Speaking · Frank “Rio” Shines
Book the pilot who flew the discipline before he taught it.
Keynotes, board sessions, and executive workshops on AI literacy, enterprise AI failure modes, statistical storytelling, and leading change in the age of AI. From the Air Force Academy to IBM’s Golden Circle to a J&J GenAI portfolio. Now on your stage.
2,000+
Angola Summit
Largest international audience to date
125+
University Partners
Through the Risepoint engagement
30yrs
Practice
From shop floor to executive suite
3
Continents
USA · Brazil · Africa
Signature Talks
Four topics I’ve been working on for thirty years.
Each one customized for the audience in the room. I prepare every keynote with the host org’s actual data and language. Generic decks earn generic results.
Talk 01 · The book
AI or Die
AI literacy for non-technical leaders.
Based on the 2025 book. From cave paintings to ChatGPT — and why your team doesn’t need to learn to code, they need to learn to think with AI. Visual, accessible, and grounded in three decades of practice that pre-dates the hype cycle.
For: Executive teams · Board offsites · Conference keynotes · University audiences
Talk 02 · The C-suite
The Five Hostage Situations
How enterprise AI is quietly taken hostage — and the discipline layer that takes it back.
Token costs. Vendor lock-in. Data lock-in. Governance gaps. Skill atrophy. I walk boards and C-suites through each one with examples from the J&J advisory, the Risepoint engagement, and the ADB platform — then show what governance actually has to do to win back the leverage.
For: Boards · CEO/CFO/CIO sessions · Private equity portcos · Industry conferences
Talk 03 · The craft
Statistical Storytelling
Pattern recognition for people who don’t read math.
How to teach probability distributions to humans. The talk turns Six Sigma, regression, and base-rate reasoning into stories executives can actually use — built from twenty-five years of teaching this material at IBM, Express Scripts, and J&J. Pairs well with workshop follow-on.
For: Data & analytics orgs · Process improvement teams · MBA programs · Leadership retreats
Talk 04 · The people
Leading Change in the Age of AI
The Science of People, after the Physics of Business.
Deming, Denison, and the five-step transformation playbook I’ve used from IBM to J&J to Risepoint. Why adoption is where AI lives or dies — and what change-management craft has to look like when the technology itself is the change.
For: HR & transformation leaders · OCM practitioners · Operating teams · Executive education
Formats
Pick the runtime that fits.
Keynote
The signature talk, customized to the audience’s industry and current AI moment.
45–60 min · Q&A
Board Session
Closed-door working session for the board on AI governance, oversight, and the Five Hostage Situations.
90 min · Pre-read
Workshop
Hands-on AIM-IT workshop with your leadership team. Real problem, real data, real artifact at the end.
Half-day or full-day
Fireside / Panel
Moderated conversation or panel anchor. Works well alongside other authors and operators.
30–60 min
Recent Engagements & Press
Stages, conferences, and a few newspapers.
A selection of where I’ve shown up over the last few years. The proof you’d ask for over coffee.
Jul 2022
Angola Innovation Summit
Keynote · Business & Technology
Spoke to an audience of 2,000+ on Lean Startup, Lean Six Sigma, and MindPro training, alongside the Guetto Institute of Brazil and the Stroud Leadership Academy.
Sept 2022
Forbes · Enterprise Tech
Feature · Stroud Leadership Academy
Profiled by Angelica Mari de Oliveira for the SLA’s partnership with the Guetto Institute, bringing business and technology mentorship to underrepresented Brazilian founders.
Aug 2022
Diário do Rio · 200-year-old daily
Coverage · GUETTO + SLA Partnership
Portuguese-language feature on the international partnership formed to train Black Brazilian founders in business and technology.
Nov 2022
Stroud Leadership Academy · with IBOC & OSAI
Host · “The Future of Media & Our Mental Health”
Hosted Emmy-nominee Tim Reid’s keynote address to a joint USA–Africa audience, with Angola’s OSAI “One Heart for Mental Health” initiative and the International Brazilian Opera Company.
Dec 2021
Colorado College · Ed Robson Arena
Family Spokesperson · CC ’31 Dedication
Spoke on behalf of the Stroud family at the dedication of the Kelley Dolphus Stroud ’31 Club Level — a commemorative installation enshrined on the 4th floor.
Jul 2022
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
Dramaturg · RACE the Opera Workshop
Workshop performance of RACE, the Opera with the International Brazilian Opera Company, librettists Idris Goodwin and Ashley Cornelius (Pikes Peak Poet Laureate).
A line that stuck with me
Imagine if everyone had an equal place at the starting line.
Athena AzevedoCo-Founder, International Brazilian Opera Company (IBOC)
The aim
Make Lean Six Sigma accessible and affordable to the masses — without diluting the material.
Dr. Mikel J. HarryCo-Creator of Six Sigma · Frank’s mentor at Motorola University
What You Get
Three things every host walks away with.
01 · Before
A custom prep call.
One working session with the host team to ground the talk in the audience’s actual industry, AI maturity, and current pressures. No generic deck. The slides get rebuilt for you.
02 · During
A talk people remember.
Story-anchored, visually clean, intellectually honest. I don’t sell — I teach. Q&A is treated as the real content, not a formality, and I prepare for the hard questions.
03 · After
Follow-on materials.
A one-page debrief for the host, a curated reading list for the audience, and (on request) a follow-up workshop or office hours for the leadership team within thirty days.
Booking · Make It Happen
Tell me about your audience.
A few sentences is enough to start. I respond to every inquiry within a few business days.
When and where the event is happening
Who’s in the room (and how many)
Which topic feels closest — or what you’d like to commission
Budget range and format (keynote, workshop, board session)
Direct line
Write to me — I read every note.
X / Twitter
Through the firm