DAMA Days 2026 · Data + AI

Data professionals will shape what AI becomes.

One focused day with the leaders turning trusted data, practical governance, and enterprise AI into measurable outcomes.

Friday, October 98:00 AM–5:00 PM PDTLoyola Marymount University · Los Angeles

$199 general · $139 DAMA members · $45 students

Peter Aiken, PhDMarilu LopezKaren PfeiferTamara Sipes, Ph.D.Aakriti Agrawal KimAndré Vargas
14 speakersData, AI, governance, media, healthcare and change
Date
Friday, October 9, 2026
Time
8:00 AM–5:00 PM PDT
Place
Loyola Marymount University · Los Angeles
Your pass
All sessions + lunch + evening social
Trusted dataEnterprise AIHuman adoptionBusiness value

What changes after this day

Leave with a sharper way forward.

DAMA Days is built for the people translating AI ambition into working systems, responsible decisions, and measurable value.

01

Make AI useful

Move beyond demos toward governed systems tied to real business outcomes.

02

Build trusted context

Connect strategy, governance, metadata, and architecture to AI readiness.

03

Lead the change

Turn operating reality and human judgment into adoption that can last.

04

Find your peers

Compare notes with leaders and practitioners solving the same hard problems.

A day with an argument

From trusted foundations to real transformation.

The program follows the questions enterprise teams are asking now—not a random stack of talks.

01 · Literacy

Morning

Understand the new language of AI.

Featured session: Token Illiteracy Is the New Data Illiteracy with Karen Pfeifer.

02 · Foundation

Late morning

Make data strategy the engine.

Strategy, curation, unstructured data, and the economics behind trustworthy AI.

03 · Adoption

Afternoon

Lead the human side of change.

CDO perspectives and practical guidance for moving teams through AI transformation.

04 · Execution

Late afternoon

Ground agents in trusted context.

Agentic enterprise design, data governance, MDM, and measurable AI value.

View the full day

Welcome / Keynote

truData Solutions

Eric McGee and Sarvesh Chinnappa

Token Illiteracy Is the New Data Illiteracy

Karen Pfeifer

Data Strategy Drives the Success of Any Data Initiative, Including AI

Marilu Lopez

Fireside Chat: Data Curation, Unstructured Data & the Future Economics of AI

Richard W. Kroon

CDO Panel Discussion: The Future of Data in the Age of AI

Leading the Human Side of AI Changes

Aakriti Agrawal Kim

Grounding the Agentic Workforce: Architecting Data Governance and Context for Enterprise AI

Joshua "JT" Thomas

Agentifying the Enterprise for Real Transformation

Tamara Sipes, Ph.D.

From MDM to Measurable AI Value: A Practical Workshop for Building Trusted Business Context

Kinshuk Dutta

Social Networking Event

CDMP Exam

Check the official agenda for updates

People doing the work

Credibility you can see.

Leaders from data management, enterprise AI, entertainment, healthcare, technology, and transformation.

Peter Aiken, PhD

President, DAMA International · VCU · MIT ISCDO

Marilu Lopez

Data strategist and author

Karen Pfeifer

Chief AI Officer, CDO & Data + AI executive

Tamara Sipes, Ph.D.

AI CTO, Cognizant · Enterprise AI strategy

Aakriti Agrawal Kim

Fortune 100 data leader · author · founder

André Vargas

Chief Data Officer, Creative Artists Agency

Plus 8 more voices
from across the data + AI ecosystem.

Meet all 14 speakers

A DAMA Days differentiator

Put your knowledge to the test.

A pay-if-you-pass CDMP® exam is promoted as a separate add-on. Confirm the final exam date and logistics during registration.

How certification works

Sponsors, exhibitors & partners

Supported by organizations moving the field forward.

DAMA Days 2026 event sponsors: truData Solutions, LMU, Consilio, Pythian and OutSystems

October 9 · Los Angeles

Bring the problem your team is wrestling with.

Leave with sharper questions, practical ideas, and a community to keep the work moving.

$199 general · $139 DAMA members · $45 students Register for DAMA Days
Oct 9 · $199 general
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