Wendy Turner-Williams
Duvall,WA
Summary
I am a globally recognized Chief Data & AI Officer (CDAIO) and technology strategist, known for driving quality AI-powered transformation, enterprise architecture, digital strategy, decision science, and product innovation at Microsoft, Salesforce, and Tableau. I specialize in building high-preforming teams, and strategies for data and AI commercialization, multi-agent AI ecosystems, cloud, governance, and AI-driven business models. I foster a collaborative data-driven culture to accelerate revenue and enhanced operational efficiency that not only meet, but exceed customer and regulatory Trust at Fortune 500 companies.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Adjunct Professor - Chief Data & AI Officer Progra
Carnegie Mellon University
03.2023 - Current
- Taught Data & AI courses, providing instruction for cohort students.
- Built relationships with students, mentoring on personal, professional and academic goals while providing coaching on effective study habits.
- Provide feedback, practical experience and templates while guiding cohort to capstone.
- Boosted class participation rates by fostering a positive and collaborative learning environment.
- Strengthened critical thinking skills in students through the incorporation of problem-based learning activities.
- Contributed to curriculum development efforts, ensuring content was up-to-date and relevant to industry trends.
- Provide knowledge exchange for next generation of Data & AI executives.
CEO and Board Director
Culstrata-AI
01.2023 - Current
- Company Overview: A boutique AI, data, and executive strategy consultancy
- Founder, and CEO of Culstrata.AI is a boutique AI, data, and executive strategy consultancy, designed to help enterprises, boards, and executive leaders bridge the gap between AI vision and execution
- Leveraging my global network and deep AI expertise, I built Culstrata into a trusted partner for Fortune 500 companies, private enterprises, and high-growth firms, delivering AI commercialization, AI governance, digital transformation, and board advisory services
- A boutique AI, data, and executive strategy consultancy
- Built Culstrata.AI into a premier AI & board advisory firm, delivering AI strategy, governance, and executive transformation services to Fortune 500 enterprises and high-growth companies
- Assembled a globally recognized team of AI & data leaders, including award-winning CDAIOs, CISOs, and AI strategists from Microsoft, AON, Visa, Standard Chartered Bank, Splunk, and more
- Drove AI & Data Strategy Consulting for Boards & C-Suites, providing executive education, AI risk frameworks, and AI monetization strategies to help enterprises scale AI responsibly
- Created AI Centers of Excellence (CoEs) & Offshore AI Talent Strategies, offering fractional CDAIO services, AI transformation leadership, and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) models to scale AI adoption
CEO and Board Director
TheAssociation.AI
01.2023 - Current
- Company Overview: The first-of-its-kind, 501(c) practitioner-led global network of AI Implementers
- As Founder & CEO of TheAssocation.AI, I built the first-of-its-kind, 501(c) practitioner-led global network of AI Implementers, creating a neutral, trusted space for AI architects, CDAIOs, CISOs, CIOs, CTOs, and AI professionals at all levels to collaborate, navigate global AI regulations, and drive responsible, quality AI adoption
- Since launching in March 2023, TheAssociation has rapidly grown to 25,000+ members across 32 countries, achieving an average 176% month-over-month expansion rate
- The first-of-its-kind, 501(c) practitioner-led global network of AI Implementers
- Under my leadership, TheAssociation established a pioneering Ethics Board, dedicated to developing technical implementation standards that address systemic AI challenges, regulatory complexity, and cross-disciplinary silos
- The platform integrates AI, data, privacy, ethics, security, and robotics fields, fostering practitioner-led, crowd-sourced AI governance and compliance models
- Additionally, I launched TheAssociation's digital platform, forum, and AI marketplaces, connecting AI professionals with enterprise solutions, ethical AI frameworks, and strategic partnerships
- Beyond the community, TheAssociation has built an influential media presence, including a monthly newsletter with 30,000+ subscribers and the Beyond Binary Podcast, which has amassed 50,000+ subscribers
- I also led the execution of 32 industry events and one global conference, fostering AI education, innovation, and ethical leadership
- Through strategic university partnerships, TheAssociation has expanded its AI literacy and workforce development initiatives, bridging the gap between academic research and enterprise AI implementation
- By establishing TheAssociation as the premier global hub for AI professionals, I continue to shape AI governance, responsible adoption, and cross-industry collaboration at scale
Chief Data & AI Officer & Chief Data Strategy Advisor
Tableau
01.2020 - 12.2022
- As Tableau's Chief Data & AI Officer (CDAIO) and Chief Data Strategy Advisor, I led enterprise-wide AI, data strategy, governance, and operational transformation, ensuring AI-driven scalability, compliance, and business intelligence optimization
- Overseeing AI governance, intelligent automation, and risk management, I played a key role in aligning Tableau's AI and data strategies with evolving regulatory standards, including GDPR, CCPA, and emerging AI governance laws
- Additionally, I owned and scaled the Tableau Cloud Eventing Service, driving AI-powered analytics, product innovation, and data monetization, contributing to $30M in year-over-year revenue growth
- At the Salesforce board level, I secured $25M in AI & data investments, strengthening AI governance, security, and automation frameworks while leading the full AI, data, and business systems migration as part of Salesforce's $15B acquisition of Tableau
- This effort resulted in $11M in operational cost savings, a $15M ARR uplift, and an additional $23M in board-approved AI & data funding
- I also established Tableau's Global Data & AI Center of Excellence (CoE), ensuring internal AI adoption while also developing a customer-facing AI consulting practice that improved customer AI readiness, trust, and implementation success
- These initiatives increased customer lifetime value by $150K per hour and drove a 75-point NSAT (Net Satisfaction) score improvement
- In addition to leading enterprise AI strategy execution, I served as a strategic AI & Data advisor for a $95M enterprise client portfolio, engaging CIOs, CTOs, and CDOs to solve AI & data transformation challenges
- I enabled Sales & Customer Success teams to sell more strategically, providing AI-driven insights and business value frameworks, which resulted in $49M in additional 2022 revenue through new business and contract extensions
- By integrating AI literacy and workforce development programs, I enhanced cross-functional AI adoption, enterprise-wide AI maturity, and data-driven decision-making capabilities across the organization
- My leadership at Tableau transformed AI strategy, governance, and monetization, positioning AI and data as key growth drivers within Salesforce's broader cloud ecosystem
Chief Data & AI Officer
Salesforce
01.2017 - 12.2020
- As Salesforce's Chief Data & AI Officer (CDAIO), I led the enterprise-wide AI, data strategy, governance, and operational transformation, ensuring data became a first-class citizen across business operations, cloud infrastructure, and product innovation
- I developed and executed Salesforce's Global Data & AI Strategy, integrating AI-driven automation, data governance, and machine learning (ML) capabilities into both internal operations and customer-facing solutions
- At the board level, I secured >$45M in AI & data investments, positioning data & AI as the company's #1 value and investment priority-Trust while driving compliance, governance, and security frameworks aligned with GDPR, CCPA, and emerging AI regulations
- Under my leadership, Salesforce's enterprise-wide AI maturity increased by 195%, optimizing AI-driven decision intelligence, risk management, and operational efficiency across 13 business units
- I led enterprise data harmonization and process automation, eliminating silos and improving data accessibility
- Through AI governance and risk management, I delivered $25M in cost savings, enhancing compliance automation and operational efficiencies
- Additionally, I drove AI-powered operational and product innovation, increasing data discovery by 432%, big data query response rates by 4400%, and delivering $11M in AI-driven data retention cost savings while reducing data recovery time by 99.7% through automated, real-time AI-driven analytics
- As a key influencer of Salesforce's AI-driven product strategy, I shaped the architecture and AI foundation for AgentForce, Sequoia, Genie, Privacy Portal, Search, MuleSoft, Slack, and Tableau, embedding AI-driven intelligence, automation, and compliance capabilities into customer-facing platforms
- By developing scalable AI & ML models, I ensured Salesforce products leveraged AI for operational excellence, predictive analytics, and market differentiation
- My leadership in AI governance, data strategy, and AI monetization enabled Salesforce's enterprise-wide AI transformation, driving data trust, AI commercialization, and responsible AI adoption at a global scale
VP Enterprise Data & AI Strategy & Management
Microsoft
01.2008 - 12.2017
- As a key leader in Microsoft's Enterprise Information Management and Digital Transformation efforts, I drove the creation of the first Microsoft shared data platform, aligning enterprise-wide data quality, governance, and AI strategy into a unified Enterprise Data & AI Architecture framework
- Leading initiatives across Azure and Online Services, I spearheaded data governance, policy development, and AI-driven transformation, partnering with Security, Privacy, Risk, and Compliance teams to establish trust in data handling, lifecycle management, and governance best practices
- My leadership directly influenced Azure's transformation from a box-product mentality to a cloud-services powerhouse, creating engineering best practices for Incident Management, Security, Privacy, ESG, BCDR, and Worldwide Readiness
- This strategic shift fueled Azure's revenue growth from $2B to $68B YOY, securing 96% market share in cloud computing
- I also drove commercialization efforts for key AI & data products, including Azure Data Factory, Master Data Services, Cosmos DB, Power BI, and Azure Anomaly Detection, generating >$900M in market share and solidifying Microsoft's dominance in AI-powered cloud infrastructure
- As a pioneer in Microsoft's AI strategy, I developed the first cross-functional AI and market opportunity strategy, introducing natural language processing, anomaly detection, voice-to-text, text-to-image, and training services
- These innovations expanded Microsoft's AI footprint, driving enterprise adoption, intelligent automation, and AI commercialization at scale
- Through strategic AI and data governance leadership, I ensured Microsoft's enterprise AI ecosystem was scalable, secure, and positioned for long-term market impact
Education
BA - History
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK05.1997
Skills
- Proven 3x Big Tech Chief Data & AI Officer
- $18 Billion in Product ARR
- Enterprise Data, AI Strategy & Governance
- AI Monetization, Productization & Commercialization
- Cybersecurity, Data Privacy & AI Risk Management
- AI-Driven Digital Transformation & Decision Intelligence
- AI Ethics, Bias Mitigation & Responsible AI Adoption
- Cloud AI, Intelligent Automation & Multi-Agent AI Systems
- Data Platforms, AI Infrastructure & Scalable Compute Strategy
- M&A Integration, Data Value Realization & Post-Merger Strategy
Accomplishments
- 2024 Most Impressive Leaders in Tech Award
Further Experience - Description
Held progressive leadership roles across digital transformation, IT strategy, enterprise architecture, AI, machine learning, data science, cybersecurity, and risk management at Nordstrom, Alliance Data, Accenture, Wiltel, and WorldCom between 1997 and 2008.
Media Exposure
- Tableau: Data Trends Report, 2022
- Forbes: Data Fabrics Bring the Power of Data to the People
- Data.World Podcast: Is Data a First-Class Citizen?
- CDO Magazine: CDO's Need to Awaken Their Superpowers
- Snowflake Podcast: Rapidly Evolving Data-Driven Culture
- Forbes: Analytics is a Hot, Sexy Sector for Career Growth
- Alation's Data Radicals Podcast: Data Politics
- Women in Data Podcast: Tech Layoffs & the Power of Communities
- Data Leadership Collaborative: Why Data Comes Before Tech
- Forrester Podcast: Building Data Literacy with Tableau
- CIO.Inc Podcast: CDO's Must Act like Orchestra Conductor
- CDO Matters: TheAssociation
Personal Information
Title: Chief Data & AI Officer | Board of Director | Professor | Author | Speaker
Board Experience
- University of Washington - iSchool Founders Board & AI Advisory Board, Board of Directors, 01/01/21, present
- Women in Technology World Series, USA, Board Director, 01/01/21, present
Timeline
Adjunct Professor - Chief Data & AI Officer Progra
Carnegie Mellon University
03.2023 - Current
CEO and Board Director
Culstrata-AI
01.2023 - Current
CEO and Board Director
TheAssociation.AI
01.2023 - Current
Chief Data & AI Officer & Chief Data Strategy Advisor
Tableau
01.2020 - 12.2022
Chief Data & AI Officer
Salesforce
01.2017 - 12.2020
VP Enterprise Data & AI Strategy & Management
Microsoft
01.2008 - 12.2017
BA - History
Oklahoma State University
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