Ari Lightman

Ari is a Distinguished Service Professor, Digital Media and Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy.

Ari teaches classes focused on assessing and measuring the impact of emerging technologies including Digital Transformation and Measuring Social. This later class is designed as an experiential learning, project-based class where students work closely with company sponsors to develop recommendations and an analysis framework around a social initiative. Companies who have taken part in the class include eBay, Adidas, Comcast, Warner Bros., Thomson Reuters, Verizon, Microsoft, Zynga, Starwood, HP, Bayer Corporation and Progressive Insurance.

Ari is also the Director of the CIO Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. The CIOI is an executive education center focused on providing needed skills for the next generation of IT manager. The center has been in existence for over 10 years and has provided training for several hundred executives. Ari is responsible for strategic execution and growth of the center into different content areas, organizations and international locations.

Ari has 20 years of experience in new technology development and commercialization. Earlier in his career, Ari was a member of several successful entrepreneurial high tech ventures where he was integral in raising venture financing, securing key partnerships and sales, and spearheading several initiatives from product management to business development. Ari began assessing the opportunity for data analytics as a management consultant working with wireless carriers. He has developed web communities and digital media strategies for companies and organizations within healthcare, chemical industry, telecom industry, consumer packaged goods market, and the financial services space. In addition, he has worked with leading research universities to put together strategies and processes for building expert communities to accelerate technology commercialization.