TCBAF February 2025 Community Meeting

Designed for business architects, marketing professionals, and AI experts, this presentation unpacks how a structured approach to AI architecture and strategic alignment can unlock unprecedented value in marketing.

We’ll begin with the AI landscape—its rapid evolution, pervasive influence across sectors, and why 80% of organizations are exploring AI but only 30% are executing effectively. Using real-world examples, including Mike and Megan’s firsthand experience crafting a generative AI strategy during the 2023 GenAI boom, this session sets the stage for understanding AI’s potential and pitfalls.

Learn how to navigate risks, scale use cases like customer acquisition and predictive analytics, and avoid common pitfalls, such as lack of cross-channel integration or insufficient monitoring.

Attendees will walk away equipped with actionable insights—such as keeping workflows human-centric and ensuring robust governance—to bridge the gap between proof-of-concept and scalable profitability. Join us to learn how to turn AI in marketing from a buzzword into a business driver.

Megan C. Starkey, Founder and Managing Partner of RBD Co.

Megan is the founder of an AI consultancy dedicated to helping organizations adopt AI effectively, ethically, and strategically to outcompete in their markets. Drawing from 15 years of experience with Fortune 500 companies including IBM, Target, and General Mills, she helps enterprises maximize AI's business value while mitigating risks. Creator of the Starkey Model—a research-backed framework derived from extensive enterprise AI studies—she combines marketing expertise with technical insight to drive successful AI transformations. A passionate advocate for human-centric, inclusive AI, she collaborates with industry leaders from Meta, OpenAI, and Microsoft as a member of AI Circle. Her forthcoming book synthesizes hundreds of enterprise AI case studies into a practical blueprint for organizational success.

Michael Arulfo, Principal Enterprise Architect at Boston Scientific

Michael is a leader in GenAI and AI Architecture Strategy, shaping healthcare's digital future. His expertise is honed through roles at the Mayo Clinic, Allina Health, Optum.AI and UnitedHealthcare, driving AI platform development and scaled AI architecture design for the Enterprise. Michael is a founding member of the Chief Architect Network (CAN) and Executive Chairman of BETA.MN (Minnesota’s oldest and largest tech startup accelerator and organizer of Twin Cities Startup Week). A leader in technology innovation, Michael champions AI and GenAI’s transformative potential in healthcare, fostering business agility and improving healthcare outcomes for patients.

Host or Publisher The Twin Cities Business Architecture Forum