Dr. Kollin Napier, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer of the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network (MAIN), has been selected to join the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) AI Advisory Board and chair its Operational Capacity & Efficiency workgroup.
NASH publicly announced the board on September 22, 2026. Napier joins higher education leaders and AI practitioners developing resources to help public higher education systems assess their readiness for AI and coordinate responsible adoption across campuses.
As workgroup chair, Napier also serves on the board’s Steering Committee, which sets direction across all five workgroups. He leads the group focused on how AI can improve institutional operations, support workforce productivity, and strengthen organizational capacity.
MAIN is Mississippi’s statewide AI initiative, with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College serving as its operational and fiscal anchor. MAIN provides AI education and supports institutions and organizations with policy guidance, readiness planning, and implementation. Napier’s selection brings that statewide perspective to NASH’s national effort to build shared capacity across public higher education systems.
The board is chaired by Dr. Mark Hagerott, a NASH Senior Fellow and former chancellor of the North Dakota University System. Alongside Operational Capacity & Efficiency, its workgroups cover Teaching & Learning; Student Success & Advising; Data Infrastructure & Privacy; and Governance, Ethics & Risk.
The board is developing a System AI Readiness Self-Assessment and an accompanying AI Readiness Playbook. These forthcoming resources are intended to help system leaders understand their institutions’ readiness and plan next steps. Development continues through fall 2026, followed by review and validation during winter 2026–2027. National publication is planned for spring 2027. NASH also plans to share briefs, case studies, webinars, and conference sessions as the work progresses.
“Every system is starting from a different place, and the resources we are building respect that,” said Claire Brady, Lead AI Strategist and Advisor for the NASH AI Advisory Board, in NASH’s announcement.
Visit the NASH AI Advisory Board page for the board’s charge, full membership roster, and project updates.
About NASH
Founded in 1979, the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) works to advance the role of multi-campus systems and the concept of systemness to create a more vibrant and sustainable higher education sector. NASH represents the 110 public higher education systems in the U.S., which include more than 1,450 institutions and serve 16.2 million students nationwide. Learn more at www.nash.edu.