About this Learning Across Sectors Session
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping how we learn, work, and make decisions—but who gets to shape how AI develops, and who benefits from it?
As part of our Learning Across Sectors Series, this session helps us understand AI’s implications for equity, belonging, diversity and inclusion (EBDI).
In this conversation, we’re co-creating the conditions to discover:
- What EDUCAUSE’s research reveals about AI’s “digital divide” in higher education and strategies to close it
- The role of policy in governing AI development to ensure AI is safe, secure, and trustworthy for all communities
- The role of philanthropy in the new Humanity AI coalition’s $500M effort to keep people at the center of AI development
- Practical lessons from Houston Endowment’s pilot using AI to simplify grant reporting and center grantee voices
- How foundations can move from reactive AI policies to proactive strategies that align with EBDI values
Program Flow
Who’s Invited
All Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF) members are welcome. This work belongs to all of us, whether you’re in grantmaking, operations, leadership, communications, finance, board service, or any other foundation role.
Dr. John O’Brien, President and CEO, EDUCAUSE
Dr. O’Brien leads a global nonprofit association that serves over 2,000 colleges and universities across 41 countries to advance higher education through technology innovation. His distinguished 30-year career in higher education spans roles as an award-winning English professor, President of North Hennepin Community College, and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities—the nation’s fourth-largest higher education system. He is a leading voice on using technology to advance equity, access, and student success.
Anil Hurkadli, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Anil Hurkadli researches AI's implications for communities and how national policy connects—or fails to connect—with local practice. He recently served in the Biden-Harris Administration as Acting Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology, where he led federal AI policy development and released landmark guidance on ethical AI use. His career spans executive roles at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Teach For America Twin Cities, and Harvard Kennedy School’s Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project.
Robiel Abraha, an Evaluation Officer, Houston Endowment
He brings over a decade of research and evaluation expertise. At Houston Endowment, Robiel leads and designs learning and evaluation projects aimed at improving the Foundation’s strategies for increasing voter turnout and naturalization in Greater Houston. He led the foundation’s pioneering pilot program that uses AI to transform grant reporting—reducing administrative burden on nonprofits while centering grantee voices and improving the quality of learning. Prior to joining Houston Endowment, Robiel was a Research and Evaluation Officer at Episcopal Health Foundation and led research and evaluation initiatives at the Texas Department of State Health Services, focusing on addressing COVID-19 health disparities.
Dr. Courtney Brown, Vice President, Impact and Learning, Lumina Foundation
Dr. Brown is the Vice President of Strategic Impact and Planning at Lumina Foundation, the largest private foundation focused specifically on increasing Americans’ postsecondary success in the United States. As the Foundation’s chief data and research officer, Brown oversees the Foundation’s efforts in the areas of strategic planning, research, evaluation, data, learning, and philanthropic practice. She also leads Lumina’s international engagement efforts. Brown has decades of experience and is a frequent speaker and writer on postsecondary systems and strategic planning.
Awale (Wally) Osman, Director of Organizational Learning and Leadership Development for Equity and Belonging, Minnesota Council on Foundations
Wally leads the Minnesota Council on Foundations’ strategies for advancing internal equity, belonging, diversity, and inclusion (EBDI), as well as efforts to support the philanthropic sector in putting these values into practice through the Equity, Belonging, Diversity and Inclusion Institute (EBDI Institute). The EBDI Institute offerings include the Experiential Leadership Lab, Center for Organizational Learning and Practice, Rural Urban Bridging for Impact, People of Color and LGBTQ+ Community of Practice, learning and evaluation.
About this Series
The Learning Across Sectors series brings together leaders from philanthropy, government, corporate, education, and nonprofits in facilitated conversations about advancing equity, belonging, diversity, and inclusion. In 90-minute virtual sessions, panelists share real-world challenges, promising practices, and lessons learned from their work—helping foundation professionals evolve how we think, deepen our understanding, broaden our perspectives, and expand our options for action. Each session includes small group discussions where participants give and receive support in applying learning to their own role and organizational contexts.
Questions or Accessibility Needs? Connect with Wally!
Email Wally at [email protected].
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