Speaking
Practical talks on AI and cybersecurity for the people who have to make the decisions. Rod is a working CEO and AIBMM Master Coach, so audiences leave with steps they can take, not a slideshow of predictions.
Signature talks
Every session is adapted to the industry, experience level and time slot.
A plain-language tour of what AI can and cannot do for a business right now. Rod separates working use cases from vendor noise and shows leaders where to start, what to skip, and how to keep company data safe while they experiment.
Best for: Business owners, leadership teams, association and chamber audiences
How to evaluate AI opportunities, build an AI roadmap, and lead an organization through adoption. Built for the people who have to decide where the budget goes and answer for the results.
Best for: Executives, boards and business owners
An introduction to the AI Business Maturity Model (AIBMM) and its five levels, from AI Drifter to Physical Integrator. As an AIBMM Master Coach, Rod helps audiences place their own organization on the curve and see what the next level takes.
Best for: Executive teams, strategic planners and innovation leads
A working session on writing and refining prompts, then turning one-off prompts into repeatable workflows a team can rely on. Attendees practice on their own day-to-day work.
Best for: Teams and managers who want hands-on skills; works well as a workshop
How attacks on small and midsize organizations really happen, and what to do about them, told by someone who defends healthcare and manufacturing companies for a living. Includes an executive playbook for ransomware readiness and incident response.
Best for: All-staff sessions, management teams and industry associations
What AI is changing about jobs, hiring and skills, and how organizations and the next generation can prepare. Rod also speaks with students about careers in technology and cybersecurity.
Best for: Leadership conferences, educators, students and community groups
Topics
Formats
| Format | Length | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Keynote | 30–60 minutes | Insight-packed talks for conferences and large events. |
| Executive workshop | Half or full day | Interactive sessions where leadership teams build their own AI or security plan. |
| Lunch & learn | 30–45 minutes | Focused sessions for team meetings and company events. |
| Panel | As needed | Practitioner perspective for industry panels and roundtables. |
| Webinar or virtual keynote | 30–60 minutes | Delivered over Zoom or Microsoft Teams for distributed audiences. |
Based in Holmen, Wisconsin. Available in person across the U.S. and internationally, and virtually over Zoom or Teams.
On stage
Calendar
Stone Lake, Wisconsin. Coulee Tech’s third annual hands-on AI day for business leaders.
Nashville, Tennessee area. Private working session for AIBMM coaches and AI implementers.
Duke University Golf Club, Durham, North Carolina. Applying the AI Business Maturity Model to mission planning, operations and readiness.
Chippewa Valley Society for Human Resource Management, Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Practical AI for recruiting, onboarding and policy work.
Virtual. Free monthly session on the five levels of AI maturity.
For event planners
The media kit has ready-to-paste bios in three lengths and high-resolution photos for programs and promotion.
Questions
Rod Holum (Rodney Holum) is the CEO and founder of Coulee Tech, an IT and cybersecurity company he started in 2008 that has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list. He is an AI and cybersecurity speaker, an AIBMM Master Coach, and the author of seven books, based in Holmen, Wisconsin.
Rod speaks about practical AI adoption for business leaders, AI readiness and the AI Business Maturity Model, prompting and workflow design, responsible AI, cybersecurity and ransomware readiness, compliance and risk, IT strategy, and preparing the next generation for tech and cyber careers. His signature talk is “AI Without the Hype.”
Use the speaker request form on this site. Share your event date, location, audience and the topic you have in mind, and you will get a reply by email.
Yes. Rod delivers webinars and virtual keynotes over Zoom or Microsoft Teams, in addition to in-person keynotes, workshops, lunch-and-learns and panels.
Rod is based in Holmen, Wisconsin, in the La Crosse area. He is available for in-person events across the United States and internationally.
Executives, business owners and boards; healthcare and manufacturing organizations; chambers of commerce and industry associations; HR and leadership groups; and schools or youth programs exploring technology careers.
AIBMM is a framework for assessing and advancing how well an organization uses AI. It describes five levels: AI Drifter, Prompted Operator, Agent Builder, Agent Manager and Physical Integrator. Rod holds the Master Coach certification and uses the model in talks and workshops.
Rod Holum has self-published seven books on Amazon: AI Unleashed (2025); Wisconsin’s AI Leadership Blueprint for 2024 (2024); 7 Biggest Cyber Security Mistakes Your IT Guy Is Making (2022); Colonial Pipeline Hack (2021); Buttkicking IT Support: Coulee Tech, Inc (2024); Why Laura Holum Is Awesome! (2014); I Saved a Seat for You (2024).
“I don’t think there will be a profession in the next year or two that isn’t heavily dependent on AI.”Rod Holum
Planning a conference, leadership retreat or team workshop? Tell Rod about it.
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