01 / OPEN DOOR

Governance advisory for institutions that can't afford to get AI wrong.

Boards and executives want help with AI — but they need someone who's already accountable for the same risks in a regulated environment. That's the difference here.

THE PROBLEM

Your institution is being asked to move fast on AI. Your examiners don't care about your vendor's roadmap.

AI guidance tends to come from one of two camps — consultants who know the frameworks, or technologists who've built the systems. The institutions I work with need someone who's done both — who can explain AI risk in terms that land with a board of directors, an NCUA examiner, and a core system vendor in the same week.

Credit union boards Community bank CEOs Regional FI leadership Regulated industry executives Technology leadership teams PE-backed FI operators
SERVICES

Four ways I work with institutions

F

Fractional CIO

Embedded strategic technology leadership for institutions without a full-time CIO, or organizations that need senior judgment without a senior hire.

  • Technology strategy and vendor selection
  • Board and executive reporting
  • Team structure and capability assessment
  • Multi-year roadmap development
  • Budget governance and prioritization
V

vCISO

Security program leadership grounded in regulatory expectations — NCUA, FFIEC, and the frameworks examiners actually reference in findings.

  • Security program build and maturity
  • Incident response planning and tabletop
  • Vendor and third-party risk program
  • Exam preparation and response
  • Policy and control framework alignment
AI

AI Governance Advisory

Practical governance for institutions adopting AI tools — from chatbots in member services to automated decisioning in lending. NIST AI RMF 1.0 grounded.

  • AI risk inventory and classification
  • Governance policy and board reporting
  • Third-party AI vendor assessment
  • Human oversight design and documentation
  • Exam-ready AI risk framework
B

Board & Executive Advisory

Direct engagement with boards, audit committees, and executive leadership — translating technical AI and security risk into decisions and accountabilities.

  • Board education sessions (AI, cybersecurity)
  • Strategic technology briefings
  • Risk appetite framing and policy review
  • M&A technology due diligence
  • Independent technology assessment
ENGAGEMENT MODELS

Scoped to how you actually buy

Not every institution needs a retainer. Not every problem needs a project. Three models, each with a clear scope and outcome.

Retainer

Ongoing Advisory

A defined number of hours per month for strategic guidance, board prep, and on-call judgment. Minimum 3-month engagement. Ideal for institutions in an active build or exam cycle.

4–16 hrs/mo · rolling
Project

Defined-Scope Engagement

Fixed scope, fixed deliverables — AI risk assessment, security program review, board education series, M&A diligence. Delivered in 4–12 weeks with a written output.

Fixed fee · 4–12 weeks
Board Briefing

Executive Education

A single half-day or full-day session for your board or leadership team on AI risk, cybersecurity posture, or the technology decisions ahead of you. Prepared specifically for your institution.

Half / full day · custom prep
FRAMEWORK GROUNDING

The standards I work within

NIST CSF 2.0

The Cybersecurity Framework v2 is the primary lens for security program design, maturity assessment, and board reporting. Every engagement maps to its Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover functions.

AI RMF 1.0

The NIST AI Risk Management Framework is how I structure AI governance work — MAP, MEASURE, MANAGE, GOVERN. I crosswalk it to CSF 2.0 for institutions that want a unified risk vocabulary.

FFIEC / NCUA

Regulatory expectations don't always align with published frameworks. I track NCUA examination findings and FFIEC guidance so that governance work translates into exam-defensible positions, not just policy documents.

THE PROCESS

How to engage

01

Book a 30-minute scoping call

No pitch deck. No pre-work. A direct conversation about what you're trying to solve, your timeline, and whether there's a fit. I'll tell you if there isn't.

02

Receive a scoped proposal

Within 5 business days, a short written proposal: scope, model (retainer / project / briefing), estimated hours or fee range, and expected outputs. No 40-page statement of work.

03

Engagement begins

Simple agreement, clear accountabilities. Retainer engagements include a monthly standing call and async availability. Project engagements have defined milestones and check-ins.

04

Outcomes, not activity reports

I measure success by whether your team achieves its goals, your board asks better questions, or your exam position improves — not by hours billed or slide decks delivered.

START HERE

Book a 30-minute conversation.

The fastest way to know if this is the right fit is a direct conversation. No forms, no gatekeepers. Just pick a time and show up with the problem you're trying to solve.