The AI Leadership Collaborative is a three-tier community of faculty and staff leaders convened by the Office of Responsible AI and the Arizona Institute for AI and Society to guide how the University of Arizona adopts and governs artificial intelligence. Its inaugural 48 members span research, teaching, student support, operations and administration.
The Collaborative rests on a simple premise: an institution-wide AI strategy succeeds only if it reflects the needs, expertise and values of the communities it affects. Rather than centralizing decisions in a single office, the university distributes engagement across three tiers of commitment — each with a distinct role, time expectation and form of accountability — so that faculty and staff can participate at the level that fits their capacity.
While AI champion cohorts and faculty fellows programs are increasingly common across higher education, integrating all three tiers into one structure — with portfolios, delegated authority and a reporting cadence scaled to commitment — is unique. The distinguishing features are set out below.
The Three Tiers
Portfolios
The inaugural Associate Director cohort comprises eight portfolios: Health; Engineering and Applied Sciences; Science; Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences; Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences; Business and Economics; Education and Curriculum; and the Arts. The CAIO reviews portfolio boundaries annually and may adjust, merge, or add to them as campus needs evolve; when activity spans portfolios, Associate Directors co-lead the effort.
Our Approach: Practice Before Policy
AI Campus Champions spend six weeks building working artifacts in their own roles — in teaching, research, student support, operations, and administration — before the university writes guidance governing that work. AI Fellows then test what those artifacts imply across their communities, and AI Associate Directors carry the evidence into strategy and policy recommendations.
The result is that university AI policy is grounded in documented practice rather than in anticipation. The institution learns what actually works, where it breaks and what it costs before committing that understanding to guidance. Additionally, the people who built the evidence are the same people who will implement the policy in their units.
Meet the AI Leadership Collaborative Members
Associate Directors AI in a Domain serve as the connective tissue between the Arizona Institute for AI & Society and the Office of Responsible AI cross-disciplinary AI mission and the distinct expertise, cultures and opportunities of their disciplinary community. These are not technical AI positions — associate directors are disciplinary leaders who understand AI’s implications for their field and are committed to shaping how U of A engages with those implications.
Members serving as Associate Directors AI in a Domain include:
- Kenneth McAllister, Associate Dean of Research and Program Innovation, College of Humanities
- Chi-kwan “CK” Chan, Associate Astronomer, Steward Observatory
- Ravi Tandon, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
- Jennifer Savary, Associate Professor of Marketing, Eller College of Management
- Yong Ge, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems, Eller College of Management
- Pete Froslie, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Arizona Arts
- Malak Tfaily, Professor, Department of Environmental Science
- Srikar Adhikari, Professor of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine – Tucson
AI Fellows play a critical role in advancing the University’s responsible, strategic, and mission-aligned use of artificial intelligence. Fellows serve as connectors, conveners, and thought partners, helping translate the University’s AI strategy into meaningful engagement. across research, teaching, and operational contexts.
Members serving as AI Fellows throughout the academic year include:
- Alexander Niculescu, Professor of Psychiatry, College of Medicine - Phoenix
- Onicio Leal Neto, Assistant Research Professor of Digital Epidemiology, Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health
- Francesca Vitali, Assistant Professor of Neurology, College of Medicine - Tucson
- Steven Bethard, Associate Professor, College of Information Science
- Misha Chertkov, Professor of Mathematics, College of Science
- Joellen Russell, University Distinguished Professor of Geosciences, College of Science
- Randi B. Weinstein, Senior Lecturer in Physiology, College of Medicine – Tucson
- Melissa Riha, Director at the Office of Research Contract & Agreements, Office of Research and Partnerships
- Seung-Ho An, Associate Professor of Public Management, School of Government and Public Policy
- Jeremy Weiss, Climate and Geospatial Extension Scientist, Cooperative Extension
- Matt Stoner, Senior Manager of Information Systems, University Information Technology Services
- Shelley Rodrigo, Senior Director of Writing Programs, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
- Kathleen Kennedy, Professor of Practice, Norton School of Human Ecology
- Tim Eifler, Professor, Department of Astronomy & Steward Observatory
- Rain Wuyu Liu, Assistant Professor of Communications, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences (Udall Center Fellow)
- Ji Hong, Professor, College of Education
- Austin Ross, Senior Lecturer, Department of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies
An AI leadership opportunity designed for faculty and staff committed to advancing institutional transformation through the applied use of artificial intelligence.
Members serving as AI Campus Champions throughout the academic year include:
- Aneta Kielar, Associate Professor, College of Science
- Daniel J. Johnson, Instructional Designer, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Deborah A. Gorombei, Assistant Clinical Professor, College of Nursing
- Elias Ortega, Learning Specialist, C.A.T.S. Academics
- Gina Jones, Compensation Analyst, Human Resources
- Grant Donald Batchelder, Administrator, Academic Programs, College of Education
- Jeff Bishop, IT Accessibility Consultant, Disability Resource Center
- Jiewei Yu, Associate Professor of Accounting, Eller College of Management
- Jerry Ford, Academic Analyst, University of Arizona Global Campus
- Jonathan G. Tullis, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, College of Education
- Kathleen L. Prudic, Associate Professor, School of Natural Resources and the Environment
- Kristen Chorba, Instructional Designer, University Center for Assessment, Teaching and Technology
- Laurie Sheldon, Senior Assessment Coordinator, University Center for Assessment, Teaching and Technology
- Liang Zhang, Assistant Professor of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics, College of Engineering
- Lin Zhang, Principal Analyst for Evaluation and Assessment, Dean of Students Office
- Margie R. Arnett, Director, Center for Transformative Interprofessional Healthcare
- Priscila M. Ledezma, Research Scientist, Educational Psychology, College of Education
- Randi B. Weinstein, Senior Lecturer in Physiology, College of Medicine – Tucson
- Rey Granillo, Director of Technology and Engineering, Arizona Institute for Resilience
- Rivka Fidel, Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Environmental Science
- Rozhin Yasaei, Assistant Professor, College of Information Science
- Rupa Murali, Assistant Director of Enrollment Analytics and Recruitment, College of Medicine – Tucson
- Samuel Rathke, Senior Research Specialist, Department of Environmental Science
Teresa Cortez, Program Specialist, College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences