Owl Have You Know

With a Ph.D. in computational and applied mathematics from Rice, Summer Husband ’02 has been at the forefront of AI and data innovation for years. From transforming how the U.S. Navy uses machine learning to now leading data products and applied intelligence at Worley, her career bridges complex tech and real-world impact. Following her workshop, Unleashing Your Inner Cyborg, at this year’s Women in Leadership Conference, Summer joined Owl Have You Know co-host Brian Jackson ’21 to discuss the evolution of AI, the power of pairing machine learning with human judgment, and the ethical guardrails she believes are essential in today’s data-driven world. Episode Guide: 00:12 Meet Summer Husband: AI and Data Expert 01:00 Women in Leadership Conference Insights 01:52 Ethics and Rapid Advancements in AI 04:01 Upskilling and AI Deployment in Business 04:53 AI as a Sales Response Generator 06:47 Summer's Career Journey and AI Evolution 13:05 AI's Impact on Human Roles and Ethics 16:20 Future of AI and Human Intuition 22:59 Empowering Women in Tech and Leadership 26:06 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM [https://university.fm/]. Episode Quotes: The power of being surrounded by empowered women 22:32: It's really powerful for women to be around other very capable and talented women. I didn't realize what an impact that had. I've loved all the organizations that I've worked for. My first job, there was only one other woman on the technical side. I didn't think that impacted me. But my next organization had a lot of women in executive leadership, and I suddenly started to feel like taking a more senior role was a possibility.  23:04: I never would've connected those dots, but I really appreciate Rice opening up the opportunity for women to hear from other women.  23:26: It's just a little different when it's mostly women in the room, and you feel safe to ask some questions that you just don't feel safe to ask in some other spaces. That's just kind of the way that goes. So, I appreciate the opportunity. On navigating AI ethics without a roadmap The technology is just changing really quickly, which makes this a very exciting space to be in, but it makes it really challenging around ethics. One of the other, I think, challenges in this space is, because it's fairly new, it's changing rapidly, so the technology is changing rapidly. The legal landscape is changing really rapidly, also. So, some of the partners that we tend to go to for playbooks in these spaces don't have a fully baked playbook in this space. A lot of organizations are needing to define and figure out their approach to ethics and AI together. So, at Worley, we're approaching that with a pretty comprehensive approach that includes our AI experts, of course, our legal experts. We want to ensure that we've got our operations involved in that. They're the ones that are, boots on the ground and are going to be using these tools. We've had to cast a pretty wide net, but we've had to do a lot of discovering and shaping for ourselves. The challenge of deploying AI thoughtfully 03:05: There definitely are some roadblocks in keeping pace. And the risk and the ethical concerns is one of those. But I would say, also, having the right skill set in your workforce and upskilling your workforce — that's a challenge. There's a real opportunity for people who know their business very well and do the work to learn how to deploy AI in their field, in their area. It's that combination of skills. I think there are a lot of very smart people doing very smart things to build really amazing technology. What I think a lot of businesses have challenges with and where we face a bit of a roadblock is, how do you deploy those tools well in a breadth of different businesses? Show Links:  * Transcript [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GC_EX7NpFKHVZv_0jahQXbfIfu6QVsZKrLiRzdxBcco/edit?usp=sharing] Guest Profiles: * Summer Husband | Rice University [https://business.rice.edu/person/summer-husband]

What’s worse than failing in your career? For Michelle Lewis ’05, it’s not trying at all. That fearless mindset propelled her from a fine arts degree to a global career as a C-suite leader, board director, and private equity principal. Over the years, Michelle has helped drive $10 billion in acquisitions across 30 countries and guided companies through complex strategic transitions in the energy and industrial sectors. At the Women in Leadership Conference, she sat down with Owl Have You Know co-host Brian Jackson ’21 to talk about her journey — from the arts to executive leadership, why soft skills matter more than you think, and how failing fast and smart can shape a resilient career. Michelle also shares one of her favorite tips as a self-proclaimed uber-organizer, and what it’s like balancing board service, entrepreneurship and motherhood. Episode Guide: 00:10 Meet Michelle Lewis 00:55 Insights from the Women in Leadership Conference 01:42 The Role of Luck and Hard Work in Career Success 05:15 Mentorship and Leadership 06:42 Pathway to Board Membership 11:23 From Fine Arts to Private Equity 22:06 The Importance of Soft Skills 26:07 Tips for Balancing Career and Family 28:25 Final Thoughts and Takeaways Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM [https://university.fm/]. Episode Quotes: Failing is learning not losing 17:25: I've never been afraid to just try something new. I mean, because what can happen, right? You can fail. And what happens when you fail? You learn. You learn more than when you're successful. You know, I sell all the veggies, and great, I got, you know, some points in my pocket, but if I don't sell them, I have to try a new way the next day. Right? Yeah. So, I mean, there are a lot of my mentors who I attribute that to, like there's another woman. Same thing in executive recruiting. All you do is just, like, pick up the phone and ask someone—it's an opportunity. Maybe they're interested, maybe they're not. Like, worst case, they say, "No thanks," right? But a lot of people are afraid to pick up the phone. I mean, you can meet some fascinating people. So, I've just always thought, like, there's no downside to trying. The downside is if I don't try. Not if I fail. What led Michelle to where she is today 02:05: I think I've been in a fortunate position to, wherever I am, to be working really hard and trying to do a good job and be a good person, and, and then, through that, have found that other people have come to me and said, "I see something in you that maybe you don't even see in yourself, and we think you can do X," which might be completely different to what I was doing at the time. And, and that's typically been the case throughout my entire career. So, the majority of my career, I was just going along to get along, and then someone else came along and said, "We're going to move you over here"—either a different industry, a different city, a different function. All really through someone else's vision. How mentorship shaped Michelle's approach to leadership 06:00: One of the things I think that I learned, and that I do as well, is just conversations where I'm asking a lot of questions, not necessarily telling them what the answers are, and it's the same thing in a board and advisory role, right? I'm not there to tell the CEO what to do. I mean, if I'm telling the CEO what to do, we don't need that CEO. I'm there to ask questions. So, it's the same thing that my mentors did for me: asking questions that may highlight there are different ways, different paths, different answers for me to consider. That's the same thing that I'm doing when I'm in an advisory role or a board role. Show Links:  * Transcript [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jQ-cTcn4-aHJBcFdAepMiemov1ZJvUh_R2TShaFR7Dk/edit?usp=sharing] Guest Profiles: * Michelle Lewis on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-annette-lewis/]

In this special live episode of Owl Have You Know, James Weston, the senior associate dean for degree programs and Harmon Whittington Professor of Finance, reflects on his 25 years at Rice Business. Join James and host Maya Pomroy ’22 as they explore his journey from the Federal Reserve to Rice Business, the evolution of the school over the past two and a half decades, and his vision for the future of the university. They also dive deep into his groundbreaking research on racial disparities in auto loan pricing — a study that uncovered significant biases against minority borrowers.  Plus, get the inside scoop on his experience running a bar in Rice Village. Episode Guide: 01:20 James Weston's Career Journey 04:25 Early Career and Mentorship 08:56 Teaching Philosophy and Student Relationships 13:52 Research on Auto Loans and Discrimination 18:58 Linking Mortgage and Experian Data 20:14 Evidence of Discrimination in Auto Lending 22:48 Challenges in Passing Auto Lending Regulations 24:00 The Realities of Owning and Operating a Bar 30:24 Transition to Administration at Rice Business 33:47 Reflections on a Diverse Career Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM. [https://university.fm/] Episode Quotes: How James pursues scientific rigor 34:50: [James Weston] I sort of view the thing that ties together all my papers as a foundational social scientist trying to measure things that are hard to measure. And so when I see things that I think have a lot of social import or a research question that I think has either a practical application or some large social question that I think needs answering, the fun for me is trying to figure out how to measure it and trying to come up with a clever way of identifying the research question in a way that's unambiguous and in a way that we can solidify and say, like, that's the answer. And I know it with as near scientific certainty as I can — you know, the existence of the Higgs boson particle. 35:19: [Maya Pomroy] We can't get into that right now. Yeah.  35:33: [James Weston] But, but you know, but I'm saying, like, to treat it like a scientist. 35:36: [Maya Pomroy] Yes. 35:37: [James Weston] And study it like it's a real causal question. Yeah. And you attack it with the scientific method, and you attack it with the scrutiny and the scientific rigor that they use across campus. On pushing for transparency in auto lending 23:20: My hope is that the Senate Banking Committee continues to take action on it, and we see more—just something similar to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, where auto dealers just have to report. They have a spreadsheet, and you just have to send it to the Fed the way every bank does with every mortgage application. And hopefully that transparency attenuates the discrimination the way it largely did in home mortgages. It took time. It was a 10-year process. It'll probably take that long on auto lending. And we're not the only voice in this choir. There's lots of other people now that are sort of jumping on the bandwagon. How James views his new job role 30:48: Moving into administration means, in my mind at least, it means I'm not working anymore. In the sense that I'm not executing the primary missions of the school, which are teaching and scholarship. And so I'm not teaching as much anymore, and I'm not doing as much scholarship anymore, which means I'd better be doing something to collect the paycheck. And the way I genuinely view it is that now I'm trying to enable the rest of my faculty to do better teaching and better scholarship. My role is as a service leader, which is how I view this job—as a tour of service, not a career pivot. I didn't take this job to then become dean someplace, to then become provost someplace, to then become Supreme Commander of University somewhere. But, like, it was someone else's turn to do this very important role, which is to coordinate all the programs, get the teaching schedules done, make sure I'm protecting junior faculty and their teaching loads, make sure I'm putting the right people into the right classes, making sure we're keeping track of it. Show Links:  * Transcript [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f57AVwURsWB3tjqC1ptYqVOHiam7g2TxLG_hNue4Do0/edit?usp=sharing] * The Hidden Inequality in Auto-Lending | Rice Business Wisdom [https://business.rice.edu/wisdom/hidden-inequality-auto-lending] Guest Profiles: * James Weston | Rice University [https://business.rice.edu/person/james-p-weston]

Rice Executive MBA student Shai Littlejohn is no stranger to reinvention. From law to music — and now, corporate counsel for one of the world’s most recognizable brands — she has built a career on embracing challenges and following her passions. As director and corporate counsel for global supply chain & innovation at Starbucks, Shai recently spoke at Rice Business' annual Women in Leadership Conference about the evolving legal landscape in Texas. After the panel, she sat down with Owl Have You Know co-host Brian Jackson ’21 to talk about her dynamic career path, the lessons she’s learned across industries, why she chose to pursue an Executive MBA at Rice and how she’s already applying insights from the program in her career.  Episode Guide: 00:51 Shai Littlejohn's Career Journey 03:14 Navigating Law and Music 04:38 Pursuing Music and Personal Fulfillment 09:36 Transition to Starbucks 11:30 Balancing an Executive MBA 15:09 Empowering Women in Business 16:35 Conclusion and Favorite Starbucks Order Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM. [https://university.fm/] Episode Quotes: On deciding what you want and going for it [16:05] Brian Jackson: If you had a hope for one thing that the attendees today would take with them, what would that be?   [16:12] Shai Littlejohn: That they have to decide what they want and just go for it. You know, it's like—if the law doesn't... You can't look for laws necessarily to help you all the time or wait for the environment or timing to be right. We have talent that we can bring to the table. We have ideas, and nothing can stop that. We just have to keep putting them out there. You're not always going to get the reception you want, but that can't stop you from trying and going for it. What Rice’s Women in Leadership Conference means to a woman in business 15:43: Being a woman in business is exciting, and attending this conference is truly invigorating because opportunities are all around us. No matter what’s happening in the world, we as women have immense potential and endless opportunities to pursue. This group is ready to seize them, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. What’s the biggest difference in working between oil and gas and coffee?  11:17: Corporate culture. Starbucks has a unique corporate culture, which I hope remains distinct because balancing culture with productivity is crucial. Many companies struggle to get that right, and striking that balance—work-life harmony alongside productivity—is very challenging. Show Links:  * Transcript [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lkmVTiP6Teql9hSgM_U01TUq6Z5NGKpWCWrUwLXtDNc/edit?usp=sharing] Guest Profiles: * Shai Littlejohn’s website [https://www.hereinthehighlands.com/]

A great idea is just the beginning. How do you turn it into something bigger? Dr. Paul Cherukuri, Rice University's first vice president for innovation and chief innovation officer, works with academics and industry titans to remove roadblocks for budding entrepreneurs and help cement Houston and Rice as top hubs for innovation. Paul joins Owl Have You Know host Maya Pomroy ’22 to chat about how the Office of Innovation is paving the way for cutting-edge, world-changing ideas. They also discuss The Ion, Rice’s Midtown hub for entrepreneurship, why Paul chose to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry at Rice, and his path to leading innovation at the university. Episode Guide: 01:10 Dr. Cherukuri’s Journey to Rice 04:47 The Impact of Rice University 06:03 Building the Office of Innovation 08:33 Challenges and Opportunities in Innovation 12:52 Fostering Entrepreneurship at Rice 16:05 Exciting Student Projects 17:59 Small Business Innovation and Nexus Launch 18:50 The Ion: Houston's Innovation Hub 19:43 Building an Innovation Ecosystem 23:45 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs 28:42 The Exciting and Future Prospects on Rice’s Horizon Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM. [https://university.fm/] Episode Quotes: On empowering the entrepreneurial spirit and taking calculated risks 14:20: [Maya Pomroy] You've taken a lot of calculated risks in your life for things that you've done, and to translate that to others, how do you do that? 14:55:[Dr. Paul Cherukuri] There are some people who just naturally resonate with the idea of doing it, right? The entrepreneurial spirit is within them and it's active, right?  Then there are some people who are sort of suppressed, repressed, who have always wanted to do it and weren't sure if that was allowed, right? Or if that was fostered for their career. And what we provide is the capability and also the inspiration that this is not only possible, it's welcomed. It's something that we actually want to promote, right? The Ion represents Rice's ability to create a community for innovators 23:11: When you find your tribe, it's very, very different, and I think that The Ion represents that ability for us to concentrate people so they can meet each other. But then also provide resources, both with the corporates and the venture capitalists that are in the building. And then we're bringing in government and others to really kind of subsidize things and help us grow these companies, and then not only the companies, but grow the community. And that's what The Ion represents, right? So it is, I think, a magical place in many ways. If you go in there, there is an energy. There's a buzz that has happened now. How Houston's lack of zoning laws fuels growth and connection 21:41: One of the beautiful things I think about Houston is we get dinged for not having zoning laws, but I actually think it's a great thing. And it has allowed us to economically grow, thrive, and expand the city. The problem with the expansion of the city is people density, right? So how do you get people to be right next to each other? Because that's when things start to magically happen, right? You got to get close to others. Show Links:  * Transcript [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RVTluPP4YcO09Wh8ficM4opr8T0XsY4AXylTAtyjkFc/edit?usp=sharing] Guest Profiles: * Paul Cherukuri | Rice Business [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/paul-cherukuri]