Leadership · Practical AI expertise
Rob Buchwald leads Akron Innovations with a people-first vision for practical AI, supported by a team that brings strategy, operations, sales, cloud, and software expertise to the work.
Founder & CEO
Rob Buchwald
Firm leadership
Rob Buchwald founded Akron Innovations and the AI Catalyst Institute to help organizations adopt artificial intelligence in practical, responsible, and people-first ways.
His work spans strategy, innovation, and workforce development, from advising organizations across Ohio to delivering AI education for people at every experience level. Under his leadership, the team has also filed an AI patent, reflecting the hands-on implementation behind its approach.
Rob’s vision is bigger than a single engagement: strengthen practical AI expertise and help businesses move from curiosity to capability with confidence.
The team
Operations, sales, cloud, and software expertise come together around one standard: make AI clear enough to act on and practical enough to hold up.
Director of Operations
Carla turns ambitious goals into practical day-to-day action. Her background in education and legal technology supports her work building systems, strengthening relationships, and expanding access to digital skills and economic opportunity.
Operations · Community access · Execution
Business Analyst / Executive Assistant
Miranda translates leadership priorities into action, supports scalable operations, and helps the organization maintain focus on high-impact work. She holds an MBA from Kent State University and is active in national SHRM.
Executive operations · HR · Coordination
Head of Sales
Mike brings more than 30 years of technology sales and leadership experience, including work with Microsoft and Palo Alto Networks. He helps leadership teams clarify AI opportunities, align stakeholders, and move from concept to execution.
AI strategy · Sales leadership · Adoption
Sales Development Representative
Dawson connects people, ideas, and opportunities through strategic outreach, social engagement, and operational support. His background in marketing and sales from Ohio University supports Akron Innovations’ growth and community presence.
Relationships · Outreach · Growth
Principal AI Architect
Jayce brings cloud architecture experience across financial services, cloud security, automation, and DevOps. His work includes Terraform, Kubernetes, and Microsoft Azure, with a focus on making complex technical environments more practical and effective.
Cloud architecture · AI · DevOps
Principal Solutions Architect
Seth has more than a decade of software development experience designing scalable applications and leading development teams. He focuses on architecture, engineering practices, integration, and technical solutions aligned with business goals.
Software architecture · Engineering · Delivery
Our mission
The company is guided by the values of innovation, collaboration, and community empowerment, with the goal of making our region a leader in AI excellence.
We work alongside teams to understand the challenge, build capability, and develop solutions around their actual business processes.
Our commitment to excellenceWork with the team
Tell us what your organization is trying to understand, improve, or build. We’ll help identify a practical place to start.