Christina Yancey

Christina Yancey is a nationally recognized leader at the intersection of workforce innovation, data, and human centered systems change—and a compelling voice on how emerging technologies like Agentic AI can be responsibly designed to strengthen engagement, persistence, and impact. As Vice President of Employment and Economic Opportunity, Dr. Yancey oversees a growing portfolio of research and technical assistance that spans the full education to employment continuum—from postsecondary pathways and apprenticeships to workforce development and human capital strategy. Her work helps institutions move beyond hype toward evidence driven decisions that expand pathways to vibrant, prosperous futures. Christina is especially known for helping organizations build the capacity to use data well—not just to predict risk or automate outreach, but to ask better questions, elevate end user voice, and design systems that are both scalable and humane. With fluency across data science, social science, human-centered design, and policy change, she brings a grounded perspective to conversations about AI: what it can unlock, where the trade-offs lie, and how institutions can balance efficiency with authenticity and agency. Before joining AIR, Dr. Yancey served as Chief Evaluation Officer at the U.S. Department of Labor, where she led national efforts crafting learning agendas to build evidence on innovations in education and workforce systems. Across her career, she has consistently worked at the boundary between research, policy, and practice—translating complex evidence into action. At ASU+GSV, Christina brings a rare combination of technical rigor, policy fluency, and systems level insight to the conversation on Agentic AI. Attendees interested in student success, workforce alignment, responsible AI, and the future of human AI collaboration will find in her a thoughtful, candid, and deeply practical partner. Learn more about Christina’s work: https://www.air.org/experts/person/christina-yancey