Tony Stephenson, MBA

About

I lead the secure, ethical, and compliant adoption of AI in regulated environments, translating emerging AI risks into governance, control frameworks, and decision-ready guidance that protects business value while enabling innovation. In my current role as a Cybersecurity Analyst and AI Governance Lead, I partner with engineering, legal, and compliance teams to operationalize responsible AI at scale. I’m also the Founder and Chief AI Officer of NautiQ AI, an AI-powered career infrastructure platform designed to help veterans gain clarity and confidence as they transition into civilian technology and cybersecurity roles. I lead AI strategy, product design, and governance from the ground up, integrating insights from my PhD research in Artificial Intelligence to build systems that are practical, explainable, and grounded in lived experience. Currently pursuing a PhD in Artificial Intelligence at Capitol Technology University (2025-2026), with ongoing research focused on AI governance and risk at the intersection of policy, safety, and industry. Previously, I served as an Assistant Vice President at Citi, where I led governance and oversight initiatives in regulated environments. Today, I bring that discipline and executive rigor to bridging enterprise AI governance with applied research and mission-driven innovation—building AI systems that are trusted, defensible, and human-centered. As a Navy veteran, I also bring cross-domain leadership experience and a track record of delivering complex governance programs across government, military, and private sector teams.

Experience

• NautiQ.ai / Launchpad Ventures COLA Cohort 1 · Launchpad10-01-2025 – 12-01-2025

  NautiQ.ai graduated from Launchpad's 12-week incubator program.

• Founder & Chief AI Officer · NautiQ.AI05-01-2025 –

  Founder of NautiQ.ai, an AI-powered career intelligence platform built using insights from PhD research to help U.S. service members translate military experience into civilian-ready careers.

• Enterprise AI Governance & Cybersecurity Analyst · Amentum09-01-2023 –

  Lead the enterprise AI governance & cybersecurity governance program, aligning AI risk management with NIST RMF and FedRAMP High; overseeing AI initiative governance across the organization.

• Assistant Vice President | Governance & Oversight · Citi07-01-2022 – 08-01-2023

  Directed governance & regulatory compliance; oversaw corporate risk management in regulated environments.

• Weapons Department Supervisor · US Navy06-01-2012 – 10-01-2020

  Led weapons division; oversaw safety, training, and readiness; managed cross-functional teams.

Education

• Capitol Technology UniversityDoctor of Philosophy - PhD, Artificial Intelligence
• Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry UniversityMaster of Business Administration - MBA
• DeVry UniversityBachelor of Business Administration - BBA, Sales and Marketing

Similar talent on Pangea

Jason W.Head of Privacy & AI Governance | Privacy Engineering, Policy-as-Code, Security ComplianceSeattle, WAKellie A.Technology Evangelist & Consultant Specialized in AI & Data Security and Governance | Innovative Leadership & Technological Advancement Champion | Technology Security FocusedAnup P.Cybersecurity | AI | Digital StrategySyed Ali A.Founder & Senior AI Engineer | Applied AI Agents, RAG, Automation & API IntegrationsNew York, NY