Joe SutherlandDirector | Center for AI Learning
Biography
Joe Sutherland is a noted technology executive, public service leader, educator, and bestselling author recognized for driving transformational growth through AI, data, and cloud innovation at leading global organizations. He has held leadership roles at Emory University, Cisco, Amazon, three startups, and The White House, leading organizations with more than 6,000 employees and generating more than $1B in revenue and exit value.
Currently, Dr. Sutherland directs Emory University’s Center for AI Learning. Previously, at Amazon, he launched a retail media business, unlocking new monetization streams in digital advertising, and at Cisco, he helped lead a global cloud transformation, driving platform adoption across millions of endpoints. Earlier, he co-founded and scaled successful startups, including AI firm Peachtree AI (acquired by Further) and fintech company Prattle (acquired by Liquidnet). He also served in the White House Office of Scheduling and Advance for President Barack Obama, traveling in support of his policy initiatives.
He is also associate faculty for the Empathetic AI for Health Institute (AI.Health) in Emory Healthcare, and a Fellow at Washington University’s Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses for D&DS on causal inference, big data, business strategy, and government.
Sutherland has advised senior leaders and boards on technology strategy, governance, risk, and compliance for organizations including Goldman Sachs, GlaxoSmithKline, Coca-Cola, The Conference Board, and Fulcrum Equity Partners. He contributes to federal AI policymaking as principal investigator for NIST’s U.S. Center for AI Standards and Innovation consortium. He served ex-officio on Washington University’s Undergraduate Experience Committee, helping prepare for a new residential college system.
Sutherland’s work has been featured in Forbes, MIT Sloan Management Review, CEO Magazine, and other top outlets. He authored Analytics the Right Way (Wiley), an international bestseller on building results-driven data science organizations. His research exploring the utilization of machine learning and AI in congressional policy, political behavior and development economics is published in top peer-reviewed journals, including the American Political Science Review, Political Behavior, and Energy. A Leadership Atlanta ’26 member, he holds a PhD, MPhil, and master’s from Columbia and a bachelor’s from Washington University. He lives in Atlanta with his family and enjoys golf and tennis.
Education
- Ph.D., Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY
- M.Phil., Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY
- M.A., Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY
- B.A., Political Science, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Research
AI + ML, Advanced Analytics and Reporting, Attribution (Online, Offline), Audience Segmentation + Targeting, Cloud Engineering, Customer Experience, Digital Marketing, Digital Performance Management, Data Science, Data Products + Monetization, eCommerce, Omnichannel, Online Advertising, Optimization, Personalization, Search Engine Marketing, Strategic Planning, Responsible AI, Explainable AI, Ethical AI, Technology Investment + Architecture, User Experience.
Selected Publications
Teaching
- DATASCI 385: Special Topics
