Meet the Team

Andrew Aitken

Founder & Executive Director

Two decades in Silicon Valley · White House and enterprise technology adviser · founder of the first open-source think tank · FINOS Technical Oversight Committee.

Andrew started CRAI on a specific observation: rural communities represent roughly 14% of the U.S. population (46 million people) but capture only a fraction of AI economic activity — not because anyone decided to exclude them, but because AI training data skews urban, enabling resources don't exist in rural places, and nobody was having that conversation with the builders. He spent two decades in Silicon Valley building developer ecosystems and open-source strategy, advised the White House and institutions like Microsoft and Capital One on technology strategy, and founded the industry's first open-source think tank. He now leads CRAI, serves as strategist to the AI Institute at Fort Lewis College, sits on the FINOS Technical Oversight Committee, and advises two early-stage AI companies.

Jennifer Berridge

Head of Operations

30+ years in healthcare operations, telehealth leadership, and grant strategy.

Jennifer Berridge is a founding leader at the Center for Rural AI, where she is helping build the operational framework for one of Colorado's first nonprofit AI training initiatives serving rural communities and higher education. Jennifer has more than 30 years in healthcare as a provider, clinical program developer, instructor, healthcare business owner, executive leader in telehealth operations, health operations consultant, and most recently a grant specialist exploring chronic disease management using artificial intelligence and working with Fort Lewis College's AI Institute. She brings the infrastructure-building experience and strategic discipline that early-stage, mission-driven organizations need to grow with accountability and integrity, and is recognized for translating complex, multi-stakeholder environments into high-performing systems.

Emaliah Sawyer

Head of Product & Story

Marketing, communications, and community engagement · Business Economics, Fort Lewis College.

Emaliah Sawyer works on marketing and communications at the Center for Rural AI, where she supports storytelling, digital outreach, and community engagement around AI development in rural communities. Her work focuses on translating complex technical ideas into clear, accessible communication that helps educators, nonprofits, and community partners understand how AI can be applied in practical ways. Emaliah is completing a degree in Business Economics with a minor in Marketing at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.

Amy Spencer

Program Manager

API-driven data platforms and customer-facing AI workflows · Fort Lewis College alumna.

Amy Spencer works on product at the Center for Rural AI, helping turn ideas into tools that actually work for the people who need them. Amy worked as a research scientist before pivoting into building digital products — first as a web developer, then as a product manager on systems that help businesses move, trust, and use their data. She has deep experience translating API documentation and backend complexity into reliable, customer-facing workflows, and has a knack for finding where systems break down and making them simpler — just as useful in tech as it was in a lab. A Fort Lewis College alumna, Amy has seen firsthand how resourceful rural entrepreneurs and small businesses are, and she is here because she believes they deserve real access to AI.

Jason Strickland

Head of Technology

Systems governance, data, and agentic-AI operating models across growing organizations.

Jason Strickland works on systems governance at the Center for Rural AI, helping the team turn big ideas into clear maps, practical workflows, and durable foundations. Jason brings experience leading complex systems, data, governance, and technology transformation work. He has helped build business intelligence functions, guide ERP governance, support direct-to-consumer system integrations, and reduce infrastructure costs through practical vendor and systems strategy. More recently, his work has focused 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 tool into a repeatable operating layer.

Jackson Berridge

Grant Writer

Equitable community development and local policy · B.A. Political Science (Fort Lewis) · M.A. International Development (Univ. of Denver).

Jackson helps the Center for Rural AI pursue grant opportunities and build organizational capacity, drawing on a background in equitable community development and local policy. He grew up in Durango, then earned a B.A. in Political Science from Fort Lewis College and an M.A. in International Development from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, specializing in Urban Policy and Sustainable Development. Over the past three years, Jackson has worked with City Council members, Mayoral offices, and community development nonprofits in Colorado and Oklahoma on grant management and policy development, including AI tools for automated legislation and municipal agenda tracking.

Holden Bronson

Product Builder

Software and research · computer science, Columbia University · early-stage startup engineer.

Holden Bronson works on software and research at the Center for Rural AI. He contributes to AI pilot deployments at rural businesses, builds and maintains the technical infrastructure behind CRAI's research work, and produces original research on rural AI adoption that supports CRAI's grants and policy work. Holden grew up in Durango and is studying computer science at Columbia University. His background includes work as one of the first engineers at an early-stage startup, alongside published research on blockchain applications in government technology and the use of large language models for personalized learning.

Marc Nager

Adviser

Co-founder & former CEO, Startup Weekend / UP Global · former Chief Community Officer, Techstars.

Marc has spent the past two decades building and supporting entrepreneurial communities around the world. As co-founder and former CEO of Startup Weekend and UP Global, he helped launch programs that supported nearly one million entrepreneurs across five continents. He served as Chief Community Officer at Techstars and Managing Director of the Telluride Venture Accelerator. Originally from Mammoth Lakes, CA, Marc now lives in Durango.

George C. Tagg, Jr.

Adviser

Founder & CEO, GTC 360° Advisors · former Senior Advisor, U.S. Congress, Department of Defense, and Department of State.

George brings 20+ years of experience across the U.S. Congress, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense to strategic advising on government and global affairs. As founder of GTC 360° Advisors, he and his team have secured over $845M in competitive contract and grant funding for clients across federal and state agencies. His government career included serving as Special Assistant for Europe and Global Security to then-Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, where he helped secure $360 million in security assistance for Ukraine, and as Senior Advisor for Russia at the Department of Defense, where he led the deconfliction line between U.S. and Russian forces over Syria and was part of the U.S. team that negotiated a complex ceasefire in Southwest Syria. George is a licensed attorney with a J.D. and M.A. in International Affairs from American University. His depth of knowledge across the federal and state grant ecosystems will help CRAI navigate and win more funding opportunities and expose our mission to key government stakeholders.