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Eller Partnerships Office Faculty Launch the Generative AI Leadership Accelerator Program in Scottsdale

March 9, 2026
Eller building

The Eller Partnerships Office (EPO) is partnering with Eller Executive Education, an affiliate of the University of Arizona Eller College of Management for the upcoming Generative AI Leadership Accelerator (GALA), taking place April 14–17, 2026 at the University of Arizona’s Scottsdale Center. 

Designed for senior leaders, strategic decision-makers, and organizational teams, GALA equips participants with the strategic, ethical and technical tools needed to lead enterprise-level adoption of Generative AI. By the conclusion of the program, participants will have developed a custom AI roadmap, gained practical experience with AI tools, and built the internal capability to lead AI transformation within their organization, coached by EPO world-class faculty.

Faculty Excellence at the Core of GALA

GALA is distinguished by its lineup of multidisciplinary faculty whose expertise spans business ethics, artificial intelligence and business strategy. 

Dr. Paul Melendez

University Distinguished Outreach Professor; Founder, Center for Leadership Ethics, Eller College of Management
Dr. Melendez leads the Generative AI and Business Ethics module, helping participants navigate the ethical frameworks necessary for responsible AI adoption. With over two decades advancing ethics education, Dr. Melendez is the Faculty Lead for EEE’s programs and consulting projects through the EPO.

Dr. Gondy Leroy

Professor of MIS; Associate Dean for Research, Eller College of Management
A nationally recognized expert in natural language processing and machine learning, Dr. Leroy teaches Demystifying Generative AI and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) LLMs. As EPO project faculty, she has shaped applied AI learning experiences for industry partners across sectors.

Dr. Mohammed Shafae

Assistant Professor of Systems and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering
Dr. Shafae brings cutting-edge expertise in smart manufacturing systems, cyber physical systems security, and AI driven process monitoring sessions on applied Prompt Engineering. His faculty leadership in EPO programs emphasizes practical, immediately deployable skill-building.

Dr. Yong Ge

Associate Professor of MIS; Eller Fellow, Eller College of Management
A leading scholar in data mining, machine learning, and recommender systems, Dr. Ge guides the Intro to Agents and Agentic Systems session. His EPO work helps design and deploy intelligent systems tailored to operational contexts.

Dr. Bikram Ghosh

Professor of Marketing; Gary M. Munsinger Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Eller College of Management
Dr. Ghosh leads the culminating Generative AI Playbook module, where participants translate insights into a structured, organization-specific AI roadmap. With deep expertise in pricing strategy, analytics, and firm competition—and with AI EPO projects—he ensures leaders leave with a clear strategic plan.

A Partnership Designed for Real-World Results

The collaboration ensures GALA is not only academically rigorous but also deeply applied and industry-responsive. Faculty contribute insights from their research, industry collaboration, and applied work with EPO partner organizations to make impact on enterprise-level adoption of AI.

Over the four days, attendees engage in sessions covering:

  • Generative AI fundamentals and ethics
  • Prompt engineering
  • RAG architectures and applied LLM use
  • Agentic AI systems
  • Creation of a Generative AI Playbook tailored to their organization

 

Register Now

Generative AI Leadership Accelerator (GALA)
Dates: April 14–17, 2026
Location: University of Arizona Scottsdale Center
Contact: programsupport@eller.arizona.edu | ( 520) 621-1213