CLARION AI PARTNERS

ABOUT US

Who We Are

AI FOR GOOD · AI FOR ALL

Our founding partner and CEO, Bennett B. Borden, wants every organization to have the opportunity to transform with artificial intelligence. After watching smaller companies being left behind as the wealthiest, mega-companies with access to top-notch AI legal and tech resources leveraged AI, Bennett left his Partner and Chief Data Scientist position at DLA Piper to found Clarion AI Partners.
At Clarion AI Partners our lawyer-data scientists help companies transform their processes with safe, effective AI strategies. In tandem, our AI development shop (the Foundry) builds custom AI engines with designed-in compliance. We also offer independent testing and evaluation of existing AI systems currently in use.
Clients can also advance their AI innovation with the latest thinking from the Clarion AI Academy. This consortium of world-class legal, judicial, data-science, academic, business, and government leaders, convened by Clarion AI Partners, collaborates on initiatives to bring safe, responsible AI to our schools, businesses, and public policy spheres.

Meet our Founder & CEO

Bennett B. Borden is a globally recognized authority on the legal, technological, and policy implications of artificial intelligence. As a Big Law partner, Bennett focused on helping clients use the power of AI to drive strategic outcomes and improve business operations. His major generative AI and Fortune 500 clients trusted Bennett to guide their astonishing journeys with this transformative technology.
Bennett is a unique AI visionary leader. Only a handful of people in the world share his credentials as an AI lawyer-data scientist-AI ethicist. With his special blend of professional disciplines and insight, Bennett has made significant contributions to the field of AI governance and algorithmic bias testing. Bennett's AI governance strategy and implementation clients span multiple industries - technology, insurance, financial services, labor and employment, manufacturing, retail, health, and life sciences industries.
He has long standing connections to public service and public policy. From his days in US Intelligence, to recent roles in developing federal and state artificial intelligence policy and legislation, Bennett remains fascinated with how electronic information reflects human thought, choice, and conduct.
Anyone who spends five minutes with CEO Bennett marvels at his friendliness and mastery of turning the complex into the simple. His commitment to promoting constitutional rights, human dignity, and access to justice remain the core of his professional identity.

BENNETT'S LEADERSHIP ROLES & RECOGNITIONS

THE TEAM AT CLARION AI PARTNERS

Chris Cullen

AI Strategy Partner, Director of the Foundry

Chris, an exceptional lawyer-data scientist, heads our Foundry. He is an expert in building AI engines that ensure algorithmic performance, compliance, and fairness. Chris leads our team of AI developers who are building innovative AI systems with designed-in performance and compliance testing for Clarion AI clients.
Chris previously advised clients on the development and use of analytics for insight, data storytelling, and economic value generation as Of Counsel at DLA Piper and an associate at Faegre Drinker. As an Attorney-Advisor Technology Counsel at the National Labor Relations Board E-litigation Branch, Chris helped usher in strategies, technology, and processes to improve efficiency and collaboration at the division.
Chris Cullen was recognized in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ for his work in technology law.

Jess Thurston

Chief of Staff

Jess Thurston is a master of organizational maturity. As a certified Agile Scrum Master, Jess excels at organizational, project, and people management. She brings her considerable leadership experience from several different industries to Clarion AI Partners. Or, as Bennett says, “Jess is just the center of everything.”

Jess Thurston

Chief of Staff

Cathy O’Neil

Affiliate Director of Data Science
Cathy is widely recognized for her expertise in machine learning and data analysis. She is a highly respected data scientist, author, and advocate for ethical AI and data practices. With a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Harvard University, Cathy’s diverse background bridges academia and industry, from MIT to Wall Street.

Jacob Appel

Affiliate Senior Data Scientist
With an MPA from Princeton, Jacob conducts algorithmic audits, and specializes in designing tests and analyses to assess the performance of algorithms and their impacts on stakeholders. He is a published author who has worked with state and local governments in behavioral science and public policies and programs.

Robert Mahari

AI Policy & Governance Fellow
Robert is a PhD student in the Human Dynamics group at MIT and a JD candidate at Harvard Law School. He specializes on the intersection of tech and law with a focus on increasing access to justice and judicial efficacy.

Shelly Skinner

AI Policy Strategist
Shelly earned a JD at the University of Texas before serving as Special Ethics Counsel to the NLRB. She is an expert in technology ethics, especially the ethics of artificial intelligence. She is committed to increasing access to justice, while protecting privacy and ensuring transparency.

Nick Hafen, JD

AI Strategist
Nick earned a JD from Brigham Young University, before returning to head their Legal Technology Education Department. He currently leads the efforts there to create the country’s premier legal technology training and development program, including LawX, the Law School’s legal design lab.

Rachael Hutchings

AI Transformation Strategist
Holding a JD from the University of Memphis, Rachael is an expert in strategic AI and business foresight with extensive consulting experience both in the U.S. and abroad. She currently leads as the Executive Director of the Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute at Utah Valley University. She is also a Professional in Residence in the Strategic Management and Operations Department at the Woodbury School of Business.