The AI Question Every Board Professional Is Sitting With

AI is already showing up in board work. Board professionals are using it to accelerate research, improve drafts, summarize lengthy materials, and support meeting preparation.

But practical value comes with important governance questions.

What happens when sensitive board materials are entered into an AI tool? Does institutional policy clearly apply to trustees and board staff? Who verifies AI-generated work before the board relies on it? And how does an institution move from individual experimentation to approved, governed use?

This session is the candid peer conversation those questions deserve.

Jason Ferguson of OnBoard will open with findings from the Session 1 readiness assessment, including where AI is being used, what is slowing adoption, and what participating institutions say they need next.

Joshua Merchant of Oakland University and Heather Fehn of The College of New Jersey will bring those findings into the real world. Drawing on their institutions’ experiences with AI, they will discuss where it creates value, what concerns remain, and what it takes to move from experimentation to governed use.

The conversation will then open to the full room for questions and shared experiences.

Learning Objectives

• Hear how AI is being used in board and governance work today.
• Explore how peer institutions are navigating security, policy, accuracy, trustee adoption, and human review.
• Consider what it takes to move from AI experimentation to an approved, governed workflow.
• Leave with practical questions to bring back to their board, leadership team, IT, or legal counsel.

Moderator:

Jason Ferguson, moderator and facilitator, AGB OnBoard

Panelists:

Joshua D. Merchant, Ph.D., chief of staff and secretary to the board of trustees, Oakland University
Heather Fehn, vice president and chief of staff, secretary to the board of trustees, The College of New Jersey