Yolanda W
Chief AI Ops Innovation Leader
Dallas,TX
Summary
Visionary leader with extensive experience at YCloudiT, driving AI governance and risk management initiatives. Expert in developing agentic frameworks and implementing robust compliance strategies. Proven ability to foster collaboration across teams, enhancing organizational resilience and trust. Adept at leveraging AI technologies to optimize performance while ensuring adherence to regulatory standards. Tech-savvy innovator with hands-on experience in emerging technologies and passion for continuous improvement. Skilled in identifying opportunities for technological enhancements and implementing effective solutions. Adept at leveraging new tools and methods to solve problems and enhance productivity. Excels in adapting to fast-paced environments and driving technological advancements. Results-oriented achiever with proven ability to exceed targets and drive success in fast-paced environments. Combines strategic thinking with hands-on experience to deliver impactful solutions and enhance organizational performance.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief AI Officer, Product Risk Governance
YCloudiT
Dallas, USA
02.2010 - Current
- Developed a comprehensive vision and strategic framework for the governing of artificial intelligence (AI).
- Engaged in collaborative endeavors with a spectrum of departments and stakeholders to foster a culture of Responsible AI (RAI) innovation, ensuring meticulous compliance with all pertinent laws and regulations.
- Implemented tailored AI Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies concerning Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Personal Health Information (PHI), in conjunction with Risky Usage policies, frameworks, and long-term governance objectives that steer the organization's deployment of AI technologies.
- Ensured that the organization maintained adherence to AI regulatory standards while proactively managing AI-related risks—encompassing ethical considerations, security, and data privacy—at the highest echelons, thereby safeguarding the company's reputation and cultivating trust among stakeholders and the public.
- Establishes organizational AI governance strategies and delineated the overarching vision and strategy for AI governance within the organization.
- Maintains a holistic AI governance framework that aligns with Centene’s objectives, ethical principles, and regulatory mandates.
- Orchestrated the formulation of AI-specific protocols and procedures, meticulously addressing data management, governance, transparency, accountability, and risk management.
- Ensured the organization is compliant with AI regulatory standards and actively manages AI-related risks (ethical, security, data privacy) at the highest tier.
- Develops and oversaw a centralized repository of all AI use cases within the organization, documenting purpose, data sources, ethical considerations, and legal parameters.
- Supervised the selection and management of third-party vendors providing AI solutions, ensuring that compliance with organizational policies and regulatory requirements is rigorously upheld.
- Maintained a comprehensive and current understanding of relevant AI-related regulations and governmental policies, thereby ensuring organizational compliance.
- Oversaw and conducted meticulous audits to ascertain adherence to AI governance policies and procedures.
- Collaborated with legal counsel, procurement, and contracting on AI-related matters to enforce Non-Disclosure Agreements, AI Addendums, Business Associate Agreements, and Master Service Agreements.
- Conceptualized and executed comprehensive AI training and awareness initiatives for employees and stakeholders, focusing on the principles of AI governance, ethical considerations, and exemplary practices.
- Collaborated across all functional departments to ensure the integration of AI governance, risk management, and compliance principles within every business unit, thereby fostering synergy among technology, legal, ethical, compliance, AI security, risk mitigation, and operational teams.
- Maintained a centralized repository of all AI models and solutions used throughout the organization.
- Diligently monitored and assessed the performance and impact of AI systems on the organization and its stakeholders.
- Formulated sophisticated risk metrics and benchmarks to evaluate the efficacy of AI governance controls while uncovering opportunities for enhancement.
- Developed a comprehensive agentic framework for optimal performance and model management monitoring, ensuring the implementation of 'Human in the Loop' safeguards for provider networks, as well as care and utilization management.
- This encompassed the assurance that any clinical patient decision was meticulously reviewed and sanctioned by a clinician rather than a machine.
Cloud + AI Domain Architect
Microsoft
San Diego, USA
08.2021 - 02.2023
- Delivery AI Domain Architect for Azure Cloud (ACAI).
- Responsible for managing & delivering activities with multiple design teams and service areas.
- Board member of the internal competent design authority that ensures larger and or more complex solutions, demonstrating an understanding of the customers' business and commercial issues.
- Identify, design, and deliver larger or more complex architectures, strategies, and specific solutions that are based on Azure Cloud, AI Services, and other solutions that enable edge computing.
- Responsible for the design and communication of structures to enable and guide the design and development of integrated solutions that meet current and future business needs.
- Provide comprehensive guidance on the development and modification of solution components to ensure they align with relevant architectures, strategies, policies, standards, and practices, and that existing and planned solution components remain compatible.
- Defined major technical projects for customers or internally, influencing their view of acceptable investment levels.
- Managed a large design team, defining the approach to larger/more complex solution development and acceptance testing, and identifying strategic-level risks and remedies.
- Determine the approach to entire business domains, leading and influencing offerings.
- Worked with customers to understand their business strategy and develop IT strategies and architecture for significant areas of their business.
- Managed a team to agree on customer requirements and produce the design, setting high-level criteria for the architecture.
- Communicate the impact of emerging technologies on the customer's business.
- Managing consultant with a track record of managing relationships with customers, scoping and delivering ISO27001 consultancy assignments, and possessing a broad range of experience in providing advice and guidance on security regulations and creating effective policies and processes.
- Provide advice on security and security governance.
- Assess the client's security capabilities and level of maturity.
- Present findings in a manner appropriate to the target audience.
- Recommends solutions to enhance security competence, reduce client risk, and increase their ability to deal with emerging threats and risks.
Chief Information Officer
YCloudIt
San Diego, USA
08.2020 - 08.2021
- Developed and implemented robust processes and systems designed to prevent, detect, mitigate, and recover from cyberattacks.
- Educated and managed technological risks in collaboration with executive leadership.
- Formulated and propelled a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy and framework, encompassing initiatives to safeguard the organization’s cyber and technological assets.
- Continuously assessed and managed the cyber and technological risk posture of the organization.
- Executed and oversaw the cyber governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) process.
- Developed, substantiated, and evaluated investments in cybersecurity.
- Instituted and maintained ongoing security awareness training and educational programs for users.
- Led cybersecurity operations and instituted disaster recovery protocols and business continuity plans with an emphasis on organizational resilience.
- Crafted AI Risk Frameworks and compliance regulator playbooks, which encompassed security assessments, audit controls, group policies, and permission levels for highly secured protected cloud (public/private) platforms.
- Ensured strict adherence to AI ethics and legal requirements for ISO, NIST, and governmental agencies.
Platform Operations Officer
PWC Insights AI
San Diego, USA
03.2020 - 08.2020
- Designed the implementation plan for moving the Digital Insights AI Platform from on-premises to Azure cloud, which included the overall strategy for CI/CD big data pipelines in an agile environment.
- This also included standing up a brand new help desk system and change management governance to help run and maintain all of PWC Digital Insight platforms, 27 product lines, and stakeholder offerings.
- Leaderships / responsibility for successfully driving a multi-million dollar global project to completion for the following delivered solutions: Innersource Tool Model, Data Platform (fabric, pipeline, streaming) DevSecOps, and Ways of Working (WOW).
- Developed complex Cloud Strategies, Platform Enablement, Data Analytics, DevOps, and Cloud/ IT Security.
- Architected IT Security projects, cloud products, and managed services.
- Also, architected enterprise IT /ITSecurity Strategy, policies, governance, risk, compliance, standards, frameworks, training, architecture, and DevOps/ implementation.
- AI and machine learning models for testing scenarios.
- Due diligence for Banco (PE investment) in Europe for technical reduction readiness from a merger acquisition buyout.
- Direct Energy sustainable energy AI/ML solution for big data real-time usage.
Associate Director of Cloud Native
HCL
Frisco, USA
01.2018 - 04.2019
- Spearheaded a global sales team as a trusted advisor during opportunity reviews, boasting a distinguished track record in the design, development, and implementation of intricate solutions for the empowerment of Cloud First platforms.
- Demonstrated an aptitude for delivering multifaceted functions through effective templates and communication strategies tailored for diverse business units and technology teams.
- As an influential visionary, adeptly socialized go-to-market strategies and product offerings, culminating in the closure of over $20 million in revenue in 2019.
- Meticulously developed and shaped project initiatives, encompassing service model costings, Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Statements of Work (SOWs), and client contractual agreements.
- Engaged in client-facing interactions with key business decision-makers to present an array of domain-specific insights and product offerings tailored for optimal alignment.
- Orchestrated project completion from the initial client opportunity review through to the design, development, and provision of implementation guidance for product services.
- Established proven methodologies, frameworks, and replicable patterns to streamline sales engagement initiatives.
- Architected a multitude of cloud strategies to facilitate platform enablement encompassing AWS, Oracle, Microsoft, Lambda, Redshift, Snowflake, D3, and others.
- Cultivated confidence and trust among both new and existing clients through transparency, honesty, and forthright communication.
- Led cross-platform teams to ensure the successful engagement of projects with the appropriate stakeholders to drive transformative change.
- Accountable for delivering proofs of concept, minimum viable products, and compelling value propositions.
- Provided leadership and oversight for innovation, pre-sales engagement success, Cloud Economics, Discovery Assessments, Readiness, and Application Modernization.
- Employed risk mitigation strategies while adhering to industry standards and best business practice documentation.
- Executed data center migrations from on-premises to cloud environments, as well as between cloud platforms, incorporating hybrid and public/private configurations.
- Achievements: Product revenues $3M (‘18 to $9M (‘19); successfully launched over 3 product lines to global customers.
Chief Security AiOps/Healthcare/EMR
YCloudIt
San Diego, USA
02.2010 - 01.2018
- Assisted multiple Fortune 500 healthcare companies on cybersecurity adherence, HIPAA, SOX, and PCI compliance as it related to HCA (Healthcare Reform Act).
- Helped transition over 50 major hospitals' Practice Management systems from paper claims to paperless EMR (electronic medical records) integrations.
- This included ensuring FHIR/HL7 APIs and microservices would interact with Center of Medicaid/Medical requirements for all benefit claims for EMR readiness.
Education
Network Engineering (Technical Degree) -
Advance College of Technology
San Diego, CASkills
- Agentic Frameworks
- ChatGPT5
- Databricks
- Mosaic Gateway
- OpenAI
- DSPM -AI
- DASF
- ServiceNow
- Archer
- Coupa
- TPRM
- AI Governance
- Risk Tiers
- Model Management
- Copilot
- Agile Software Development Life Cycle
- Scrum
- Kanban
- Lean
- Confluence
- Jira
- Architecture
- Design
- Automation
- QA
- CI/CD
- BDD
- TDD
- ISO
- EU
- GDPR
- NIST
- PCI
- Code Management
- Git
- SDK
- Scripting
- REST APIs
- SOAP APIs
- Unix
- Linux
- Bash
- Azure PowerShell
- Amazon AWS CLI
- RESTful APIs
- JSON
- XML
- Hadoop
- Jenkins
- OpsWorks
- Chef
- Puppet
- Terraform
- Ansible
- VideoStream
- Cloud IT
- Enterprise IT
- IT Security strategy
- Governance
- Standards compliance
- Risk management
- AWS Well-Architected
- Azure Purview
- Defender Insider Risk Management
- Artificial Intelligence
- AI
- ML
- Edge
- Video GPU
- Supervised learning
- Unsupervised learning
- Neural networks
- Deep learning
- IoT
- Python
- PyTorch
- TensorFlow
- Jupyter
- Load balancer
- Firewall
- VPN
- Auto Scaling
- HA
- DNS
- QoS
- Penetration testing
- VLANs
- Network security
- FTP
- ISO27001
- SEIM
- PAM
- Data Access Governance
- HITRUST
- Endpoint Protection
- CM
- EDR
- Incident response
- Load balancing
- FW
- MSFT Purview
- Defender
- Zscaler
- AI Agents
- Copilot Studio
- Claude
- Anthropic
- GitHub
- Meta
- Unity Catalog
- DW
- ERP
- CRM
- LLama
- AWS Bedrock
- FHIR
- Cloudamize
- GRC
- Archer Power Platform
- Datalakes
- Azure Data Factory
- Snowflake
- Gemini
- Cloudscape
- Blockchain
- Cisco Routing
Phone
mobile, (214) 916-1727
Timeline
Cloud + AI Domain Architect
Microsoft
08.2021 - 02.2023
Chief Information Officer
YCloudIt
08.2020 - 08.2021
Platform Operations Officer
PWC Insights AI
03.2020 - 08.2020
Associate Director of Cloud Native
HCL
01.2018 - 04.2019
Chief AI Officer, Product Risk Governance
YCloudiT
02.2010 - Current
Chief Security AiOps/Healthcare/EMR
YCloudIt
02.2010 - 01.2018
Network Engineering (Technical Degree) -
Advance College of Technology