Press Releases

The Center for Rural AI (CRAI) today announced that Jason Strickland has been named Head of Technology. In the role, Strickland will lead CRAI's technical architecture, data governance, and the design of the AI operating systems that power the organization's programs — including its growing work on AI memory and institutional knowledge.

Strickland joined CRAI working on systems governance, helping the team turn big ideas into clear maps, practical workflows, and durable foundations. He brings experience leading complex systems, data, governance, and technology transformation across growing organizations. More recently, his work has centered on digital transformation, product data governance, and agentic AI operating systems — multi-agent workflows, knowledge bases, planning gates, and safety protocols that turn AI from a single tool into a repeatable operating layer. That focus maps directly to CRAI's next phase, as the organization builds the technical infrastructure behind its research, training, and pilot programs for rural communities.

Andrew Aitken, Founder and Executive Director of CRAI, said Strickland's promotion reflects both what he has already built and where the organization is headed:

“Jason brings an exceptional command of data architecture, plus a development discipline and innovative mindset that raise the bar for everyone around him. His work on AI memory is changing how we think about institutional knowledge at CRAI — systems that let an organization retain and build on what it learns. He's exactly the builder our mission needs, and putting him at the head of our technology will help get our foundations right.”

Strickland steps into the role as CRAI expands its technical work across research, applied AI tools, and community pilots, and continues building the distributed infrastructure that will help rural and tribal institutions serve as regional AI knowledge hubs.

About the Center for Rural AI

The Center for Rural AI is a fiscally sponsored project of SW Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3), based in Durango, Colorado. CRAI helps rural communities, institutions, and businesses build practical AI capacity through hands-on training, real-world pilots, and open playbooks. Learn more at ruralai.org.

Media contact: press@ruralai.org

The Center for Rural AI (CRAI) has joined the Colorado Thrives AI Fellows Program as a participating organization. Launched in partnership with Anthropic and CodePath, the program embeds AI-native emerging talent inside Colorado companies and organizations, with a focus on first-generation and underrepresented students.

Beginning in June 2026, twelve paid Fellows are driving real AI projects across participating organizations while building new pathways into the AI economy. At CRAI, team members Emaliah Sawyer and Holden Bronson are helping bring the effort to life.

“Rural communities don't need to move to a tech hub to build a career in AI. Programs like this let talented young people build that future where they already are — and let organizations like ours grow the capacity to serve rural America.”

About the Center for Rural AI

The Center for Rural AI is a fiscally sponsored project of SW Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3), based in Durango, Colorado. CRAI helps rural communities, institutions, and businesses build practical AI capacity through hands-on training, real-world pilots, and open playbooks. Learn more at ruralai.org.

Media contact: press@ruralai.org