Chris Richardson

About Chris Richardson

I help enterprise leaders navigate the reality of today’s ERP conundrum as well as manage the gap between AI ambition and operational reality.My work is rooted in turning complex infrastructure, data, and cloud environments into platforms for scalable, secure, and responsible AI adoption. Whether enabling RAG pipelines, modernizing ERP for automation, or preparing infrastructure to host foundation models, I’ve helped some of the world’s most recognizable organizations make AI real and their ERP investments generate tangible value. In the past, I led transformation initiatives across government (CIO, AZ Dept. of Education), academia (Deputy CIO, Arizona State University), and industry (onsemi, Honeywell). I’ve also advised VC-backed startups and hosted C-suite clients at NVIDIA HQ to accelerate enterprise AI strategy.In my free-time, I’m working to help Arizona become an internationally recognized technology player. Various interests include an AZ Governor appointee on the AI Steering Committee, a frequent contributor to our ACA and GPEC economic development groups, a board advisor to FreewayPHX.com, and a Venture Partner at Monsoon and Emmeline Ventures (love to help early-stage companies think like the enterprise, and vice versa).What I Believe- AI doesn’t scale without infra and data maturity- Field execution beats boardroom slides- The best leaders bridge tech and trustLet’s connect if you’re building the future of AI, modernizing enterprise operations, want to see what’s really working in the field, or interested in making Arizona a world-class technology hub.

Experience

1. Founding Advisor

   Freeway

   Apr 2023 — Present

   I’m an independent member advising the leadership, influencing the strategy, and leveraging my network. Our goals are supporting Founders, connecting them with capital sources and the other amazing resources existing here in our ecosystem, amplifying the stories of success, and growing capital options for founders.

Education

• University of Washington

  Double B.S., Zoology / Fisheries

  1991 — 1995

• University of Arizona - Eller College of Management

  MBA, MIS, Finance, Entrepreneurship

  2002 — 2004

• University of Puget Sound

  Masters of Arts in Teaching, Secondary Education: Biology, Chemistry and General Science Endorsements

  1998 — 1999

Skills

• Business Process Improvement
• Data Center
• Continuous Improvement
• Salesforce.com
• Process Improvement
• Program Management
• IT Strategy
• Service Delivery
• Competitive Analysis
• Higher Education
• Strategic Planning
• Management
• Integration
• Budgets
• Web Applications
• Team Leadership
• Information Technology
• Cloud Applications
• Business Strategy
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Cloud Computing
• IT Management
• Strategy
• Project Management
• Amazon Web Services (Aws)
• Six Sigma
• Itil
• IT Service Management
• Pmp
• Change Management
• Internet of Things
• Leadership
• Vendor Management
• Business Process
• Security
• Enterprise Software