Rod Holum
AI Evangelist & Cybersecurity Expert
CEO & Founder, Coulee Tech · Holmen, WI
Rodney (“Rod”) Holum is the CEO and founder of Coulee Tech — an IT and cybersecurity firm recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies — a Certified AIBMM Master Coach, and the creator of the AI Business Maturity Model the retreat is built around. He is an award-winning author who helps leaders adopt AI responsibly and securely.
Save $500 — register by August 31, 2026
What Rod's Work Actually Produces
Most AI speakers teach somebody else's framework. Rod wrote the one this day runs on — and the checkable version of that claim is the AIBMM speaker directory itself, where he holds the only Master Coach credential and every other certified coach, at any firm in the country, is listed at the Executive tier. He also still runs the company he teaches from, so the examples come off his own P&L rather than a case-study deck.
5 levels
the AIBMM framework he created
AI Drifter, Prompted Operator, Agent Builder, Agent Manager, Physical Integrator — the model certified coaches at firms around the country assess against, and the spine of the retreat agenda.
1 of 6
the only Master Coach in the AIBMM speaker directory
The public directory at aibmm.ai listed six speakers when we last checked on August 9, 2026: Rod at the Master tier and five Executive Coaches. It is a one-click check, and the link is at the foot of this page.
Inc. 5000
the company he founded in 2008
Coulee Tech is recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies, supporting healthcare and manufacturing organizations from offices serving Wisconsin and Florida.
5 books
published on AI leadership and cybersecurity
Including Wisconsin's AI Leadership Blueprint for 2024, AI Unleashed, and 7 Biggest Cyber Security Mistakes Your IT Guy Is Making.
The Long Version
He built the company first
Rod founded Coulee Tech in 2008 and grew it into an IT and cybersecurity company recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies, specializing in supporting healthcare and manufacturing organizations across the Upper Midwest, with offices serving Wisconsin and Florida. Everything he teaches about budget, hiring, and what an owner can realistically absorb in a quarter is something he has had to decide himself.
Innovation on one side, risk on the other
Rod's work sits at the intersection of the two. He teaches leaders how to build AI strategy, improve prompting and workflows, and pursue AI-driven development — while addressing the cybersecurity realities of today's threat landscape, from risk assessments and threat detection through compliance and security awareness. It is why the AI advice never arrives without the security question attached to it.
He wrote the maturity model
The AI Business Maturity Model is a five-level framework — AI Drifter, Prompted Operator, Agent Builder, Agent Manager, Physical Integrator — for working out where an organization actually stands with AI and what the next honest step is. Rod created it, and it is the spine of the retreat: the morning scores you against the levels, the afternoon builds against them, and you leave with a written 90-day plan tied to your own level instead of somebody else's.
An award-winning author
Rod has published work spanning AI leadership and cybersecurity, including Wisconsin's AI Leadership Blueprint for 2024, AI Unleashed: AI Success Stories from Local Business Leaders, 7 Biggest Cyber Security Mistakes Your IT Guy Is Making, and Colonial Pipeline Hack: What Your Business Can Do to Protect Yourself. The through-line is the one he brings to a stage — translating complex topics into clear steps leaders can act on immediately.
Invited to teach it, not just sell it
He has presented AI adoption strategy and the AIBMM framework to military leadership at Duke University, and he runs a free AIBMM training session the first Friday of every month. Away from the stage, he emphasizes community impact through Coulee Tech's 10-10-10 model — above-market pay, profit sharing, and giving back through donations — on the argument that strong businesses can also be strong community partners.
Where this came from
Biography, results, and speaking topics on this page are drawn from Rod's own published profiles — trimmed, not embellished.
Credentials
- Certified AIBMM Master Coach
- The only Master Coach in the public AIBMM speaker directory — every other certified coach listed there, at any firm, holds the Executive tier.
- Creator of the AI Business Maturity Model
- The five-level framework certified coaches around the country use to assess AI readiness.
- CEO & Founder, Coulee Tech
- Founded in 2008; recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies.
- Award-winning author
- Books spanning AI leadership and cybersecurity, including Wisconsin's AI Leadership Blueprint for 2024.
- Taught at Duke University
- Presented AI adoption strategy and the AIBMM framework to military leadership.
- Cybersecurity practitioner
- Risk assessments, threat detection and response, compliance, and security awareness training for healthcare and manufacturing organizations.
See Rod at the Retreat
- When
- Tuesday, Sept 15, 2026
- Day job
- Coulee Tech
- Speaks elsewhere
- Internationally
- Where
- The Island · Spooner, WI (or attend live remote)
- Price
- In person
$995$495 · Remote $250
Save $500 — register by August 31, 2026
One registration covers the full retreat — every session, every track.
All 20 sessions
See the full retreat agenda →
What Rod Speaks On
The talks Rod gives to CEO and CFO audiences around the country. The retreat is the hands-on version — you build the thing instead of watching a slide about it.
- AI without the Hype
- AI for Business Leaders (AI roadmap, use cases, ROI)
- AI Readiness & AI Business Maturity (AIBMM™ / maturity assessment)
- The AI Revolution in Business / Future of Work
- Prompting & Workflow Design (prompt creation/optimization)
- Responsible AI (ethics, best practices, governance basics)
- Cybersecurity for Modern Businesses (phishing → ransomware)
- Ransomware Readiness & Incident Response (executive playbook)
- Compliance & Risk Management (practical, non-jargon approach)
- Digital Transformation Strategy (cloud, modernization, change)
- IT Strategy for Growing Businesses (budgeting, roadmapping)
- Preparing the Next Generation for Tech & Cyber Careers
At the retreat
Rod hosts the day and is in the room for all of it. His lane is the one the whole agenda hangs off: where you actually sit on the five levels, what the next honest step is, and the security and governance questions that decide whether an AI workflow ever gets near real company data. If you are the person who has to answer “what are we doing about AI?” to a board, he is the instructor to corner at lunch.
Retreat Sessions Closest to Rod's Work
One registration covers all 20 sessions across the Leadership, Sales & Marketing, and Builder tracks. These sit closest to what Rod does for a living.
What Are We Doing About AI? Leave With the Answer.
Session detailsChatGPT, Claude, or Grok: A Straight-Answers Buyer's Guide
Session detailsYour 90-Day Roadmap: Leave With the Plan
Session detailsSession-by-session presenter assignments are still being finalized and will be announced closer to the retreat — this is a map of subject matter, not a teaching schedule.
Rod Holum — Questions & Answers
Spend a day in the room with Rod Holum.
Five instructors, three tracks, twenty hands-on sessions — and a written 90-day AI roadmap you leave with. Sept 15, 2026 · The Island, Spooner WI · or attend live online.
Save $500 — register by August 31, 2026