Data Foundation for AI

John O'Brien, President, Radiant Advisors
Monday
10:40 am - 10:50 am
  
Industry Perspectives: AI Agents in the Enterprise: When to Trust, When to Tame

Chad Smykay, AI CTO & Distinguished Technologist, HPE
Monday
10:50 am - 11:05 am
  
Break
Monday
11:05 am - 11:35 am
  
Case Study: Balancing AI Innovation and Governance: A Fireside Chat with CIO Mark Macioce

Cal Al-Dhubaib, Head of AI & Data Science, Further

Mark Macioce, CIO / VP of IT, Masco Corporation
Monday
11:35 am - 12:25 pm
  
Expert Speaker: Devising a Data Governance Strategy for AI

Theresa Ancick, CBIP, Data Governance Strategist/Consultant, Accura Business Services, LLC
Monday
12:25 pm - 2:20 pm
  
Networking Lunch and Innovation Stations
Monday
2:20 pm - 3:15 pm
  
Expert Speaker: Designing a Scalable AI Governance Framework

Evan Levy, CBIP, Partner, Integral Data, LLC and TDWI Fellow
Monday
3:15 pm - 3:45 pm
  
Beyond the Black Box: Practical Governance for Retrieval-Augmented Generation Systems

Donald Farmer, Principal, TreeHive Strategy and TDWI Fellow
Monday
3:45 pm - 4:00 pm
  
Break
Monday
4:00 pm - 4:50 pm
  
Data Leaders Panel: Governance Starts Here: Data Foundations for the AI-Driven Enterprise

Donald Farmer, Principal, TreeHive Strategy and TDWI Fellow

Clay Owensby, Data, AI and Intelligence Leader, NASCAR

Ray K. Ready, AVP of Data and Analytics, Lakeland Regional Health

Sam Wong, Senior Director of Data, Analytics, and AI, Mark Anthony Group
Monday
4:50 pm - 5:00 pm
  
Networking Exercise
Monday
5:00 pm - 5:15 pm
  
The Wrap: Closing Discussion of Today's Topics

Fern Halper, Ph.D., VP and Sr. Research Director, TDWI

Donald Farmer, Principal, TreeHive Strategy and TDWI Fellow
Monday
5:15 pm - 7:00 pm
  
Welcome Reception
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
TIME EVENT
Tuesday
9:00 am - 9:05 am
  
Day Two Kickoff

Fern Halper, Ph.D., VP and Sr. Research Director, TDWI

Donald Farmer, Principal, TreeHive Strategy and TDWI Fellow
Tuesday
9:05 am - 9:50 am
  
AI Leaders Panel:  From Ambition to Action: How AI Leaders Are Building and Governing Enterprise AI

Fern Halper, Ph.D., VP and Sr. Research Director, TDWI

Ken Johnston, Vice President of Data, Analytics, and AI, Envorso

Lawana Y. Jones, SVP Chief Technology Officer & AI Governance Leader

Allen Thompson, VP Enterprise Data & Analytics, The Hanover Insurance Group
Tuesday
9:50 am - 10:00 am
  
Networking Exercise
Tuesday
10:00 am - 10:30 am
  
Fireside Chat: Securing and Governing Agentic AI

Naveen Kolli, Data Technology Manager
Tuesday
10:30 am - 10:40 am
  
Break
Tuesday
10:40 am - 11:20 am
  
TDWI Research Findings and Sponsor Panel

Fern Halper, Ph.D., VP and Sr. Research Director, TDWI

Sean Knapp, Founder & CEO, Ascend.io

Chad Smykay, AI CTO & Distinguished Technologist, HPE
Tuesday
11:20 am - 11:30 am
  
Networking Exercise
Tuesday
11:30 am - 12:15 pm
  
Expert Speaker: Data Quality for AI Data Governance

Prashanth H. Southekal, Ph.D., MBA, ICD.D, Managing Principal, DBP Institute & D2A2
Tuesday
12:15 pm - 2:15 pm
  
Lunch and Exhibit Hall
Tuesday
2:15 pm - 2:25 pm
  
Networking Exercise
Tuesday
2:25 pm - 3:35 pm
  
Expert Speaker: Driving GenAI Success by Integrating the Governance of Structured and Unstructured Data

C. Lwanga Yonke, Founder and President, Padouk Consulting, LLC
Tuesday
3:35 pm - 3:50 pm
  
Break
Tuesday
3:50 pm - 5:20 pm
  
Workshop: Responsible AI in Practice: A Hands-On Introduction to Harm Assessment for Generative and Agentic Systems

Ken Johnston, Vice President of Data, Analytics, and AI, Envorso

Leigh Felton, Chief Administrative Officer & Chief of Staff, Strategist, Responsible & Ethical AI
Tuesday
5:20 pm - 5:30 pm
  
The Wrap: Closing Discussion of Event

Fern Halper, Ph.D., VP and Sr. Research Director, TDWI

Donald Farmer, Principal, TreeHive Strategy and TDWI Fellow
Tuesday
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
  
Exhibit Hall Reception

Agenda Key

  • Analyst Insights: the latest trends and research delivered by TDWI analysts.
  • Expert Best Practices: experts, with in-the-trenches expertise, focus on best practices and successful real-world applications
  • Curated Case Studies: case studies, delivered by experts in the field, with a focus on actionable takeaways
  • Tech-in-Action: moderated technology demos and case study sessions that enable attendees to assess all the latest AI applications and technologies
  • Workshop: Interactive session where leaders come together with peers, with an expert facilitator, to discuss common challenges and proven best practices

Earn a CertificateData & AI Leadership Certificate:
Building and Governing for AI

This certificate validates conceptual knowledge in:

  • AI architecture and modernization best practices
  • Data and governance strategies for AI
  • Operationalizing AI responsibly
  • Supporting AI initiatives with trusted data foundations

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