Speaking & Engagement

I give talks, lead workshops, and occasionally take on advisory work for governments, foundations, and mission-driven organizations thinking carefully about AI.

My work sits at an intersection that remains relatively unusual: a research program on AI governance theory, direct experience advising public-sector organizations, and a decade of teaching and applied work in public administration and nonprofit management. That combination is useful for audiences trying to move past AI hype in both directions — neither dismissing it nor adopting it without the governance structures to make it accountable.

TALKS & KEYNOTES

Representative topics:

  • The Cointelligence framework: integrating AI without losing the deliberative judgment that defines mission-driven work
  • Algorithmic mission drift: how organizations lose their values to automation without realizing it
  • The Public Values Audit Matrix: evaluating whether AI systems serve the public values an organization claims to hold
  • AI and data justice: who AI systems work for, whose data they use, and what accountability looks like in practice
  • Civil society in the age of algorithmic governance: trust, equity, and institutional legitimacy
  • AI literacy for nonprofit boards and executive leadership

Past venues include the National Forum on Empowering Qatar's Third Sector (Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Doha), the League of Oregon Cities Conference, the RGK Center Tech and Society Symposium (University of Texas at Austin), and the AIEmpoweredEDU Conference (University of Portland).

WORKSHOPS DELIVERED

Working sessions for leadership teams, boards, civic agencies, and professional associations on:

  • How to govern AI: practical frameworks for organizations without in-house technical expertise
  • AI readiness assessment: using the 9-pillar framework to identify gaps before they become expensive mistakes
  • Public values auditing: applying the PVAM to AI systems already in use or under procurement consideration
  • AI and equity: applying a data justice lens to organizational AI adoption decisions

Formats are typically half-day or full-day, tailored to the organization and its specific governance context.

ADVISORY ENGAGEMENT

I work with a small number of public-sector and nonprofit organizations on AI governance frameworks, policy development, and readiness assessment. Given my research commitments, I am selective. Work that intersects directly with my research program is of most interest.

rafeelwasif@gmail.com