RMAIIG hosted six meetings in 2026. All events were at CU Boulder Aerospace Engineering Sciences Building (Room 120), 3775 Discovery Dr., Boulder, CO 80303, except January (Founder Central).
June 8, 2026 — The Future of Work: AI and What Is Yours to Own?
Attendees: 261 | Organizers: Jason Cormier & Susan Adams | Sponsor: People Work
72 million jobs are going away and 98 million will be created — but who owns the degree of that displacement? Three expert voices explored workforce transformation, intentional career design, and what AI adoption looks like inside large organizations.
Speakers:
- Melissa Reeve — Organizational strategist; author of Hyperadaptive: Rewiring the Enterprise to Become AI-Native; co-founder of the Agile Marketing Alliance.
- Susan Adams — Founder, Women in AI Labs; Associate Director of Teaching and Learning, Achieving the Dream; Adjunct Professor at University of Denver.
- Melissa Whitaker — AI transformation practitioner at Informatica and Salesforce.
May 11, 2026 — AI and Energy
Attendees: 181 | Organizer: Ken Fricklas | Sponsor: Carstens Allen Gourley
AI is rapidly becoming a major driver of electricity demand. This session explored the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of AI and energy systems — from reducing energy per token to making the grid more resilient.
Speakers:
- Will Toor — Executive Director, Colorado Energy Office; former Boulder Mayor and County Commissioner.
- Michael Zarrilli — Executive Officer of Business Operations, Denvr Dataworks (AI infrastructure and GPU compute).
- Scott Chamberlin — Co-founder and CTO, NeuralWatt; formerly led green software at Intel and Microsoft.
April 13, 2026 — AI & Storytelling
Attendees: 245 | Organizer: Lauri Hofherr | Sponsor: Brainrot Research
AI is not just changing the tools of storytelling — it’s beginning to generate the stories themselves. Four practitioners explored what makes a story resonate, how AI is changing the creative process, and where human voice still leads.
Speakers:
- Chris Byrne — IP attorney; career at Hewlett-Packard and Samsung’s Strategy & Innovation Center.
- Kyle Shannon — Chief Generative Officer, Content Evolution; co-founded Agency.com in 1995; founder of AI Salon.
- Nathan Schneider — Professor of Media Studies, CU Boulder; Director, Media Economies Design Lab.
- Sam Joos — Founder, AI Ad Studio and AI Film Society; international Director of Photography.
March 23, 2026 — AI & Government: Smart Cities
Attendees: 184 | Organizers: Phil Nugent & Karla Pascarella | Sponsor: Trimble
Cities are beginning to perceive, predict, and respond. This session explored how data-driven decision-making is altering city operations, governance, and public services.
Speakers:
- Tyler Svitak — Executive Director, Colorado Smart Cities Alliance.
- Nichole Sterling — Founder and CEO, My Town AI; Mayor Pro Tem, Nederland, CO.
- Davyd Smith — Director of Technology, State of Colorado; led the statewide Google Gemini rollout.
- Bill Quinn — Futurist, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
February 16, 2026 — AI in Education
Attendees: 205 | Organizers: Bobby Hodgkinson & Anna Rahn | Sponsor: Mahalo AI
How educators, startups, and institutions are integrating AI responsibly — supporting teachers, enhancing learning, and reducing administrative burden without losing the human core of education.
Speakers:
- Matthew Boeckman — VP of Engineering, MagicSchool AI (ranked #1 startup in Denver by LinkedIn).
- France Hoang — Co-founder, BoodleBox (collaborative GenAI platform for higher education).
- Will Lindsay & Ian Her Many Horses — CU Boulder College of Education; training K-12 teachers to use AI in classrooms.
January 20, 2026 — AI for Good
Attendees: 185 | Organizers: Phil Nugent & Crys Black | Location: Founder Central, 2000 Central Ave #100, Boulder | Sponsors: Black Flag Design (venue), MyMech (pizza)
Four new presenters and two returning “AI for Good” alumni — demonstrating how AI is making a positive impact in the world.
Featured Presenters:
- Jacob Bielecki — Founder, beneAI (accessible AI advisory for nonprofits).
- Mark Bloomfield & Kevin Gilbert — Meeting Briefs AI (AI-powered civic meeting summaries).
- Peter Guenardi & Ondine Geary — See the Stars (AI platform connecting people to public benefits).
- Kathy Long — Founder and CEO, NixIt AI (AI ecosystem built for neurodivergent Americans).
Returning Alumni: Aimee Says (Anne Wintemute & Steven Nichols) · Ojje (Adrian Chernoff & Ben Moultrie)
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