Meet the Staff
A Multidisciplinary Focus
The Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy is a first-in-the-nation office for AI policy, regulation, and innovation, housed in the Utah Department of Commerce. Our team studies how AI is being used in Utah, works with regulators and companies on responsible deployment, and recommends policy to the Legislature.
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Zach Boyd, PhD
Director
Dr. Boyd is the Director of the Office of Artificial Intelligence for the State of Utah, where he leads out on developing AI regulatory policy and clearing paths for novel business applications of AI. He is on long-term leave from his role as a professor at BYU where he teaches applied and computational mathematics. Dr. Boyd’s research lab focuses on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and mathematical modeling in social science applications, such as psychology, economics, and social networks. Before working at BYU, Dr. Boyd was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an NDSEG Fellow at UCLA, a research associate at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a Presidential Scholar at BYU.
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Alice Schwarze, PhD
Co-Head of Research
Dr. Schwarze is an expert in the mathematical modeling of social systems. Prior to coming to our office, she researched, taught, and studied at Dartmouth, the University of Washington, UCLA, Oxford and Technische Universitaet Berlin.
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Binod Borah
Co-Head of Research
Profile coming soon
Biography and photo coming soon.
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Courtney Rae
Head of Stakeholder Outreach
Courtney worked at the World Trade Center Utah as the International Program Manager where she led the Governor-led trade missions overseas to help strengthen Utah business opportunities. Previously, Courtney was a VP at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York in Private Wealth Management and she worked at Angelo, Gordon & Co., a $30 billion alternative investment firm, as a Director in their Private Client Group. Courtney also worked in the Protocol Office of the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. where she worked with the foreign dignitaries visiting the President of the United States. Courtney earned her MBA at Columbia University and her BA at the University of Southern California.
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Cam Bronson, JD
Legal & Policy Analyst
Cam is a graduate of J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. Before law school, he launched his professional career in Washington D.C., conducting broad policy research on issues ranging from public utilities and energy to manufacturing and public health. Cam is deeply committed to convening leaders across government, industry, and community to solve complex challenges for Utah residents.
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Nandeeni Patel
Policy Advisor
Nandeeni is a Policy Advisor at the Utah Department of Commerce’s Office of AI Policy, where she serves as project manager and policy strategist for Governor Cox’s Pro-Human AI Initiative, and is currently focused on healthcare liability. She is working to align Utah’s AI governance with state priorities and national best practices, engaging stakeholders across government, business, and civil society. She holds a Master in Public Policy in Global Affairs from the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, where she was a Eric Schmidt AI Fellow and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Journal of International Affairs, and a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Claremont McKenna College. Her earlier experience spans national security and defense policy in the Indo-Pacific, including holding a Fulbright Research Fellowship in Sri Lanka on foreign policymaking.
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Rachael Hutchings
Policy Consultant
Profile coming soon
Biography and photo coming soon.
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Keri Jensen
Legal Intern
Keri Jensen is a law student at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. She earned a BS from Brigham Young University and conducted research at Utah State University. She later worked as a victim advocate. Her interests include public policy, advocacy, and the intersection of law and healthcare.
Contact the Office
Questions about our work, the AI Learning Laboratory, or a possible pilot? Reach the office directly and we will route your message to the right person.
