Start your journey as a Chief Data and Analytics Officer.
Prepare yourself for a leadership role as Chief Data and Analytics Officer in setting the analytics vision and strategy, data sharing, policies, and opportunities to create and capture value from data.
Program Overview
The Chief Data and Analytics Officer is the most senior executive who leads the data vision, mission, and culture across the organization and is responsible for a firm’s data as an asset. George Mason's Chief Data and Analytics Officer program, presented in partnership with industry and educational leaders, is designed to help you advance your organization's data management agenda while networking with faculty, subject matter experts, and other participants.
Next Cohort: October 2025 - March 2026
Delivery: Hybrid; online sessions and in-person sessions at Mason Square (formerly the Arlington Campus)
Cost: $8,500
Contact: execdev@gmu.edu
Program Details
Who Should Attend?
The ideal candidate has:
- 4 to 6 years of experience in middle to upper management with demonstrated organizational leadership experience.
- Working knowledge of data management tools and experience implementing data management practices.
- Solid communications skills.
- An undergraduate degree or equivalent experience.
Schedule
- Opening Session: October 28 - October 30, 2025
- Online Sessions: November 5 - December 17, 2025
- Mid-Point Session: January 12 - January 13, 2026
- Online Sessions: January 20 - March 5, 2026
- Closing Session: March 11 - March 12, 2026
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Chief Data and Analytics Officer program will be able to:
- Establish and lead the data organization’s data activities as a strategic and aligned business partner.
- Develop, in concert with senior leadership, a comprehensive strategic data plan with a mission, vision, and specific, measurable goals that are fully aligned with the organization.
- Effectively and efficiently execute the strategic data plan.
- Build the necessary infrastructure to integrate data practices into the business.
- Create and sustain an enabling data-focused ecosystem with conditions to encourage a culture of data-driven understanding and decision making, innovations for data management applications, and value creation.
- Engage the organization’s leadership team in support of data initiatives at the enterprise level.
- Lead innovation and change activities by fully leveraging the data asset of the organization.
Executive Certificate
This program is delivered as a non-degree, executive certificate. Attendees have the opportunity to add a badge credential from Credly for successful completion of the program to their resume for organizational recognition (internal and external) and to indicate the accomplishment of obtaining a George Mason University credential. In addition to the Credly badge, attendees receive 8.5 CEUs upon successful completion of the program.
"George Mason's Chief Data Officer Program brings together data management leaders and thinkers from around the country and the world. This fosters a highly productive dialogue and is a valuable tool for carrying forward effective data management. We were so convinced of the program’s value that we are now collaborating in its teaching."
Program Curriculum
The curriculum is composed of the three core competencies areas that were identified by data leaders and academics as necessary for the Chief Data and Analytics Officers of the Future.
Transformational Organization Leadership (Fulfills ECQ 1 & ECQ 2)
The C-Suite Leader in an Organization
Begin by exploring the pivotal role executive leaders take in shaping organizational success and culture. Together with all C-suite programs, this session will delve into the essential leadership skills required for C-suite executives, including decisiveness, integrity, team-building, and problem-solving. Participants will gain insights into how leaders can navigate changes while contributing to the overall goals of an organization. The session aims to equip aspiring and current C-suite leaders with the tools necessary to lead effectively, foster innovation, and drive positive outcomes for their teams and organizations
Faculty
- TBD
Being a Strategic C-Suite Leader
In today’s rapidly evolving environment, C-suite leaders need to go beyond operational execution to think strategically. This session will explore what strategic thinking means and how executives can cultivate it to drive their success.
We will examine strategic discovery, the process of uncovering opportunities and anticipating shifts in a world of uncertainty. Additionally, we will discuss how leaders can achieve strategic alignment to ensure that vision and execution are coherent across their teams.
Participants will engage in a mix of thought-provoking discussions and practical activities that will enhance their appreciation of strategic thinking and execution.
Faculty:
- Dr. Greg Unruh, Arison Chair in Values Leadership/Associate Professor, School of Integrative Studies
Cultivating a Positive Organizational Culture
Investigate the construct of emotional culture and the importance of cultivating a positive emotional culture for employees, teams, divisions, and organizations. Distinguish among the key emotions impacting culture and describe how individuals and organizations can achieve enhanced employee health and wellbeing. This session will provide evidence-based techniques that managers can integrate into their daily work practices to increase personal and professional success.
Faculty:
- Mandy O’Neill, Associate Professor of Management, Costello College of Business, George Mason University
Communication Techniques for Dynamic Teams
Participants will explore how improv techniques can revolutionize team communication and leadership strategies. Led by the Business Improv team, this session focuses on enhancing executive communication skills through active listening, adaptability, and collaboration. Participants will engage in interactive exercises designed to break down communication barriers and foster a culture of innovation and trust. By embracing spontaneity and flexibility, the group will gain practical tools to improve decision-making and problem-solving in dynamic business environments, empowering them to lead with greater effectiveness and creativity.
Innovative Business and Operational Acumen (Fulfills ECQ 3 & ECQ 4)
AI and the Future of Business
Examine the transformative role of artificial intelligence in reshaping business sectors. Designed for business leaders and decision-makers, this session emphasizes AI's disruptive potential while exploring the necessity for organizations to embrace it to thrive. Participants will learn AI fundamentals, its integration into business processes, and implementation strategies to enhance efficiency and innovation throughout the organization.
Faculty:
- TBD
AI Enabled Digital Transformation
Participants will be introduced to (i) basic building blocks of artificial intelligence, and (ii) strategies for leading through digital transformation. This topic aims to demystify the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for executives, providing a clear understanding of its fundamental concepts while illustrating how these technologies can be strategically leveraged for organizational transformation. Participants will be introduced to the core building blocks of AI, including machine learning and generative AI, and will explore how these innovations are reshaping industries. Through real-world case studies and interactive sessions, executives will learn to assess their organization's AI readiness and develop actionable strategies for implementing AI solutions. The focus of the module is on empowering leaders with the tools and insights needed to harness AI's potential in driving business innovation and competitive advantage.
Faculty:
- Pallab Sanyal, Area Chair, Information Systems and Operations Management
Digital Story Telling
Equip yourself with the ability to identify key elements of effective data visualization and storytelling practices, as well as recognizing areas for improvement. By engaging with these concepts, participants will learn to apply best practices within their specific organizational context, enhancing clarity and impact in data presentation. The session aims to provide foundational knowledge necessary for fostering a culture of data-driven storytelling, ultimately integrating these practices into the organization's overall data and management strategy. This approach seeks to improve decision-making processes, align strategies with data insights, and establish data-driven storytelling as a norm, offering a strategic advantage in managing and interpreting data effectively.
Faculty:
- Dieter Pfoser, Professor, Department Chair and Director, Center for Geospatial Intelligence, Amazon Scholar
Understanding Organizational Change
People often dislike uncertainty at work and often fear or avoid change altogether. One of the most important roles of leadership then is to manage change and cope with uncertainty in your teams and organizations. This session explores the challenges and opportunities involved in change management, especially the areas of employee resistance, how to overcome it, and how to champion results. This session is a joint session with other C-Suite participants.
Faculty:
- Victoria Grady, Instructional Associate Professor, Management
Creativity and Innovation
Participants will practice using the construct of Appreciative Intelligence® for creativity, new ideas generation, and innovation. Using experiential approaches, participants will learn to develop new insights into typical leadership challenges and develop the capacity to question traditional approaches to management respectfully and non-judgmentally. Honoring the applied nature of the program, we will practice tools for developing a creative mindset during the half-day session.
Faculty:
- Tojo Thatchenkery, Professor; Director, Organization Development and Knowledge Management Program
Influencing and Negotiation
Dive into the fundamentals of negotiation and conflict management theory and best practices in organizations. Most individuals have incorrect assumptions about the best ways to manage conflict in organizations and how to negotiate in the most effective way. Further, many people avoid conflict because of preconceived notions about what is going to happen to them and/or inherent fears. The purpose of this session is to both change those incorrect assumptions while getting participants to feel more comfortable in a variety of negotiation / conflict management contexts.
Faculty:
- Kevin Rockmann, Professor of Management, Costello College of Business
Business and Process Excellence
Operational processes are designed to deliver exceptional value to customers and clients, both internal and external. However, over time inefficiencies creep in or new technology is created to improve processes. Designing and managing processes involves identifying bottlenecks, using appropriate metrics, and innovating to improve value, while managing variability. Lean management tools help to deliver value while identifying wasted time and activities. In this session, we discuss the role of operational excellence in facilitating change and delivering value.
Faculty:
- Ioannis Bellos, Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Program Director
Mastery of Data and Analytics Ecosystem (Fulfills ECQ 5)
Analytical Decision Making
Focus on utilizing data-driven approaches to enhance decision-making processes, emphasizing statistical analysis, predictive modeling, and optimization techniques. Develop skills to systematically evaluate complex scenarios and make informed decisions that drive organizational success.
Faculty:
- TBD
Data Strategy and Architecture
Effectively execute a data strategy, as well as align stakeholders’ understanding of where key data lives and how it flows through the enterprise.
Faculty:
- Mike Fleckenstein, Chief Data Strategist, MITRE
- Ali Obaidi, Data Engineer, Principal, MITRE
Pillars of Data Transformation
Explore the fundamental principles and techniques of converting raw data into meaningful insights, focusing on data cleaning, integration, and visualization to enhance decision-making processes. Through practical applications and case studies, participants will learn to effectively manage and transform data across various platforms and industries
Faculty:
- Sudhir Menon, CEO, Hospitality Analytics Cloud Services and Adjunct Professor at George Mason University
Business Models for Data Driven Organizations
This is an introduction to business model canvas and will demonstrate the role of data and analytics in each component of the canvas. The focus of this topic is to help you reflect on your organization as a data-driven organization and to discuss how data and analytics can improve effectiveness of your operations and mission.
Faculty:
- Nirup Menon, Professor, Information Systems and Operations Management
Data Protection, Privacy and Cyber Security
Examine the strategies and technologies used to safeguard sensitive information, emphasizing legal frameworks, ethical considerations, and best practices in data privacy and cybersecurity. Participants will gain insights into risk management, threat prevention, and the implementation of robust security measures to protect digital assets in an increasingly interconnected world.
Faculty:
- Sudhir Menon, CEO, Hospitality Analytics Cloud Services and Adjunct Professor at George Mason University
Data Governance and Ethics
By looking at various approaches to data governance that include both short-term and long-term wins, based on organizational data-culture, participants will gain an understanding of the essential components of data governance. This session also covers CDO’s growing involvement in guiding organizations in data ethics.
Faculty:
- Mike Fleckenstein, Chief Data Strategist, MITRE
- Ali Obaidi, Data Engineer, Principal, MITRE
Advanced Data Management
Reflect on planning and assessment as key activities of data management. Setting up a data management strategy and plan which includes business-focused metrics for data use and impact of analytics can improve the effectiveness of the data and analytics mission of the organization. Committed participation in this topic will impact you and those in your company with whom you share knowledge with to rethink strategies and planning around data and analytics in your organization.
Faculty:
- Nirup Menon, Professor, Information Systems and Operations Management