Dallas CDAO Community
Inner Circle
September 3, 2026 | The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas
September 3, 2026
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas
Collaborate with your peers
Join Dallas's top CDAOs for an intimate networking dinner and facilitated discussion on key business challenges. Enjoy a relaxed evening of dinner and drinks with your peers to share best practices, make new connections and build professional relationships.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CDAOs today:
Establishing the CDAO as an influential and strategic leader
Understanding how to articulate the value and quantify impact of D&A and AI investments
Becoming a visionary driver of business outcomes
Dallas CDAO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the discussion topics and agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CDAOs, For CDAOs™.
Governing Body Co-Chairs
Aamer Charania
Best Buy
Head of Applied AI
Jayadev Gopinath
DraftKings
SVP, Data Engineering & Data Science
Sonia Khosla
Globe Life
SVP & CDAO
Sanjeev Kumar
NextGen Healthcare
VP & CDAO
Mark Nance
American Fidelity Corporation
Chief Data Officer
Latheef Syed
Verizon
VP, Data Products & Governance, Data, Analytics and AI
Agenda
September 3, 2026
4:30pm - 5:30pm Executive Networking Reception
5:30pm - 6:30pm Discussion Topics
The Strategic CDAO — Leading with Vision, Influence and Impact
CDAOs today face increasingly complex challenges both inside and outside their organizations. Externally, they contend with market disruptions, technological advancements, and evolving regulatory environments. Internally, they are establishing themselves as strategic leaders, driving business results, and quantifying returns on data and analytics investments.
Join this session to explore how CDAOs can balance these demands and position themselves as key figures in guiding organizations toward sustained growth and competitive advantage.
- Have you successfully linked AI success to foundational investments in data and analytics?
- How can organizations effectively measure and communicate the business impact and ROI of their data, analytics, and AI projects? What strategies help articulate and quantify the value of these investments?
- What is your collaboration like with other C-suite and senior executives?
- How do you focus on the non-technical skills required for your role, such as vision, empathy, and influence?
- What strategies do you use to balance D&A and AI innovation and growth with constraints like compliance, ethics and cost?
- How have you articulated the value proposition of data initiatives to secure sustained funding and alignment with senior leadership?
6:30pm - 7:00pm Networking Break
7:00pm - 8:00pm Summary Discussion & Dinner
8:00pm - 9:00pm Social Hour
Apply to Participate
Each application is carefully vetted to ensure members meet established criteria, preserving the quality of the network and enabling meaningful, peer‑level discussions among leaders from the world’s leading organizations.
Once you submit your application, a Community Program Manager will schedule a conversation to understand your priorities and interests and complete onboarding, including access to year‑round community events.
Location
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.
