CAA Academic Alliance Announces Inaugural Class Of Allied AI Collaborative Ambassadors
Elle Peterson
Richmond, VA – The CAA Academic Alliance announces the inaugural cohort of the
Allied AI Collaborative Ambassadors for the
2026/27 Academic Year.
In alignment with their recently implemented Strategic Roadmap, the CAA Academic Alliance announces the launch of a new leadership development initiative to advance responsible, innovative, and collaborative applications of artificial intelligence technologies across the Alliance’s thirteen institutions. By combining expertise and working together, Alliance institutions are accomplishing more, and much more rapidly, than any single institution could achieve individually, driving synergistic transformation, and resulting in innovation that can be disseminated broadly across academia. The
Allied AI Collaborative builds upon the momentum of the 2025/26 Academic Year’s
AI Technologies Champion Network, and the
S²EARCH26 Research Collider, moving the Alliance from an initial period of exploration and network building, toward a coordinated model for implementation, dissemination, multidisciplinary collaboration, and sustainable innovation.
The
Allied AI Collaborative brings the Alliance’s institutions together as a virtual Community of Learning focused on three priorities:
- research and innovation;
- teaching, learning, and assessment; and
- ethics and policy considerations.
The Alliance’s
Allied AI Collaborative Ambassadors will facilitate the Collaborative's meetings throughout the current Academic Year: delivering presentations, disseminating scholarship, mentoring new members, and shaping the cohort’s focal targets. Additional representatives nominated by their institution will be invited to join the cohort in fall, 2026, further broadening participation and institutional engagement.
The
Academic Year 2026/27 Allied AI Collaborative Ambassadors are announced as follows:
Sarah Cansler, Campbell University
Becka Rich, Drexel University
Michael G. Wagner, Drexel University
Michele Lashley, Elon University
Mariel Friberg, Hampton University
Grace Valdez, Hofstra University
Ethna Lay, Hofstra University
Chyi-lyi (Kathleen) Liang, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Yimesker Yihun, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Daisyane Barreto, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Julian Keith, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Samita Heslin, Stony Brook University
Lei Zhang, Towson University
Miranda Donnelly, Towson University
The
Allied AI Advisory Council provides strategic guidance for the Allied AI initiative ecosystem, connecting complementary Alliance priorities and identifying opportunities for research development, dissemination, external partnerships, and future investments. Two Directors of the Advisory Council, along with the Alliance's Executive Director, Elle Peterson, provide strategic leadership for the
Allied AI Collaborative. The
Academic Year 2026/27 Allied AI Advisory Council Directors are announced as follows:
Mustafa Akben, Elon University
Mitch Kase, Hofstra University
By connecting people, ideas, resources, and opportunities across institutional boundaries, the CAA Academic Alliance provides a scalable consortium model for translating rapidly evolving AI technologies into responsible innovation and measurable impact across higher education, including cross-institutional grant submissions, innovative interdisciplinary curricula, faculty leadership development, student-engaged research mentorship, and AI-informed high-impact practices and policy recommendations. Additional details about the
Allied AI Scholar Awards,
Allied AI Catalyst Awards, and
Allied AI Student Awards will be shared in future releases.
About The CAA Academic Alliance
As a higher education academic consortium that facilitates collaboration and communication across its 13 member institutions, the CAA Academic Alliance was formed in 2002 to academically link the higher education institutions of the CAA (Coastal Athletic Association) conference. The Alliance serves a diverse audience across its member institutions: engaging faculty, staff, and students in meaningful initiatives that enrich the academic environment, advance student success, and drive innovation and best practices in higher education.
www.caa-academics.org