Our team
Founder-led. Network-delivered.
CAI Collective Group pairs hands-on founder leadership with a curated network of strategists, educators, engineers, and governance specialists — assembled around your challenge, not our bench.
Think. Do. Transform.
One founder.A curated collective.
Technology should expand human potential, not replace it. Every person on a CAI team is chosen to prove that principle in practice.
Leadership
"People before platforms. Always."
LaShea Conner-Gaten, Ed.M. (she/her)
Founder & CEO
LaShea Conner-Gaten, Ed.M. is the Founder and CEO of CAI Collective Group, a human-centered AI, organizational transformation, and workforce innovation firm focused on ensuring people and communities can meaningfully participate in and benefit from the AI economy.
A former Deloitte Chief of Staff and transformation leader, LaShea brings more than a decade of advisory experience spanning 25+ enterprise transformations, organizations representing more than $1.8 trillion in enterprise value, portfolios serving 119,000+ employees, governance of $20M+ strategic portfolios, and teams of up to 121 professionals.
She is also the founder of Aspire U Institute™, CAI's education and workforce innovation platform, and creator of Fair Chance Orbit™, an AI-enabled workforce ecosystem designed to expand employment and economic-mobility pathways for justice-impacted talent. In 2026, Fair Chance Orbit's Fair Chance Navigator was recognized with the AI Fluency Rising Star Award through Salesforce's Agentforce for Good Hackathon.
Through The Village Global™, the nonprofit giving arm of CAI Collective Group, LaShea extends the firm's capabilities into communities by partnering with nonprofit and community organizations. The Village Global is a California-recognized nonprofit organization and is pursuing federal 501(c)(3) status.
LaShea is pursuing her doctorate in Organizational Leadership through the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) at the University of San Diego, and holds a Master in Human Resource Development & Systems. Her doctoral scholarship connects directly to her work as a practitioner, exploring how human-centered AI can become a force for social impact, economic mobility, organizational transformation, and more equitable access to opportunity.
- Doctorate in Organizational Leadership — University of San Diego SOLES (expected May 2029)
- Master in Human Resource Development & Systems, Organizational Leadership — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Former Chief of Staff, Deloitte
- Member, Space Force Association — San Diego Chapter
- Member, Black Chamber of Commerce — County of San Diego
- AI Fluency Rising Star special award recipient — Salesforce Agentforce for Good, Dreamforce 2026
The delivery network
A curated bench of specialists, assembled per engagement.
Rather than carrying a fixed staff, CAI draws on a vetted network of practitioners across six disciplines. Every engagement team is named in your statement of work — you always know exactly who is doing the work.
AI strategy & governance
Advisors who design decision rights, oversight models, and policy baselines aligned to NIST AI RMF and ISO-aligned practice.
Learning design & facilitation
Instructional designers and facilitators who build applied, role-based AI curricula — from executive briefings to grade 3 classrooms.
Engineering & assistant configuration
Builders who configure governed assistant workspaces, ground them in verified sources, and document every guardrail.
Workforce & economic mobility
Practitioners from workforce boards, community organizations, and employer networks who keep the work human-centered.
Government & defense market strategy
Specialists in federal positioning, prime teaming, and pursuit governance for small and emerging businesses.
Measurement & evaluation
Analysts who set baselines before launch and report what actually changed — never vanity metrics.
How we staff
Founder-led, always
Every engagement is scoped and quality-reviewed by the founder. You never get a junior team learning on your budget.
The right people, not the available people
We assemble each team from a curated network of practitioners matched to your sector, your challenge, and your stage.
Accountability in writing
Every team member operates under the same governance standards, confidentiality terms, and measurement discipline CAI is known for.
Meet the team behind your engagement.
Request a scope review and we will introduce the exact people who would do the work — before you commit to anything.