SFBU Vice President of Strategy and Innovation Dr. Heather Herrera joined leaders from across higher education for The Chronicle of Higher Education’s virtual forum “The Rise of the Chief AI Officer,” held on October 29. Hosted by Ian Wilhelm, the Chronicle’s deputy managing editor, the conversation looked at how AI has moved from scattered campus experiments to something that touches all areas, from teaching, research, admissions, and IT.
Herrera appeared alongside Manish Parashar, chief AI officer at the University of Utah, and Elizabeth Reilley, vice president of digital transformation and chief AI officer for the University of North Carolina System. The panelists discussed how they came to their roles, how the job differs from one institution to the next, and where AI is gaining momentum on campus.
They also addressed what responsible, scaled adoption demands of leadership, including the policies, protections, and guardrails that let AI grow safely, and the lessons learned by some of the first people to hold these jobs.
“I help the university decide how AI fits our mission. The role is an understanding that AI reaches beyond just technology. My role is to connect experimentation to institutional priorities to implementation in the service of access and innovation. — Heather Herrera, Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, SFBU
Watch the full recording of the conversation, now available on demand.
