AI adoption is no longer a future planning exercise. Senior leaders are already making decisions about where AI belongs, where it does not, what risks are worth taking, and how to tell the difference between useful progress and expensive noise.

This CEON gathering features a candid panel conversation on real-world AI decision-making and new technology adoption. Rather than spotlighting polished success stories, the discussion will focus on what leaders are actually learning through implementation: the wins, the mistakes, the governance questions, the risk tradeoffs, and the ROI that did or did not materialize.

Among the questions the panel will work through:

• Where has AI earned a permanent place in your operations, and where did it fail to justify itself?
• How do you evaluate risk on a technology your team understands less well than your vendors do?
• What governance did you put in place, and what did you learn only after something went sideways?
• How are you measuring ROI, and what did you stop measuring because it was the wrong question?
• What would you tell a peer who is six months behind you on this path?

This session is designed for executives who want a more honest conversation about AI adoption, grounded in practical experience and principled leadership.

Our Panelists

Brian Benn, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Clark Atlanta University. Brian was named GeorgiaCIO's 2023 CIO of the Year, serves as Board Chair of GeorgiaCIO, and is a member of the Forbes Technology Council. Before Clark Atlanta, he led the IT organization at Atlanta Housing, where his team supported roughly 26,000 households across the city. Brian makes AI and technology decisions inside hard budget, compliance, and security constraints, and he speaks regularly on AI and the workforce of tomorrow.

Craig Williams, CTO & Head of AI, Maptician. Craig Williams is the CTO of Maptician, where he leads the company’s technology strategy and the development of its Generative AI and agent‑based platform. Prior to joining Maptician, Craig spent many years at Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a senior technology leader for Generative AI, driving the design, adoption, and scaling of AI solutions across multiple global industries. He brings more than three decades of experience building and modernizing large‑scale, mission‑critical systems, with a hands‑on approach that connects advanced AI to real customer outcomes. Craig holds a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Durban University of Technology

Who Will Be in the Room

This gathering is designed for a select room of CEO Netweavers members and invited senior leaders who carry real responsibility for growth, operations, capital, people, strategy, and long-term enterprise value.

Attendees will include CEOs, presidents, C-suite executives, and senior leaders from meaningful organizations across Georgia. Many are responsible for companies with $5M+ in revenue, $100M+ P&L responsibility, or teams large enough that their decisions shape the direction and performance of the organization.

You can expect a strong mix of leaders from privately held companies, public companies, family businesses, growth-stage companies, and larger enterprise divisions. The value of the room is not only seniority. It is the cross-functional perspective, candor, and lived experience of leaders making consequential decisions in real time.

Experience the magic of the Ron Clark Academy -- Why their alumni who get our scholarships are so amazing!

Join us for:

• Student led tour of the Academy
• Observe Ron Clark teaching methods his 5th grade class from inside his classroom
• Anything is Possible" slide certification

RCA is a world renowned school for 4 - 8 grades. Their students are educated in life skills in addition to academics. They emerge loving to learn. Since their inception 15 years ago 100% of their alumni have graduated from high school -- an amazing record. Teachers from all over the world pay to observe their techniques.

This is a very special and rare opportunity to see it first hand, put together for our Donors and your friends and family.

You are welcome to bring your family. In the past, many of our donors and members have attended by themselves, with their spouses/partners, and or with their children. The school and teaching style truly is amazing to see. 

For two decades, private equity worked. Operators built real value inside their companies. Rising valuations and cheap debt multiplied that value at the sale. The building still works. The multiplier is gone.

MSCI data shows the flip. Through 2021, firms sold companies at richer multiples than the ones they kept. Since 2022, exits have priced 0.5x to 1.1x below the held portfolio. Buyout funds returned about 7 percent in 2025 while the S&P 500 returned 18 (McKinsey). Bain counts 32,000 unsold companies and holds stretching toward seven years.

The consequences land close to home. More C-suite roles now sit inside PE-backed companies, and the firm behind the company defines the job. It sets your tenure, your strategy, and how you add value while reducing risk. The same forces change funding terms for smaller companies and the M&A math for public acquirers.

Our panelists have lived this from both sides of the table, as capital partners and as operators. They will share what has changed and what has not. You draw your own conclusions for your career, your company, and your investments.

Among the questions the panel will take on:

• Which parts of the old playbook still work, and which are gone?
• What separated the companies that sold well these past three years from the ones still waiting?
• How do you read an investor before you take the seat, the round, or the offer?

Panelists will be announced as they confirm.

There will be substantial time for audience Q&A.

Who Will Be in the Room

A select room of CEO Netweavers members and invited senior leaders. CEOs, presidents, C-suite executives, investors, and advisors from across Georgia, many with $100M+ P&L responsibility or companies of $5M+ in revenue. The value of the room is not only seniority. It is candor and lived experience from leaders making consequential decisions in real time.

Joining Corporate Boards can be a great way to add intellectual stimulation to a C-Suite career, or evolve to the career being a portfolio of Board seats. Yet it is not like looking for one’s next job. Success requires a campaign approach that begins years before one gets serious.

Our esteemed panel will discuss how they secured their invitations to join Boards, and what they have observed from others who did not succeed. We will also venture into what life is like as a public and private company board member.

• Mario Concha has served on public and private company corporate Boards along with not-for-profit Boards, mostly aligned with his industry skills. He is also a Board Member of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
• Sue McLaughlin has served on x Fortune 100 Boards, as a Trustee for two different colleges and led C200 (By invitation organization that inspires and supports women profit center leaders ). NACD has awarded her Certificates for Directorship and Cyber-Risk Oversight. Now she is on the other side as Managing Partner of Meraki Search Group, a boutique firm focused on board and C-Suite placements.
• Joe Licata has served as Board Chair of Choice Adhesives and on the Board of Sanmina-SCI. In his role as Managing Partner of BlueArc Capital he is at the center of Board member selection for their portfolio companies.

Our CEON Foundation Board Chair, Jim Deupree, will be panel moderator. He served as Board President for the Atlanta Chapter of NACD, then helped found the Carolinas Chapter and served on that Board — earning a Board Leadership Certification along the way. He has also served on private company and many not-for-profit Boards.

This is a rare opportunity to get an array of insights about Board seat pursuit. We encourage you to invite friends and colleagues who will benefit as your guests.