Ola Olude-Afolabi, Ph.D.

Ola Olude-Afolabi is the AI Program Manager and Visionary to the DOC AI Center of Excellence in the Office of the CTO, an expert in artificial intelligence systems and emerging technologies including software and systems engineering applications. Her fifteen-year government career centers on leading, implementing, encouraging the adoption of innovative and emerging technologies into operational success, and oversight of AI use cases including developing policies, governance, program plans and standards based on Executive Orders 13960, 14091, and the AI Bill of Rights. Recently, as a Data Scientist at NTIS, Dr. Olude-Afolabi evaluated pioneering approaches and platforms in data innovations and artificial intelligence solutions that addressed Federal data priorities by advancing the use of data as a strategic asset to achieve mission outcomes and support evidence-based policies and previously, she worked as an AI Patent Examiner at USPTO for almost 10 years. In addition, she is presently the President of Federally Employed Women--Women of Commerce Chapter. Before joining DOC, Dr. Olude-Afolabi has over ten years combined experiences in AI Systems, IT, Engineering Research, Systems and Software Engineering, Operations, Programming, Web Development and Quality administration including business, manufacturing, technical and research experiences with Corning Inc., State of Nebraska, State of New York, Northern Virginia Community College, Morgan State Univ. as Adjunct Professor etc. just to mention a few. Dr. Ola Olude-Afolabi is a Harvard Senior Executive Fellow, a Clifford D. Clark Diversity Fellow and recognized as a Woman of Distinction by the National Association of Distinguished Professionals, certified as Executive Branch AI Lab Technology Fellow by Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and awarded the OCIO Bronze Medal by DOC to mention a few. She received her Ph.D. in 2010, M.S. in 2003 in Systems Science specializing in Artificial Intelligence Systems and Systems Engineering respectively from T.J. Watson School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Binghamton University, NY, and her B.S. in 1998 studying Computer Science from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.