Identifying & Engaging an AI Champion: Your First Real Move Toward AI Readiness

AI isn’t a shiny tool to sprinkle on top of your operations—it’s a transformational shift that can redefine how work gets done. But if you’re serious about making that shift, you need more than a few pilot projects and a committee of curious folks.

You need an AI Champion.

This is a leader who’s strategically positioned to bridge vision, strategy, and execution. Think of them as the connective tissue between innovation, culture, operations, and governance. Their job? Make AI real, make it aligned, and make it stick.

Here’s what you need to know.

What an AI Champion Actually Does

The AI Champion’s role spans five core activities:

1. Form and Lead an AI Council
   This isn’t just a task force or a brainstorming group. The AI Council is a cross-functional, decision-making body that aligns AI strategy with your broader organizational mission. It brings together stakeholders from IT, operations, HR, finance, and service delivery to ensure that AI efforts are coordinated, resourced, and strategically prioritized. The Champion leads this group with clarity, focus, and urgency.

2. Quarterly AI Assessment & Roadmap
   AI isn’t one-and-done. Every quarter, your Champion leads an honest assessment of where you are, what’s working, impact created, and where you’re stuck. They maintain a living roadmap that looks 6 to 18 months ahead and ensures initiatives stay grounded in operational and strategic value - not just chasing shiny objects. This roadmap is how you get buy-in, manage expectations, and stay the course.

3. AI Policy & Governance Execution
   Without governance, AI becomes the Wild West. The Champion takes the lead on crafting and implementing policies that set the ground rules—how data is used, how decisions are made, how risks are managed, and how AI tools are validated. It’s not about creating red tape. It’s about creating a clear, shared structure that builds trust and confidence across the organization.

4. Board Presence
   The Champion brings clarity and strategic context to your board. That means framing AI initiatives in terms of risk, ROI, equity, and workforce impact. It means helping the board understand what AI can do - and what’s just hype. It means asking the right questions and equipping board members to make informed, forward-thinking decisions.

5. On-the-Ground Influence
   This isn’t just an ivory tower role. The Champion needs to be visible at the ground level - leading workshops, answering questions, calming fears, and celebrating wins. Their presence inspires confidence and builds momentum. They’re the face of change, and they know how to meet people where they are.

Is This a Full-Time Role?

Maybe. Maybe not.

For many organizations, especially in affordable housing, property management, or community development, this role makes more sense as a fractional or hybrid position - someone embedded enough to lead, but flexible enough to scale with need.

But how do you actually decide?

Here’s the breakdown:

Go Fractional If...

• You're still building your AI strategy and need help scoping the work

• You don’t have a clear AI budget yet but want to move forward smartly

• Your executive team is on board with AI in theory, but hasn’t yet committed to org-wide execution

• You need strategic guidance, governance design, and roadmap development—but not full-time, day-to-day execution (yet)

• You want a high-caliber expert with diverse cross-industry experience who can bring outside perspective and best practices

Fractional works well when you’re in exploration or early implementation mode and want to move fast without committing to a full headcount.

Go Full-Time or Embedded If...

• AI is a core part of your organizational strategy for the next 1–3 years

• You already have active AI projects that require daily coordination across departments

• Your data and digital infrastructure are complex, and someone needs to live in the weeds

• You want culture change from the inside out—this takes visibility, consistency, and day-to-day presence

• You're ready to institutionalize AI as a long-term capability, not a one-time initiative

A full-time AI Champion is best when AI is becoming part of your operational DNA. In that case, this isn’t a luxury role - it’s a leadership necessity.

Hybrid Models Work Too

Some orgs are blending the two—bringing in a fractional advisor to define strategy, build the roadmap, and set governance, then training or hiring an internal leader to carry it forward. That can be a great path if you're building capacity while still moving fast.

Bottom line: This decision hinges on your organization’s readiness, urgency, and maturity around data, digital systems, and change management. Be honest about where you are. Right-sized leadership beats overkill or underinvestment every time.

What to Look for in Your AI Champion

The best AI Champions blend technical fluency with people-savvy leadership. It’s a unique mix - and not everyone has it.

Here’s the full profile:

• Data Evangelist: They’re obsessed with data quality, integration, and governance. They know that bad data leads to bad outcomes—and that AI is only as good as the data you feed it. They’re relentless about setting up strong foundations and cleaning up the mess before they layer on automation or intelligence.

• AI Strategist: They understand the current and emerging capabilities of AI, and more importantly, where it’s not a good fit. They’re not swayed by hype—they make calculated, strategic bets based on your organization’s needs, pace, and risk tolerance.

• Business Technology Leader: They bridge the gap between business strategy and technical execution. They know how to align tools and platforms with outcomes. They understand workflows, data flows, and how to build tech into the fabric of operations without overwhelming teams.

• Culture Shaper: Maybe most importantly, they lead with influence. They know how to listen, how to address fear, and how to get people excited about change. They build trust and credibility—especially with frontline staff—by being present, honest, and supportive.

Questions to Vet Your Candidate

You’re not just interviewing for skills - you’re looking for vision, stamina, and political finesse. Ask questions like:

• How have you driven cross-functional innovation in a risk-averse environment?
  Look for real stories, not hypothetical answers. Bonus points if they’ve worked in mission-driven or regulated spaces.

  
  

• What’s your approach to governing AI without slowing it to death?
  You want someone who knows how to create structure without bureaucracy.

  
  

• How do you assess AI readiness across an organization?
  Their answer should touch on data quality, digital infrastructure, staff capacity, and leadership alignment.

  
  

• Can you give an example of a successful (or failed) AI initiative you’ve led and what you learned?
  Failure isn’t a red flag—lack of reflection is.

  
  

• How do you balance AI strategy with cultural alignment?
  This is key. You want someone who knows how to move fast and bring people along.

Green Flags vs Red Flags

Green Flags:

• A background that spans multiple functions - strategy, tech, ops, and people

• Comfort with ambiguity and iteration; they don’t wait for perfect conditions to act

• Real-world implementation experience, including bumps and pivots

• A strong point of view on AI governance and organizational impact

• Passion for mentoring and teaching - not just executing

Red Flags:

• Buzzword bingo champion: lots of “AI at scale” and “transformative synergies,” no clear deliverables

• Frames AI as purely a technical or IT initiative

• Doesn’t acknowledge or prioritize data readiness

• Believes AI is a shortcut to headcount reduction

• Weak on storytelling or influence; can’t translate vision to non-technical audiences

Defining Success for the Role

Success doesn’t mean shipping a dozen AI tools. It means creating real, measurable value over time. Your AI Champion is winning when:

• A cross-functional AI Council is meeting regularly and setting priorities

• There’s a clear, updated AI roadmap aligned with organizational goals

• Data governance and quality are measurably improving

• Teams are adopting AI solutions—not just piloting them

• The board understands AI’s strategic implications and risks

• Staff at all levels feel informed, engaged, and included

And maybe most importantly:
There’s less fear, more excitement, and a growing sense that we can do this.

Final Word

Hiring (or appointing) an AI Champion is your first real step toward being AI-ready—not just AI-curious. Don’t put this role off, and don’t leave it to someone who already has four jobs.

This person is your translator, your strategist, your cultural diplomat, and your risk manager. And done right, they’ll be the reason your organization doesn’t just survive the AI shift—but actually benefits from it.