Executive AI Governance · Close the AI Power Gap™
Most institutions adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) before building the governance to oversee it. We help leaders close that gap.
Trusted by teams at
Education, universities and HBCUs, nonprofits, medical practices, churches, travel, and international organizations
The problem
A scenario we work through with leaders, from our After Hours governance conversations.
Denise applies for a business loan. She brings 7 years of business records and a signed catering contract. The bank’s AI recommends a decline.
Accept the output and move on? Or pause, look at what the model actually used, and decide like a person who will be accountable for the answer?
Confirm which records the AI used, and which it ignored, before acting on the recommendation.
A person reads the documents Denise provided. A recommendation is not a decision.
A clear path to a manager, with the reason documented whether the decision stands or changes.
The final decision belongs to the bank’s leadership and process, not the model.
The harder question: can you prove the review actually happened?
Our approach
A practical framework to align people, process, and technology, so AI creates real value while staying responsible, transparent, and human-centered.
Explore Our Framework“Who governs intelligence governs the future, and that authority must belong to those committed to equity, accountability, and human-centered design.”
The Ascend AI NOW™ governing principle
The Ascend AI NOW™ Framework for Responsible AI
Diagnose
See the AI Power Gap™ before you scale it.
Map AI use, readiness, needs, and constraints before expanding adoption.
Start the free diagnostic
Govern
Define authority. Build accountability. Include affected voices.
Set decision rights, accountability, oversight, and affected-voice participation.
Explore the framework
Architect
Design responsibility into every layer.
Design data, platforms, integrations, controls, and human workflows with responsibility in view.
Explore the framework
Deploy
Create agency, not just access.
Build AI literacy, informed choice, oversight, and clear paths to question a result.
Explore the framework
Scale
Do not scale AI faster than accountability.
Expand as monitoring, accountable outcomes, response, and evidence keep pace.
See Measurable ImpactServices
Engagements support accountable decisions from strategy and governance through implementation. Choose your sector to see where we start.
Governance frameworks, risk assessments, policy development, and compliance readiness rooted in the Digital Stewardship Framework™.
Executive technology and AI leadership on a flexible model: roadmaps, vendor evaluation, architecture oversight, and board-level guidance.
Architecture and modernization with attention to security, integration, data flows, and human workflows.
AI literacy, adoption planning, and change management that build lasting organizational capability.
E-Rate funding, technology procurement, and AI readiness for K-12 districts and higher education.
Coaching for leaders navigating AI decisions, transitions, and the next chapter, from a Certified Executive Coach.
Explore coaching →In their words
“It takes a lot to impress me, and Dr. Alexis S. Smith did. I have watched her build Ascend AI NOW™ with the mind of an architect: clean, intentional, and designed so people understand the problem before they ever see the solution. She puts governance at the helm of everything she does, and it shows in her work, her academy, and the way she shows up as a collaborator. As an Authorized TAIMScore™ Assessor and a partner on The Human Signal briefing, she brings real-world scenarios to the table that make leaders stop and think about what happens when the system says no. If you need someone who can translate AI governance into decisions people can actually act on, start with Dr. Alexis S. Smith.”
Who we serve
From Raleigh and the Research Triangle to partners worldwide.
Sector 01
Student-safe AI policy, staff literacy, and board-ready guidance.
Take the K-12 readiness diagnostic
Sector 02
Academic integrity, faculty adoption, and campus-wide governance.
Take the higher education diagnostic
Sector 03
Mission-first AI that protects the communities you serve.
Take the nonprofit diagnostic
Sector 04
AI skills programs that move people into better jobs.
Explore workforce pathways
Sector 05
Responsible AI where privacy and patient trust come first.
Take the healthcare diagnostic
Sector 06
Accountable AI decisions residents can understand.
Take the public sector diagnosticExperience at a glance
Affiliations & Appointments
Recognized in print
“Intelligent and energetic, Mrs. Smith made an immediate impact… Under her leadership, Bullock County Schools became a technology powerhouse.”
Tools and resources
15 indicators across the five framework stages, tailored to your sector: K-12, higher education, nonprofit, government, or healthcare. About 5 minutes.
Take the diagnosticEnter team size, manual processes, and hourly cost to project annual savings with a 3-year view. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Calculate my ROIThe full Closing the AI Power Gap™ deck, a board-ready AI Policy Design Template, and a 12-week Stakeholder Engagement Guide with fillable checklists. Free download.
Get the toolkitProtect student data before you sign any AI vendor contract: a 20-point Red-Flag Checklist, 15 model clauses, a 29-question vendor questionnaire, and a Data Privacy and AI Addendum. From $197.
See the kitLearn to measure Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance maturity with the TAIMScore™ method from HISPI Project Cerebellum, led by Dr. Tuboise Floyd. Dr. Smith is a TAIMScore™ Certified Assessor. Instructor-led, with a hands-on lab.
Register for the workshopThe forthcoming chapter in Black Lives and AI (Palgrave Macmillan / Springer Nature, expected May 2027), the working paper The AI Power Gap™: Governance Capacity in Enterprise Adoption, and AI Power Gap™ Intel briefings.
Read the researchClosing the AI Power Gap™ Newsletter
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is moving faster than most policies. Each issue gives leaders a clear, practical briefing so their institutions can adopt AI with accountability.
Watch your inbox for the next issue of Closing the AI Power Gap™.
Begin your next step
Understand your readiness. Define your next move.