As organizations accelerate AI adoption, a critical question is emerging: how should AI governance relate to existing data governance programs? 

Many organizations are launching AI governance initiatives while simultaneously managing mature data governance, privacy, risk, security, and compliance programs. The result can be overlapping responsibilities, duplicate processes, competing committees, and uncertainty around ownership and accountability. 

In this candid panel discussion, industry leaders will explore where data governance and AI governance intersect, where they differ, and how organizations can create a unified governance strategy that enables innovation without adding unnecessary complexity. Panelists will share real-world experiences establishing governance operating models, defining decision rights, coordinating across business and technical teams, and leveraging existing governance investments to support responsible AI. 

Attendees will gain practical insights into how leading organizations are aligning governance functions, reducing redundancy, clarifying accountability, and building the trust framework needed to support AI at scale.

Moderator: Sara Nash, Director, Semantic Engineering and AI, Enterprise Knowledge

Sara is the Director for Semantic Engineering and AI at Enterprise Knowledge LLC. She specializes in Semantic Layer and Enterprise AI initiatives, leading throughout strategy, design, and implementation. Sara has led taxonomy/ontology design, knowledge graph implementation, recommendation engine solutions, and advanced analytics platforms across financial services, pharmaceuticals, ESG consulting, intelligence, and more. 

Panelist: Kelle O’Neal, CEO & Founder, First San Francisco Partners  

Kelle O'Neal is the founder and CEO of data consulting firm First San Francisco Partners (FSFP). She’s a veteran industry leader and accomplished advisor and a noted speaker, author and trainer. 

Kelle is passionate about helping organizations realize the business value of data. Kelle’s strong background in customer relationship management, enterprise software and systems integration uniquely positions her to excel in helping organizations of all sizes and complexities successfully execute data governance, organizational change management, master data management and other information management initiatives. 

Kelle developed her ability to work through organizational complexity, build consensus and drive results in senior roles at companies that include U.S.-based firms GoldenGate Software, Siebel Systems and Oracle. She also worked at the executive level in Europe and Asia. 

Under Kelle’s leadership of First San Francisco Partners, the firm’s client base has grown significantly since 2007, as has its management, consulting and support teams.

Panelist: Steve Holyer, Director, Data Foundations, Integration & Trust, Informatica from Salesforce

Steve Holyer is Director of Data Foundations, Integration & Trust at Salesforce, with over 30 years of experience across some of the world's leading technology companies, including IBM and Informatica. He specializes in helping enterprise organizations navigate cloud modernization, data governance, quality and integration at scale, with a particular focus on making data trustworthy, connected, and AI-ready. 

Steve brings a rare combination of technical depth and commercial pragmatism, helping clients understand not just what's possible, but how to get there.  

Panelist: Anant Somvanshi, Sr. Specialist, AI Defense Office, The Vanguard Group

Anant Somvanshi is a recognized professional in AI Governance with 20 years of experience in AI Governance, Model Risk Management, and Analytics.  

A prolific author and industry voice, Anant has published multiple research papers and thought leadership articles on AI governance, model risk management, and responsible AI practices. His insights have been featured in professional publications and industry interviews, where he shares practical frameworks for operationalizing AI governance. 

Prior to Vanguard, Anant held leadership roles in AI governance at Citibank. He holds a Master's degree in Statistics and has been recognized with multiple leadership excellence awards for strategic impact, innovation, and cross-functional collaboration. His unique combination of deep technical expertise, governance acumen, and strategic vision positions him as a sought-after expert in the rapidly evolving field of Generative AI governance. 

Panelist: Dr. Geoffrey Mount Varner, Founder, America’s Decisions Expert 

Some people study decisions. Dr. Geoffrey Mount Varner has spent a lifetime making them when seconds mattered—and lives, careers, companies, and reputations were on the line. 

For more than 25 years, he has practiced emergency medicine, making high-stakes decisions where hesitation can have consequences. But his decision-making experience extends far beyond the emergency room. He was handpicked by a Mayor of Washington, DC, to help lead the city’s response to the Ebola crisis—and selected by another mayor to oversee emergency medical operations when mass-casualty events threatened the nation’s capital. 

He has directed medical operations surrounding presidential inaugurations, served during Hurricane Katrina, and helped lead communities through the COVID-19 crisis.  

A graduate of Hampton University and Harvard, Dr. Mount Varner is a best-selling author and the founder of The Decider, where he has taught hundreds of Fortune 500 leaders to make decisions under pressure with the speed, clarity, and discipline of the emergency room. 

Today, he is known as America’s Decisions Expert. He doesn't teach decision-making from theory. He has lived it when the stakes were highest.