The AI Officer Institute partnered with Dr Brooks Holtom, a Georgetown University faculty member and one of the most cited authors in the world on employee retention, and David Nilssen, an entrepreneur, investor, and operator, to build the executive AI leadership program that academia had not yet built itself.
That program is Leadership in the AI Era. Its first full delivery in Perth scored a 77 NPS with a 60% survey response rate. Dr Holtom is now bringing it into his Georgetown Executive MBA teaching. In July 2026, the same content runs over two days at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
This page documents how the program came together, why it works, and how leaders and organizations can engage with it.
The gap
Most executive AI training falls into one of two categories. Technical instruction taught by people who have never run a company. Or motivational hype taught by people who have never written a line of code.
Senior leaders need a third option. They need a program built by operators who have used AI inside their own companies, and grounded in research that holds up to academic scrutiny.
In 2024, our founder Dave Hajdu raised this gap directly with Dr Holtom over dinner at SOL Kitchen in Saigon. The honest answer at the time was that academia was not yet doing meaningful work on AI in leadership. That gap became the program brief.
The partnership
Dr Brooks Holtom brings the academic foundation. He is a Georgetown University faculty member, one of the most cited authors in the world on employee retention, and the original negotiations professor who taught Dave Hajdu at the University of Washington in the late 1990s. His research grounds the program's leadership content.
David Nilssen brings the entrepreneur angle. As an investor and long-time operator, he has built and led companies through the kinds of inflection points the program prepares leaders to navigate.
Dave Hajdu brings the AI angle. As founder of TINYpulse, founder of the AI Officer Institute, and an active practitioner in AI-driven product work, he ensures the curriculum reflects what actually works inside operating companies.
The AI Officer Institute is the publishing organization. We coordinate content, delivery, and the AI infrastructure that powers each cohort's deliverables.
The structure
Leadership in the AI Era runs in three connected series. Each series produces a working AI artifact that the participant takes back to their company.
| Series | Focus | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leading yourself | An AI Communications Coach |
| 2 | Leading others | An AI Coaching Assistant |
| 3 | Leading the organization | A blueprint, a roadmap, and a vibe-coded prototype |
The data sets that drive the AI components are grounded in Dr Holtom's research. The application is shaped by the operating experience of Dave Hajdu and David Nilssen. The combination is what differentiates the program from a typical academic course or a vendor workshop.
The proof
Perth, 2024. First full delivery, hosted with EO Perth. 77 NPS with a 60% response rate. Multiple participants reported it was the best AI workshop they had ever attended.
Vietnam, 2024 to 2026. Pilot deliveries with EO Vietnam at Vulcan Labs, co-delivered with Dao Nguyen on the negotiations module. Five percent of program revenue from Vietnam-based deliveries is donated back to EO Vietnam in recognition of the chapter's role in piloting the program in our home market.
Dr Holtom's Georgetown Executive MBA, ongoing. Dr Holtom has integrated Leadership in the AI Era content into his Executive MBA teaching at Georgetown.
Dubai, 2026. Dr Holtom is leading the program inside the Georgetown EMBA international experience in Dubai. David Nilssen and Dave Hajdu join him to add the entrepreneur and AI angles.
Washington, DC, July 2026. Dr Holtom delivers the program over two days at Georgetown University.
A clarification
Leadership in the AI Era is built and delivered by the AI Officer Institute. Dr Brooks Holtom is the program partner who brings the curriculum into his Georgetown Executive MBA teaching.
This is not an institutional partnership between the AI Officer Institute and Georgetown University. Participants in AI Officer Institute cohorts do not receive Georgetown academic credit. Georgetown academic credit is granted only to students enrolled in Georgetown's own degree programs. We make this distinction explicit because credibility starts with accuracy.
How to engage
Senior leaders and founders. Apply for the next Leadership in the AI Era cohort. Cohorts run through the AI Officer Institute and through partner chapters of the Entrepreneurs' Organization, including EO Perth and EO Vietnam.
Organizations. Inquire about in-house delivery. We deliver the program privately for executive teams, leadership cohorts, and partner organizations.
Academic and association partners. Reach out about co-delivery. We work with universities, professional associations, and member organizations to bring the program to their communities.