NYC Executive Evening - Beyond the Hype: Everyday Advice for AI

​Archita Bhatt 

Content & AI Strategy Leader | Founder | Tech Entrepreneur 

Archita Bhatt is a pioneering AI and technology strategist, serial entrepreneur, and engineer with over 22 years of experience delivering digital transformation across state and local government, research universities, and high-growth startups. As founder of astreaWorks, she specializes in helping organizations harness AI, automation, and data-driven strategies for measurable business impact. Archita’s expertise spans full-stack engineering, enterprise architecture, and complex program delivery. She is known for bridging technical depth with visionary leadership, assembling strong teams and the right partners to solve real-world challenges. Outside of work, Archita enjoys walking her dogs and cultivating her pollinator garden.

Barbara Shurtleff, MBA, CISSP

Leadership Commitee Chair, Washington DC, 50/50 Women on Boards

Barbara Shurtleff is a seasoned digital technology executive and transformational leader recognized for driving corporate success and mission delivery. Highly focused and motivated, she is known for building exceptional customer and vendor relationships, mentoring diverse teams, and advising C-level leaders, including CEOs, CIOs, and CISOs.

Barbara brings proven expertise in developing technical strategies and executing business objectives across the enterprise, with specialized focus on cybersecurity, identity management, systemic risk, and networks. She has a strong track record in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, enterprise transformation, P&L management, and strategic planning, delivering scalable, cost-effective solutions that comply with corporate, regulatory, and government standards.

Respected as a high-energy, resourceful, and innovative technology leader, Barbara continues to advance technology solutions while fostering growth, resilience, and long-term business success.

Andrea Bonime-Blanc

Founder & CEO, GEC Risk Advisory LLC

Andrea Bonime-Blanc, JD/PhD, is founder and CEO of GEC Risk Advisory, a board member, strategic advisor, and multiple book author. She specializes in the governance of change including strategic risk, geopolitics, sustainability, and exponential tech, advising business, NGOs, and government. A former c-suite executive at four companies (including Bertelsmann, PSEG, and Verint), Andrea serves on several boards and advisory boards. She is a Senior Fellow at The Conference Board's Governance and Sustainability Center and NYU’s Center for Global Affairs. She serves as Independent Ethics Advisor to the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, founding global faculty at the Institute for Corporate Directors Malaysia Mandatory Board Sustainability Certificate, and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

She has received numerous awards including the 2023 Diligent Governance 100, 2022 NACD Directorship 100, 2019 Cyber Futurist Award, 2018 Directors & Chief Risk Officers (DCRO) Exemplar Award and Ethisphere’s 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics in 2014 and 2015. She is a multiple book author including Gloom to Boom: How Leaders Transform Risk into Resilience and Value (Routledge 2020) and Governing Pandora: Leading in the Age of Generative AI and Exponential Technology (forthcoming in early 2026 with Georgetown University Press).

Meet the Moderator