Melissa Yurash

Genai Technical Analyst and Functional Lead @Skechers

Manhattan Beach, CA, US

As the GenAI Technical Analyst & Functional Lead, I drive the strategy and execution of Skechers’ white-labeled GenAI platform, ensuring seamless integration across the organization. My role focuses on AI adoption, project management, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous innovation, aligning with Skechers’ commitment to innovation, creativity, and smart risk-taking in Key Responsibilities: AI Platform Management & Strategy- Oversee the development, deployment, and optimization of Skechers’ private GenAI platform and LLMs- Align AI solutions with business goals, ensuring scalability, security, and efficiency- Manage project roadmaps, sprint planning, and backlog grooming to drive innovation. Technical Integration & AI Solutions- Collaborate with engineers, data scientists, and product teams to develop AI-powered tools- Support AWS-based AI services such as Bedrock, SageMaker, Lambda, EC2, and S3- Enhance AI applications using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), keyword vector search, and chatbot functionalities. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Adoption- Act as the liaison between technical teams, business stakeholders, and leadership- Work with security, UI/UX, and architecture teams to ensure AI solutions are user-friendly, secure, and GDPR-compliant- Lead training and workshop sessions to drive AI adoption and enablement. Observability, Compliance & Risk Management - Monitor AI performance metrics and ensure model accuracy- Mitigate risks related to AI bias, model drift, and compliance- Support QA testing to optimize AI use cases. Continuous Innovation & Scaling - Stay updated on GenAI advancements to enhance business processes- Leverage LangChain, Claude LLM, Stable Diffusion, and Boomi iPaaS for AI-driven efficiency- Scale AI capabilities across Skechers’ 5,200+ global locations and digital platforms.

University of Denver

BS, Statistics

University of Denver - Daniels College of Business

BS, Statistics