Leadership Strategies: AI and the Next U.S. Administration

Fall 2024
Schar School of Policy and Government
George Mason University

In anticipation of the upcoming U.S. elections, this four-part Leadership & AI Strategy Executive Education series will feature distinguished Senior Executives and Senior Leaders, seasoned in implementing new leadership directions and the latest technologies and adept at operationalizing strategic actions.

Three core pillars of focus will include:

• Act of leading is different than management
• AI & Emerging Tech – what and how much you need to know to oversee AI in support of mission objectives
• Strategies to roll-out and “deployment empathy”

• Current Senior Executive Service (SES) officials, Senior Leaders, and government officials.
• Private sector equivalents supporting SES and top government officials.
• Experienced executives skilled at leading change and leading people.
• Executives interested in AI's impact on public service missions.
• Newly executives exploring AI's effects on leadership and strategic frameworks for agency actions in 2025 and beyond.

This four-part Exec Ed series will equip a non-partisan cadre of Senior Executives and Senior Leaders with the leadership approaches, technology savviness, and strategic frameworks necessary to operationalize, implement, and deliver results differently and better in support of whatever path the U.S. Administration decides upon, specifically to achieve government objectives and improve mission outcomes by employing AI alongside Human Talent.

Four Friday midday and afternoons, including five hours per session of formal instruction paired with 1.5-hour late afternoon expert panels and peer-to-peer discussions after each session (26 hours total). Executive Curriculum to include interactive sessions with expert speakers and team-based AI-focused leadership and strategy sessions.

Location: Mason Square (GMU Arlington Campus)

Course Dates and Time: 

Friday, October 25th, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET
Friday, November 1st, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET
Friday, November 8th, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET
Friday, November 15th, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET

Two sessions before and two sessions after the U.S. Elections.

Registration Fees:

Enrollment includes instruction, facilitated peer discussion, networking events with SES experts, lunches, snacks, and beverages.

• $5000 for government attendees (note: our focus in on existing SES, SL, or similar equivalents who will stay in service regardless of the U.S. Election outcomes);
• $8000 for private sector equivalents who will support SES and top department and agency officials (note: must provide a one-page description this planned support role).

Registration deadline: Tuesday, October 1st, 2024

Please reach out to ExecEd@gmu.edu for more information or any inquiries.

Upon completion, participants will be awarded an “Executive Certificate in Transformational & Impactful Leadership” from the Schar School of George Mason University.

The series is convened and facilitated by the Schar School’s Distinguished Executive In-Residence, Dr. David Bray.

Dr. David A. Bray is both a Distinguished Fellow and co-chair of the Alfred Lee Loomis Innovation Council at the non-partisan Henry L. Stimson Center. He is also a non-resident Distinguished Fellow with the Business Executives for National Security, and a CEO and transformation leader for different “under the radar” tech and data ventures seeking to get started in novel situations. He is Principal at LeadDoAdapt Ventures and has served in a variety of leadership roles in turbulent environments, including bioterrorism preparedness and response from 2000-2005. Dr. Bray previously was the Executive Director for a bipartisan National Commission on R&D, provided non-partisan leadership as a federal agency Senior Executive, worked with the U.S. Navy and Marines on improving organizational adaptability, and aided U.S. Special Operation Command’s J5 Directorate on the challenges of countering disinformation online. He has received both the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award and the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal. David accepted a leadership role in December 2019 to direct the successful bipartisan Commission on the Geopolitical Impacts of New Technologies and Data that included Senator Mark Warner, Senator Rob Portman, Rep. Suzan DelBene, and Rep. Michael McCaul. From 2017 to the start of 2020, David also served as Executive Director for the People-Centered Internet coalition Chaired by Internet co-originator Vint Cerf and was named a Senior Fellow with the Institute for Human-Machine Cognition starting in 2018. Business Insider named him one of the top “24 Americans Who Are Changing the World” under 40 and he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. For twelve different startups, he has served as President, CEO, Chief Strategy Officer, and Strategic Advisor roles.