With the increased proliferation of AI tools and systems, safety and responsibility are more important than ever, as is Partnership on AI’s work to convene stakeholders and develop best practices and protocols to this end. To strengthen the organization’s ability to achieve this mission, PAI is overjoyed to welcome Calvin Phoon as its new Chief Operations and People Officer and Stephanie Bell into the new role of Chief Programs and Insights Officer.

“As industry, civil society, and government alike seek solutions on the safe and responsible development and deployment of AI systems, Partnership on AI serves a unique role in bringing diverse parties to common understanding on this issue,” said Rebecca Finlay, CEO, Partnership on AI. “I am thrilled that Calvin and Stephanie have decided to join the leadership team. PAI is well positioned to meet the moment and advance our mission in 2024.”

Calvin Phoon joins PAI as its first Chief Operations and People Officer, overseeing the organization’s Human Resources, Operations, Finance, and IT functions. Prior, Calvin served as Vice President of Executive Operations at the National Kidney Foundation where he spearheaded strategic planning, operations optimization, legal and compliance matters, board governance, and culture change initiatives. During his tenure at the National Kidney Foundation, Calvin led the launch of a venture philanthropy fund to accelerate patient therapies, worked across departments to create a DEI Committee focused on fostering a more inclusive and equitable work environment, and championed Foundation-wide initiatives to enhance workplace culture. Calvin earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Houston.

Stephanie Bell takes on the newly created role of Chief Programs and Insights Officer to lead, manage and evolve PAI’s portfolio of programs, delivering measurable outcomes for AI that center people and society first. She joined PAI in 2020 and most recently served as Acting Director of Programs & Research and Senior Research Scientist with the AI, Labor, and Economy team. Since joining PAI, she jointly led the creation of PAI’s Guidelines for AI & Shared Prosperity, a first-of-its-kind, high-level job impact assessment tool and set of responsible practices for key stakeholders in the AI & labor ecosystem to ensure the technological gains from AI create equitable economic growth and high quality jobs. In her capacity as a Research Fellow, she engaged with workers around the globe to understand their experiences of AI in the workplace, culminating in the PAI report AI & Job Quality: Insights from Frontline Workers. Prior, Stephanie was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, where she led teams and projects in the public and private sectors on the future of work, economic development, and worker retraining and reskilling. Stephanie holds a doctorate in Politics and a master’s in Development Studies from the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar, as well as a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago.