Elizabeth N Ngonzi

Elizabeth (Liz) Ngonzi is a human-centered AI strategist, executive educator, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. Her work focuses on how artificial intelligence can strengthen human judgment, leadership, governance, and institutional capability in real-world settings.

She advises leaders and institutions navigating the transition from AI experimentation to accountable, system-level adoption. She designs AI-enabled decision environments, learning experiences, and collaborative intelligence practices that strengthen strategic clarity, workforce readiness, communication, and responsible innovation.

Professor Ngonzi serves on the Board of Directors of the American Society for Artificial Intelligence (ASFAI) and is Founding Chair of its Ethics & Responsible AI Committee. She is also the Originator, Editor-in-Chief, and Founding Platform Architect of AI for Humanity: Human-Centered Strategies for Innovation and Impact, an AI-powered public-benefit platform and living anthology developed with ASFAI. The initiative convenes more than 40 contributors across governance, education, policy, technology, business, finance, and social impact to translate complex AI conversations into practical guidance for institutional leaders.

At NYU, Professor Ngonzi has taught since 2009 and was promoted to Adjunct Assistant Professor in 2020. A recipient of the NYU SPS Teaching Excellence Award, she has been an early leader in integrating digital storytelling and generative AI into applied professional education. Through the AI for Impact course series, she equips professionals to develop practical, ethical AI use cases; build and apply custom AI agents; and use AI to strengthen stakeholder engagement, organizational effectiveness, leadership communication, and public-facing work. She also created NYU’s AI-Powered Digital Storytelling for Fundraising: Tools, Strategy, and Practice course.

In fall 2026, NYU will launch the AI @ NYU Primer, a university-wide learning experience designed to help undergraduates navigate generative AI with technical fluency, ethical judgment, security awareness, and academic integrity. Professor Ngonzi contributed expert perspective to the Primer’s ethics module, addressing cognitive offloading, human judgment, AI dialogue, responsible learning, and AI’s societal implications.

Her perspectives have appeared in or been featured by Fast Company, Benzinga, CNET, Chicago Tribune, Cornell Chronicle, HuffPost, NPR, Voice of America, CGTN America, Scientific American, MarketWatch, InformationWeek, and The NonProfit Times. Her applied leadership engagements and collaborations have included Cornell Tech, S&P Global, Gamma, the Mensa Foundation, Nasdaq, Perplexity, Miami University, Compliance Week, CASE, USAID, the National Space Society, and the Center for Women in Law. In 2026, she was selected as one of 20+ members of Gamma.app’s inaugural Gambassador Council, contributing to the evolution of AI-powered storytelling, collaborative knowledge design, and interactive learning experiences.

Professor Ngonzi is Founder and CEO of The International Social Impact Institute®. She has led initiatives reaching more than 40,000 participants across six continents, including more than 12,000 professionals engaged in generative AI learning since 2023. In 2026, she was elected a Full Member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, in recognition of noteworthy achievement in research and contributions to the advancement of knowledge.