About

American Society for AI (ASFAI) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit as the premier organization for Artificial Intelligence.

Our mission is to create a better world with AI.

We turn this vision into reality by bringing together the top minds in AI twice per year in a private and collaborative setting.

Board of Directors

Paritosh Ambekar
Stanford, California
Paritosh Ambekar is a Senior Director at C3.AI and leads their healthcare business focused on hospitals, health insurance and pharma industries. Before C3.AI, he spent 17+ years as an executive in the healthcare and life sciences industry, particularly in the field of oncology, cardiology, medical robotics, orthopedics, medical AR/VR, and minimally invasive surgeries.

Trained as a rocket scientist, Paritosh earned his PhD in Engineering from Stanford University and Masters in Management from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Chairman, American Society for AI
Aaron Poynton
Washington, D.C.
Aaron Poynton is a businessman, entrepreneur, and consultant. He’s the CEO of Omnipoynt Solutions, a 4IR-technology strategy and business development consulting firm in the aerospace & defense, national security, and health & safety markets.

Aaron is also Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of A3 Global, focused on the future of mobility in the circular economy. He holds four advanced degrees and studied business, law, and political science at Duke, Harvard, and London School of Economics.

Vice Chairman, American Society for AI
Rei Llazani
Washington D.C.
Rei Llazani is the Co-founder and CEO of 50Pros, a brokerage platform connecting Fortune 500 companies with professional-services agencies and firms.

He is also a world-recognized private art broker as the Owner and President of MadeMay, known for high-end sculpture commissions.

Rei is involved in AI-related policy matters, national policy committees, and writes about art, AI, and the future of work.

President, American Society for AI
Lena Smart
New York City, New York
Lena Smart is the Chief Information Security Officer at MongoDB, the leading database platform provider, and leads the global security strategy and operations.

She has 30+ years of experience in technology and cyber security, spanning various industries and sectors, including finance, energy, and government; and was recognized as CIO of the Year by Public Utilities Fortnightly.
Sanjay Ranka
Gainesville, Florida
Sanjay Ranka is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Information Science and Engineering at University of Florida. He is the former CTO of Paramark.

His work has received over 15,000 citations. Sanjya's research is the development of efficient computational methods and data analysis techniques to model scientific phenomena, and practical applications of focus are improvements to the quality of healthcare and the reduction of traffic accidents.

Fellow, IEEE, AAAS and AAIA
Michael Carey
Salt Lake City, Utah
Michael Carey is a partner at F. Chau & Associates, focusing on patenting AI inventions. He has also developed systems to streamline patent preparation using AI.

Michael served in the USAF, achieving the rank of Major. He served multiple combat deployments as a C-130 pilot, and also served as a Judge advocate.

BS in Mathematics from BYU
MS in Physics from NC State
JD from Harvard
Saxon Knight
New York City, New York
Saxon Knight is a cybersecurity and risk mitigation expert with extensive experience in AI, Technology, Finance, and Consulting. She is the Head of Strategy at RealityDefender.

Saxon has served as the Director of Risk Intelligence for Meta, the Director of Threat Prevention & Defense for LinkedIn, and Vice President for the Risk & Financial Advisory Practice at Deloitte.

She is a speaker and the Founder of House of Saxons, an organization dedicated to empowering trafficking survivors through education in essential and marketable business and life skills.
Gill Eapen
Groton, Connecticut
Gill Eapen is the founder and CEO of Decision Options. He has over 30 years of experience in strategy, finance, machine learning, AI, engineering, and management.

Gill has advised clients on a broad range of industries including healthcare, energy, life sciences, and aerospace. He has been involved in the area of computer-aided decision-making starting with his graduate thesis in 1986 at Northwestern University.

With an MBA from the University of Chicago, Gill has authored 2 textbooks and is the host of the Scientific Sense podcast.
Abhishek Mishra
Seattle, Washington
Abhishek Mishra is the Director of Engineering at Meta. He leads efforts in generative AI and experimentation data infrastructure. Prior to Meta, he spent 20+ years in cloud infrastructure, big data and applied machine learning at Microsoft, Google and Thoughtspot.

Abhishek is an investor (and advisor) in early stage companies. He focuses primarily on enterprise software where he believes there will be many disruptors using advances in infrastructure and AI.
Manuj Aggarwal
Vancouver, British Columbia
Manuj Aggarwal is the Chief Innovation Officer at TetraNoodle. With a remarkable track record of driving transformative change, Manuj has touched over 10 million lives and generated over $500M for clients. He has worked with the United Nations alongside distinguished figures like the Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize winners, while President Obama and Bill Gates have recognized his work.
Ed Addison
Durham, North Carolina
Ed Addison is Chairman of Cloud Pharmaceuticals. He is a tech advisor to Quantum Venture Management, an evergreen venture fund. With 30+ years of experience, Ed is on board of a number of companies deploying novel technologies in life sciences; including Valor Diagnostics, Drug Logic, Parallel Profile, PolarisQB, and Quantum Cures Foundation. He is an adjunct professor and an established entrepreneur of disruptive ventures. Ed has three degrees in engineering (with a focus in bioinformatics and AI), an MBA, and a law degree.
James Todaro
Miami, Florida
James Todaro is a managing partner for Greymatter Capital, an investment fund focused on digital currencies and artificial intelligence. He’s successfully invested in bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies since 2014. Prior to transitioning into fintech, Dr. Todaro earned his medical degree from Columbia University in New York followed by completion of ophthalmology residency.

Providence College, 2008
Columbia University, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, MD 2014

Operations

Paul Gore
Director of Client Relations
Raleigh, North Carolina
Wilson Fonville
Director of Operations
Jacksonville, Florida
Camille Cruz
Executive Assistant to Rei Llazani
Washington D.C.