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Insurance, Cybersecurity, and Computer Science Leaders Join AIQA Global Advisory Board

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AIQA Names Inaugural Advisors as Independent Assurance Moves into Enterprise AI Governance

CHICAGO, Aug. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AIQA Global, LLC today announced the formation of its inaugural Advisory Board, bringing together leaders in corporate risk, cybersecurity, computer science, enterprise compliance, and entrepreneurship to support the continued development and market adoption of the AIQ™ Score — a 0–200 evidence-based assessment of enterprise AI governance quality across 250 factors — and AIQA’s broader analytics and assurance services.

The Advisory Board is being announced as enterprises increasingly confront the operational, regulatory, cybersecurity, and fiduciary implications of AI deployment, and as institutional buyers, insurers, and regulators look beyond self-reported governance claims toward independent evaluation.

“Enterprise AI adoption has advanced much faster than enterprise AI governance,” said James E. Malackowski, Co-founder and Chairman of AIQA Global. “Self-attestation is not governance. The institutions deploying AI at scale require independent, evidence-based frameworks evaluated with the same rigor historically applied to financial controls, cybersecurity, and operational risk. This Advisory Board reflects the interdisciplinary expertise necessary to help build that infrastructure.”

The composition of the Advisory Board reflects the Chicago Principles for Independent AI Assurance — a framework AIQA introduced earlier this year setting out that AI assurance must be Independent, Measurable, Auditable, Comparable, Continuously Updated, and Accountable. The founding advisors are:

The first advisors are:

Jon Held, Chairman of J.S. Held LLC, a global consulting firm that brings technical, scientific, financial and strategic expertise to serve the insurance, legal and corporate markets.  Clients include 70% of the Forbes Top 20 Insurance Companies, 81% of the Global 200 Law Firms, and 65% of the Fortune 100 Companies.  

The AIQ score’s 250 factors need the same scrutiny J.S Held experts apply to high-stakes technical assessments.  As a member of the AIQA Global Board of Advisors, Jon will help refine the framework to validate that it holds under real-world scenarios.             

Mike Hrabik, Chief Executive Officer, SecureSky cybersecurity and compliance. He founded SecureSky, Inc. in 2018 and previously served as Global CTO and Americas Regional CEO of NTT Security. As co-founder and President of Solutionary, acquired by NTT in 2013, Mike was principal architect of the company’s patented ActiveGuard® technology and its Security Operations Centers. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Hrabik shares that “SecureSky safeguards client environments and data by implementing robust technical controls that govern AI usage and defend against modern threats. AIQA’s evidence-based standard is the only framework that focuses on verifiable proof of effective AI governance, deployment, and use.” 

Michael Mitzenmacher, Thomas J. Watson Sr. Professor of Computer Science, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Algorithms and computer science. Michael has been on the Harvard faculty since 1999 and earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. An ACM Fellow and author of more than 250 conference and journal publications, he received the 2002 IEEE Information Theory Society Best Paper Award and the 2009 ACM SIGCOMM Test of Time Award, and co-authored a standard textbook on randomized algorithms and probabilistic techniques. His recent work includes large language model systems.

“My work is the design and analysis of algorithms, and when I see a scoring method I want to examine and understand it; what is being measured, what basis underlies it, and how are its components put together and weighted. AIQA has been willing to openly describe its methodology, which is why I agreed to advise.  If companies cannot interrogate and understand their rating, they will not have the means to improve,” Mitzenmacher adds. 

Albert D. Napoli, an award-winning instructor, Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, University of Southern California Entrepreneurship and company building. He has taught entrepreneurship and family-business strategy for more than a decade at the oldest university entrepreneurship program in the United States. Albert advises AIQA on building a category-defining company and the market infrastructure required to establish independent AI governance measurement at scale. He partners with CEOs and executive teams on growth, value creation, and leadership transition. He holds a B.S. in business economics and finance, an MBA, and an Ed.D., all from USC.

Each advisor was selected based on their ability to help AIQA engage the institutional constituencies most consequential to the long-term development of AI governance standards — insurers, enterprise risk officers, regulators, compliance professionals, academic institutions, and corporate boards.

“We are not announcing this board because of the news,” said Chase Malackowski, Co-founder and Head of Product for AIQA Global. “We are announcing it because the news keeps making the same point in the few weeks, AI models under test escaped their sandbox and broke into a live company’s systems. The largest open-weight model ever built was published for anyone to download and run privately. And the chief executive of OpenAI said we are now in the singularity. Ask most enterprises how they govern AI and you get a policy document. A policy document would not have caught any of this. Boards need a score they can check and compare.”

As enterprise AI adoption accelerates, AIQA believes independent governance assurance will increasingly become part of procurement review, insurance underwriting, financing diligence, regulatory examination, and board-level fiduciary oversight.

Separately, AIQA Global announced that Founder and Chairman James E. Malackowski has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Generative AI for Value Creation Program at Webber International University, where he will advise on both for-credit and non-credit curriculum. Most working professionals still learn AI governance on the job. AIQA views university instruction as part of the same problem the AIQ™ Score addresses: a shared standard only works if the people applying it are trained to it.

About AIQA Global

AIQA Global, LLC is the first independent AI governance rating firm, providing enterprises, investors, insurers, and boards with a standardized, quantitative measure of AI governance quality. The company’s AIQ™ score quantifies enterprise AI governance quality across 250 data points and five dimensions. AIQAglobal.com

AIQ™ scores are based on disclosed and verified data and represent AIQA Global’s independent assessment of AI governance quality. Scores do not constitute regulatory compliance, legal advice, or investment advice. No assurance is provided regarding future performance, risk outcomes, or insurance eligibility. AIQ™ and AIQ™ score are trademarks of AIQA Global, LLC. Copyright 2026 AIQA Global, LLC. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE AIQA Global, LLC

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SpryPoint Names Tara Davidson Its New Chief People Officer

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Addition to executive team underscores SpryPoint’s investment in the people and culture behind its rapid growth

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE and ATLANTA, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — SpryPoint, a leading provider of cloud-native software for utilities, today announced that Tara Davidson has joined the company as Chief People Officer, effective August 31, 2026. Davidson will sit on SpryPoint’s executive leadership team, reporting directly to CEO Kyle Strang.

“I don’t see culture and growth as a trade-off; I see people strategy as business strategy.”

Davidson brings a track record of building people functions that scale alongside fast-growing organizations, with deep experience partnering with executive teams and boards on the talent, culture, and organizational strategy needed to sustain growth. She joins SpryPoint as the company has grown from roughly 75 to more than 375 employees, a trajectory that has made people strategy a board-level priority.

“Utilities trust SpryPoint because our people show up for them every day with the expertise and care this industry deserves,” said Kyle Strang, CEO of SpryPoint. “As we’ve grown, it’s become clear that our team is our real differentiator – not just the software we build. Tara has spent her career building the kind of culture and talent strategy that lets a company grow without losing what makes it work. She’s going to help us make sure that as SpryPoint scales, we keep getting stronger, not more diluted.”

“What drew me to SpryPoint is the stage we’re at. This kind of rapid growth is exactly the inflection point where a company either builds the people infrastructure to scale deliberately, or lets what made it special get diluted along the way. I don’t see culture and growth as a trade-off; I see people strategy as business strategy. My approach is to treat things like how we hire, develop, and support our teams with the same rigor we’d apply to any other growth lever, because in a software-as-a-service business, engaged, well-supported employees are directly connected to the client experience we deliver,” said Davidson.

In her role, Davidson will lead SpryPoint’s people strategy across talent acquisition, organizational development, culture, and total rewards, with a mandate to build the infrastructure that lets SpryPoint’s employees deliver an exceptional experience for utility customers and communities across North America.

About SpryPoint

Founded in 2011, SpryPoint builds and delivers integrated, cloud-native software solutions to empower utilities to serve customers better, operate more efficiently, and provide new levels of business visibility and data-driven decision-making. Today, more than 100 utilities across the Americas rely on SpryPoint to modernize billing, customer engagement, and field operations to transform their business. In 2025, SpryPoint was recognized as a Deloitte Technology Fast 50™ company in Canada and a Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ company in North America. For more information, visit www.sprypoint.com or contact info@sprypoint.com.

Media Contact

Jordan Vardell, SpryPoint, 1 (855) TRY-SPRY, info@sprypoint.com, https://www.sprypoint.com/

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/sprypoint-names-tara-davidson-its-new-chief-people-officer-302882952.html

SOURCE SpryPoint

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Beyond Boston TV Series Spotlights Greater Boston Real Estate, Lifestyle and Community on REAL Shows Network

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Locally hosted series led by Danny O’Connell highlights the homes, businesses, people, and communities that define Greater Boston and Southern New Hampshire.

BOSTON, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — REAL Shows Network (RSN), the national television platform dedicated to elevating real estate and lifestyle storytelling, has added Beyond Boston, a new locally hosted series serving Greater Boston and Southern New Hampshire, to its lineup. The real estate and lifestyle TV series is hosted by local real estate professional Danny O’Connell and produced by RSN’s Emmy-nominated, Telly Award-winning team.

Viewers can learn more about the series and watch episodes of Beyond Boston at realshows.tv.

Born and raised in Dracut, Massachusetts, O’Connell comes from a family with deep roots in real estate. His parents have each been licensed for nearly three decades, and O’Connell entered the business himself at age 18. Together, the family-run team works with everything from first-time homebuyers and new construction to investment properties, foreclosures, commercial real estate, and luxury homes.

Each episode of Beyond Boston features O’Connell:

Highlighting distinctive homes, neighborhoods, and communities across Greater Boston and Southern New HampshireSharing stories from local businesses, entrepreneurs, and community leadersExploring a wide range of real estate, from new construction and investment properties to luxury homesBringing a family-focused, approachable perspective to the buying and selling experience

“Real estate has always been a family business for us, and our philosophy is simple: our family helping yours,” said Danny O’Connell, host of Beyond Boston. “We work with all types of clients and properties, and we’re not afraid to get our hands dirty to help get the job done. My goal has always been to make the process as easy, stress-free, and fun as possible. Through Beyond Boston, I’m excited to share the homes, businesses, people, and communities that make this region such a great place to live and work.”

O’Connell’s connection to real estate began early. As a kindergartner, he overheard his teacher mention that she needed to buy a house, brought her one of his father’s business cards the next day, and helped make an introduction that ultimately led to multiple real estate transactions over the years. That early family connection to the business continues today through the team’s full-service approach to real estate, property management, and construction.

Beyond Boston is part of REAL Shows Network’s growing lineup of locally branded series that highlight communities across the United States.

As part of RSN’s national network of locally branded shows, Beyond Boston gives its host a full 30 minutes to build a recognizable, personality-driven brand while authentically representing Greater Boston, Southern New Hampshire, and the communities the O’Connell family serves. The show also provides local businesses, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and community leaders a high-quality platform to share their stories through cinematic, lifestyle-driven segments.

Rooted in RSN’s mission of positive media, Beyond Boston focuses on authenticity, connection, and the people and experiences behind real estate. It gives viewers a closer look at the homes, communities, businesses, and personalities that shape life throughout the region. High-resolution images and video clips from Beyond Boston are available upon request.

About Danny O’Connell

Danny O’Connell is a real estate professional from Dracut, Massachusetts, and part of a family-run real estate team serving Greater Boston, Southern New Hampshire, and beyond. Licensed since age 18, O’Connell works with buyers, sellers, investors, first-time homebuyers, new construction, foreclosures, commercial properties, and luxury real estate. He also operates property management and construction businesses and leads a networking group for young entrepreneurs and business owners.

About REAL Shows Network

REAL Shows Network (RSN) is a national TV network for top real estate professionals and influential local leaders, giving select hosts in each market the exclusive opportunity to lead a full 30-minute show that showcases their expertise, partners, and community. Created by an Emmy-nominated, Telly Award-winning production team, RSN delivers cinematic, lifestyle-driven storytelling and strategic media exposure that builds authority, deepens community connection, and elevates positive stories in each market. For more information, visit realshows.tv.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/beyond-boston-tv-series-spotlights-greater-boston-real-estate-lifestyle-and-community-on-real-shows-network-302885027.html

SOURCE REAL Shows Network

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The Inner Circle acknowledges Robert “Dean” Day, as an Inner Circle Five Year

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COOKEVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Robert “Dean” Day is acknowledged as an Inner Circle Five Year for his contributions to Fiber Optic Infrastructure.

Robert Dean Day has built a distinguished career in the broadband industry, recognized for his leadership, technical expertise, and long standing contributions to fiber optic infrastructure across the southeastern United States. With decades of experience in outside plant fiber optic operations and direct sales, Mr. Day has played a meaningful role in advancing broadband connectivity and supporting large scale telecommunications growth.

Throughout his career, Mr. Day demonstrated expertise in fiber optic equipment, broadband solutions, and team leadership. His responsibilities included managing outside plant fiber optic initiatives, overseeing direct sales efforts, coordinating calls and email communications, and directing teams to ensure consistent performance and client satisfaction. His collaborative leadership style and commitment to continuous learning have been hallmarks of his professional approach.

One of Mr. Day’s most notable accomplishments was serving as chief negotiator at Nortel, where he successfully led the procurement of an eight point six billion dollar agreement with MCI WorldCom. This achievement highlighted his ability to manage complex negotiations and deliver results at the highest levels of the telecommunications industry.

Mr. Day held roles with organizations such as Calix and most recently retired from CableSouth Construction in January of this year. His career has been recognized with numerous honors, including President’s Club distinctions, Salesman of the Year, and the Panhandle Phone Ten Years of Safe and Courteous Beverage Cart Driving Award.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Tennessee Technological University and remains actively affiliated with the Tennessee Broadband Association and the Fiber Broadband Association.

Outside of his professional career, Mr. Day enjoys University of Tennessee football, card collecting, attending games, and visiting historical sites. As he enters retirement, he looks forward to continued learning and engagement with fellow executives, guided by a philosophy centered on curiosity, collaboration, and shared success.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, editorialteam@continentalwhoswho.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-inner-circle-acknowledges-robert-dean-day-as-an-inner-circle-five-year-302885031.html

SOURCE The Inner Circle

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