Rod Holum is the CEO and founder of Coulee Tech and an AIBMM Master Coach. He shows business leaders how to put AI to work and keep it secure, with the practicality of someone who has run an IT and cybersecurity company since 2008.
Speaking
A plain-language tour of what AI can and cannot do for a business right now. Rod separates working use cases from vendor noise and shows leaders where to start, what to skip, and how to keep company data safe while they experiment.
Best for: Business owners, leadership teams, association and chamber audiences
How to evaluate AI opportunities, build an AI roadmap, and lead an organization through adoption. Built for the people who have to decide where the budget goes and answer for the results.
Best for: Executives, boards and business owners
An introduction to the AI Business Maturity Model (AIBMM) and its five levels, from AI Drifter to Physical Integrator. As an AIBMM Master Coach, Rod helps audiences place their own organization on the curve and see what the next level takes.
Best for: Executive teams, strategic planners and innovation leads
A working session on writing and refining prompts, then turning one-off prompts into repeatable workflows a team can rely on. Attendees practice on their own day-to-day work.
Best for: Teams and managers who want hands-on skills; works well as a workshop
How attacks on small and midsize organizations really happen, and what to do about them, told by someone who defends healthcare and manufacturing companies for a living. Includes an executive playbook for ransomware readiness and incident response.
Best for: All-staff sessions, management teams and industry associations
What AI is changing about jobs, hiring and skills, and how organizations and the next generation can prepare. Rod also speaks with students about careers in technology and cybersecurity.
Best for: Leadership conferences, educators, students and community groups
About
Rodney (“Rod”) Holum is the CEO and founder of Coulee Tech, a cybersecurity and IT solutions company recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies. He specializes in helping organizations—especially in healthcare and manufacturing—reduce cyber risk while adopting AI in practical, business-ready ways.
An AI evangelist and cybersecurity expert, Rod focuses on real-world implementation: AI strategy, prompt optimization, AI-driven app development, security risk assessments, compliance, and security training. He’s also an award-winning author of books including Wisconsin’s AI Leadership Blueprint for 2024 and 7 Biggest Cyber Security Mistakes Your IT Guy Is Making, translating complex topics into clear steps leaders can act on immediately.
On stage
From ballrooms to hands-on workshop rooms.
Calendar
Stone Lake, Wisconsin. Coulee Tech’s third annual hands-on AI day for business leaders.
Nashville, Tennessee area. Private working session for AIBMM coaches and AI implementers.
Duke University Golf Club, Durham, North Carolina. Applying the AI Business Maturity Model to mission planning, operations and readiness.
Chippewa Valley Society for Human Resource Management, Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Practical AI for recruiting, onboarding and policy work.
Virtual. Free monthly session on the five levels of AI maturity.
Author
AI Success Stories from Local Business Leaders
Twelve case studies of local businesses, from credit unions to property managers, putting AI to work. Includes step-by-step guidance on choosing tools, running a pilot and measuring results, plus a look at cybersecurity in the age of AI.
Wisconsin’s AI Playbook: Real-World Use Cases and Workbook Training for Leaders
A practical playbook for leaders: a plain-language introduction to AI, its ethical and responsible use, hands-on text and image applications, and six interviews with Wisconsin leaders in sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, accounting and real estate. With Aaron Libner.
The seven mistakes that leave businesses with 20 to 100 employees open to ransomware and data breaches, and what owners can do to close them.
What Your Small or Medium Business Can Do to Protect Yourself
Uses the 2021 Colonial Pipeline attack to show small and midsize businesses practical ways to protect themselves, and argues that cybersecurity is not only for large corporations.
side-projects
On the first Friday of every month, Rod walks business leaders through the five levels of the AI Business Maturity Model and how to move up one.
Liverodholum.com was rebuilt in an afternoon by an AI coding agent working directly on a bare Linux server. No CMS, no page builder, no JavaScript framework.
Past workClassroom talks and hands-on sessions that show students what a career in IT and cybersecurity looks like, and how to start one.
“I don’t think there will be a profession in the next year or two that isn’t heavily dependent on AI.”Rod Holum
Planning a conference, leadership retreat or team workshop? Tell Rod about it.
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