Conor Grennan steps down as NYU Stern Chief AI Architect to focus on AI Mindset
After 12 years at NYU Stern School of Business, Conor Grennan leaves his institutional AI leadership role as his consultancy AI Mindset accelerates growth.
Conor Grennan has stepped down from his role as Chief AI Architect at NYU Stern School of Business, marking the end of a 12-year tenure at the institution.
Grennan confirmed on LinkedIn that his departure is official as of March 1, citing the rapid growth of his consultancy, AI Mindset, as the reason for shifting his full attention outside the university.
Grennan, who previously served as Dean of Students for the MBA program, created Generative AI at Stern three years ago before becoming the school’s first Chief AI Architect. In that role, he was responsible for driving generative AI adoption across faculty, administration, and students.
He wrote on LinkedIn: “Friends, some big news: after 12 years at NYU Stern, I'm stepping down from my role as Chief AI Architect. Stern will always be family, but AI Mindset is growing at a blistering pace and requires my full attention.”
He added that he had been “slowly transitioning out of the role for the past few months” and would continue to advise the Stern community.
Building institutional AI fluency at Stern
Grennan’s tenure coincided with an accelerating push by higher education institutions to embed generative AI across teaching, research, and administration. He stated that Stern had taken a comprehensive approach to AI transformation under the leadership of Dean Bharat Anand.
He wrote: “Stern has done an incredible job building its AI leadership and capabilities. Under the leadership of Dean Bharat Anand, the school is taking an innovative and comprehensive approach to how AI transforms not just education but preparation for the current and future workplace. That's what this world needs.”
His role positioned Stern among business schools formalizing AI leadership at executive level, moving beyond experimentation toward structured adoption frameworks.
AI Mindset expands beyond campus
Grennan founded AI Mindset in April 2024. The consultancy focuses on training professionals and organizations to integrate generative AI into daily workflows through behavioral and strategic shifts, rather than tool-only training.
According to company materials, its flagship course, Generative AI for Professionals, includes 67 lessons delivered across 4.5 hours, with certification on completion. The program is positioned for both individual professionals and corporations seeking to increase AI adoption within teams.
Grennan indicated that further announcements about AI Mindset would follow in the coming days.
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