Reggie Townsend leads SAS’ global AI Ethics, Governance and Social Impact organization, overseeing the company’s Data & AI Ethics Practice; AI & Society initiatives; AI Governance Advisory; Standards, Regulations & Risk Intelligence programs; and SAS’ Accessible & Adaptive AI efforts. He drives SAS’ commitment to trustworthy, human‑centric innovation across products, policies and partnerships. A nationally recognized voice in AI governance, Reggie serves on the board of EqualAI and has advised the White House as a member of the National AI Advisory Committee. His career includes leadership roles in cloud, consulting and managed services for health care and life sciences. A frequent global speaker and advisor, Reggie has counseled government leaders worldwide, appeared on major stages and been published in JAMA. A proud Chicagoan, Reggie is an engineering, business and leadership alum of Southern Illinois University, Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago.
I had the privilege of joining the Dean’s Speaker Series at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, hosted in partnership with the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. My sincere thanks to Dean Mary Margaret Frank, the Kenan Institute team and all who made this event possible. It was an honor to share
Ida B. Wells was a pioneer in the United States who used data collection and analysis methods well ahead of her time. Today, she might be called a data scientist, but I'll call her a boss! Her approach to documenting and analyzing lynchings back in the day (late 19th century)
Black History Month seems like an opportune time to comment on the recent pullback of DEI initiatives, particularly in tech, as a reminder of a historical story. It’s a story of the perpetual dance between social progress and regression as America’s historically marginalized communities are concerned. However, the significance of
