Dr. Ed Mills

President/Partner

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
40 years

Dr. Ed Mills–

I help leaders navigate the most consequential shift in higher education since the advent of the internet: the rise of artificial intelligence. My work sits at the intersection of human-centered leadership, empathetic organizational culture, and AI-powered strategy. I believe these three forces, when aligned, produce extraordinary results.

As President of MISCHIAN Strategies, LLC, I partner with colleges, businesses, and non-profit organizations to build strategies, develop leadership capacity, and integrate AI tools in ways that amplify human connection rather than replace it. My approach is grounded in People First AI Leadership: technology should serve people, not the other way around. I bring this philosophy to life through leadership coaching and mentoring, keynote speaking, and master classes designed for executives, emerging leaders, and institutional teams. My speaking topics include Empathetic Candor as a Leadership Superpower, People First AI Leadership, and Leading Through Transformation. I am also completing a book on leadership in the age of artificial intelligence, synthesizing 40 years of executive experience with current thinking on human-AI collaboration.

My own story grounds everything I do. A first-generation student, I arrived at college a week early, lived in my van until the residence halls opened, and ran out of money before the semester ended. A part-time job in the financial aid office changed the trajectory of my life. That experience has never left me, and it shapes how I think about leadership: it starts with truly listening to and understanding people. Over four decades in higher education, I have served as Vice President for Student Affairs and Chief Enrollment Officer at Sacramento State, Vice Provost for Enrollment at Cleveland State, inaugural Vice President for Strategic Enrollment at Sonoma State, and Chief Enrollment Officer at CSU San Marcos. I hold a certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy from MIT and have served as adjunct faculty in Sacramento State’s doctoral program in Educational Leadership.

If you are a leader looking to grow, an institution navigating change, or an organization seeking a speaker who combines deep experience with a clear-eyed view of the future of knowledge work and where higher education is heading, let’s talk.