Map the work before adding AI
Decompose the process, identify decision points and constraints, and distinguish where agents, automation, or human judgment create the most value.
Applied AI · Enterprise Transformation · Data Products
Jonathan Hodges
AI should create operating leverage—not just token volume.
I help enterprises redesign work for AI, match each task to the right model, and govern usage so cost, risk, and business outcomes stay aligned.
Vice President of Applied AI at DevRev and founder of Dakota Ridge Consulting, with 15+ years building AI and data products from venture-backed companies to the Fortune 500.
Executive strategy
Hands-on technical depth
15+years leading data & AI
100+global organization scaled
$27Mannual budget ownership
~80Musers reached by AI products
Applied AI operating system
From experimentation to accountable execution.
The goal is not to maximize model use. It is to redesign the right work, use only the intelligence each task needs, and measure whether the result is worth the spend.
Route the task—not every task—to the best model
Balance accuracy, latency, context, privacy, and cost across frontier, specialized, and open-source models instead of defaulting to the largest option.
Govern consumption against business value
Classify approved use cases, set model and budget policies, observe token consumption, and evaluate quality and cost per successful outcome.
Build the operating model that makes adoption stick
Connect strategy, platform engineering, data rights, security, delivery, and change management so successful pilots can become durable production systems.
What I bring
Executive range with engineering fluency.
Strategy & governance
Responsible AI that can withstand enterprise scrutiny.
AI strategy, operating models, model evaluation, cost governance, privacy, security, data rights, and Zero Trust architecture.
Products & agents
AI embedded in the work—not bolted on beside it.
Agentic workflows, RAG, multimodal products, computer use, human approval gates, LLMOps, and production platform integration.
Leadership & value
Teams, platforms, and products built around measurable outcomes.
Organization design, C-suite partnership, data monetization, 0-to-1 product strategy, and global team scaling.
Selected leadership
A track record of turning data and AI into enterprise value.
Vice President, Applied AI
Lead a 37-person organization spanning AI strategy and governance, engineering pods, and delivery. Direct model routing, usage classification, developer workflows, agents, and enterprise integrations.
Founder & Principal AI Consultant
Helped startups and Fortune 500 companies move from AI opportunity to safe production adoption, including embedded executive roles at Bolt, Userpilot, WorkForge, and Atypical AI.
Vice President, AI & Enterprise Analytics
Shifted the business from aggregated data toward customer-facing AI products, digital twins, and AI-ready healthcare datasets during 22% top-line growth.
Enterprise data strategy, governance, and monetization
Owned enterprise data strategies and annual budgets up to $27M, scaled a global organization from 4 to 100+, and helped data products contribute nearly $20M in annual sales.
Selected enterprise work includes
Camping WorldS&P GlobalPenumbraMongoDBJohn DeereMarsStarbucksNVA
Selected work
Proof through systems, not just slides.
Hands-on builds that explore how agents, data, controls, and human decisions fit together in production-minded workflows.
Flagship private build
Active development
Executive Opportunity Intelligence System
An evidence-first, multi-agent system that correlates public regulatory and hiring signals to prioritize potential executive opportunities.
The system collects SEC 8-K leadership changes, Form D capital events, and public ATS hiring patterns; normalizes them into a common evidence model; and produces explainable scores, fit analysis, and cross-run reporting. Human approval remains the boundary for outreach.
01CollectSEC · ATS
02NormalizeEvidence model
03CorrelateCompany · time
04PrioritizeScore · fit · why now
Agent operations
Claude Telegram
Remote agent sessions with human approvals, scheduling, session continuity, model selection, and cost visibility.
View repository Personal data productFitness Metrics
A privacy-conscious WHOOP and Strava analytics pipeline with local transformation, dashboards, and automated sync.
View repository Workflow automationMonarch Tools
Local-first financial alerts, anomaly detection, recurring-charge monitoring, and automated reporting.
View repositoryAdvisory & perspective
Helping leaders move beyond the chatbot.
Mayfield · Enterprise AI in 2025
Advisory
Beyond Chatbots: Building AI into Your Core Products
A practitioner perspective on integrating AI into differentiated products while treating security, infrastructure, and cross-functional execution as first-class work.
Vation Ventures Innovation Advisory Council
Collaborating with technology executives and advising emerging enterprise companies.
LinkedIn NewsThe rise of VP and Head of AI roles
Perspectives on how AI leadership roles are evolving as companies move from experimentation to operating responsibility.
Leadership & community
High standards, low ego.
I believe strong leaders create clarity, give capable people real ownership, and build systems that help teams do their best work.
Pedaling 4 Parkinson’s
Volunteer organizer supporting Parkinson’s research through the annual Colorado cycling event.
Lucky to Ride
Supporting access to mountain biking and Colorado’s outdoors for youth from under-resourced communities.
Off the clock
Mountain biking in Moab
Watch the ride
Let’s talk
Working through a consequential AI decision?
I’m always interested in practical conversations about AI operating models, products, governance, and enterprise transformation.