ROSE Tech Academy

In Honor of Rosie — Whose Resilience Planted This Seed

ROSE Tech Academy | Carol Griffin | 2026 | CONFIDENTIAL

SECTION ONE

Dear Friend, Colleague, and Fellow Trailblazer,

There is a woman I have carried with me into every boardroom, onto every stage, into every strategy session, and through every late night when building something new felt heavier than I expected. Her name was Rosie—my mother.

Rosie entered the workforce at forty years old with no technology background, no industry connections, and no map for the terrain ahead of her. The systems she walked into were not designed with her in mind. The language was unfamiliar. The rules were unwritten and often unspoken. Yet she walked in anyway. Curious. Brave. Unshaken in her belief that she belonged there.

I watched her. I watched her navigate rooms that did not make space for her. I watched her ask questions that others were afraid to ask. I watched her learn things that nobody offered to teach her. And I watched her build something from nothing with dignity, patience, and a grace that I have never stopped trying to imitate.

I founded ROSE Tech Academy because of her. I could not bear the thought that somewhere, right now, another woman might be sitting outside a room she has earned the right to enter, wondering if she belongs inside it. I built the academy so that the next generation of women in technology would have a community, a framework, a voice, and a table already set for them.

The values she poured into me are the values I pour into everything I create: discipline, responsibility, independence, grace, humility, kindness, patience, character, good judgment, curiosity, resilience, and faith. These are not soft skills. They are the architecture of lasting leadership.

This report is not simply a document about AI governance, though the stakes of that conversation could not be higher. It is a declaration that women must be in the room where technology policy is written—not as guests, not as checkboxes, but as architects, authors, and decision-makers whose presence changes the outcome.

If you are a woman reading this, whether you are at the beginning of your journey or standing at the peak of a career you have built with your own hands, I want you to hear this from me, clearly and without qualification:

"Remember that you belong in every room your work has earned you. Carry yourself with confidence, stay curious, and keep learning. And most importantly, trust that God will take care of you."

Carol Griffin, Founder, ROSE Tech Academy

The rose does not wait for perfect conditions to bloom. It grows through soil that is sometimes hard and sometimes unforgiving. It opens anyway. In every season, it finds a way. That is who you are. And that is what this academy was built to remind you of.

With warmth, purpose, and deep respect,

Carol Griffin

Founder, ROSE Tech Academy | Microsoft Security Advisor | Dallas, Texas | 2026

ROSE Tech Academy | Carol Griffin | 2026

SECTION TWO — EXECUTIVE BRIEFING

Shadow AI: The Threat Inside Your Organization

The most dangerous AI in your enterprise is not the one your CIO approved. It is the one your employees are already using.

What Is Shadow AI?

Shadow AI refers to the unsanctioned use of artificial intelligence tools by employees operating entirely outside the boundaries of IT governance, legal review, or organizational policy. This includes the use of publicly available platforms such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot through personal accounts, as well as dozens of emerging AI productivity tools accessed through personal credentials, personal devices, or unmonitored browser sessions without the knowledge or approval of enterprise security and compliance teams.

Shadow AI is not a future risk. It is a present reality across organizations today. In most cases, AI use occurs without an audit trail, data residency controls, or a policy framework governing how the information employees enter into these systems is stored, processed, or used.

The Anatomy of the Risk

The risk profile of Shadow AI is uniquely complex because it sits at the intersection of technology, human behavior, and regulatory exposure. Understanding it requires looking beyond the tools themselves to examine the invisible workflows that have grown up around them.

• Data Exfiltration: Proprietary data, client records, and internal strategy documents are uploaded to third-party AI platforms without enterprise data controls. Regulatory exposure: GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA.
• Regulatory Violation: Regulated data, including health, financial, and personal information, is processed in noncompliant AI environments. Regulatory exposure: EU AI Act, SOX, HIPAA.
• Invisible Liability: AI-generated outputs are used in decisions without disclosure, creating undisclosed algorithmic liability. Regulatory exposure: EU AI Act Article 14, FTC.
• Zero Audit Trail: There is no logging, no version control, and no ability to reconstruct AI-assisted decisions for legal or compliance review. Regulatory exposure: All jurisdictions.
• Reputational Harm: Public disclosure of uncontrolled AI use leads to a loss of client trust and regulatory investigations. Regulatory exposure: Sector-specific.

The Data Is Alarming

75%

Of enterprise AI usage happens entirely outside approved channels—beyond IT visibility, governance frameworks, and legal review.

Source: Gartner Enterprise AI Governance Report, 2025

$4.9M

The average cost of a data breach linked to unsanctioned AI tool usage, placing it among the highest breach categories tracked in enterprise security.

Source: IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report, 2025

68%

Of employees have used personal AI accounts at work without disclosing this to their employer or IT department, often without understanding the compliance implications.

Source: Enterprise AI Behavior Study, 2025

Why Governance Gaps Persist

Organizations consistently underestimate the starting point of AI governance failures. The instinct is to look for a technology gap: a missing tool, an unpatched system, or an undeployed platform. In the vast majority of cases, that instinct is mistaken.

"Many AI governance gaps have a human or organizational component. The challenge is not limited to technology; it can also arise when communication, policy frameworks, training, and governance practices do not keep pace with how people use AI."

Carol Griffin, ROSE Tech Academy

Employees are efficient. They discover tools that make them faster, more creative, and more capable, and they use them because nobody has told them not to or because the approved tools cannot match what they have found on their own. Governance gaps may also reflect limited access to clear policies, practical training, and shared guidance on responsible AI use.

ROSE Tech Academy provides practical learning pathways that help individuals and organizations recognize AI governance gaps, build relevant skills, and support responsible AI use.

ROSE Tech Academy | Carol Griffin | 2026

SECTION THREE

Representation in AI Governance

Inclusive AI governance benefits from decision-making processes that consider a broad range of experiences, expertise, and perspectives.

Representation and Governance Context

Available workforce data shows that women remain underrepresented in some management and senior STEM roles. These figures describe broader workforce patterns and should not be interpreted as direct measures of participation in AI governance. They provide context for considering how organizations can broaden participation, strengthen decision-making, and create more inclusive pathways into technology leadership.

28.8%

Women's representation in management across the workforce data reviewed in the World Economic Forum's 2025 report. This broader measure offers context but is not specific to AI governance roles.

Source: World Economic Forum, Global Gender Gap Report 2025

Just over 12%

Women's representation among STEM executives, according to 2025 World Economic Forum and LinkedIn reporting. This figure reflects senior STEM leadership and should not be presented as a direct measure of participation in AI governance.

Source: World Economic Forum and LinkedIn, Gender Parity in the Intelligent Age, 2025

Effective AI governance depends on diverse perspectives, clear accountability, and meaningful stakeholder participation. Organizations should select governance contributors based on expertise in technology, risk, policy, ethics, operations, and communication.

ROSE Tech Academy | Carol Griffin | 2026

SECTION FOUR — FRAMEWORK

Carol Griffin founded ROSE Tech Academy LLC in honor of her mother, Rosie. The academy helps adult learners build technology skills, prepare for certification and career opportunities, and understand how emerging technologies affect organizations and communities.

The R-O-S-E values connect the academy's broader educational mission to this article's focus on responsible technology use:

• Resilient Learning: Confidence-building courses for real jobs.
• Opportunity for All: Affordable, flexible, and inclusive scholarships where possible.
• Skills That Pay: Employer-validated skills, certifications, and career pathways.
• Ethical Impact: Transparent outcomes, learner support, and giving back in Rosie's honor.

Carol Griffin is a technology and security leader with more than two decades of experience spanning telecommunications, enterprise infrastructure, technical program management, cloud transformation, security strategy, and technology education. Her career includes 25 years with AT&T, where she advanced through increasingly complex technology and infrastructure leadership roles. She led large-scale wireless and fiber infrastructure programs, enterprise migrations, modernization initiatives, capacity planning, data governance, risk control, executive communication, and financial portfolio oversight. Throughout her tenure, she directed initiatives supporting millions of subscribers and contributed to national infrastructure programs involving billions of dollars in capital investment.

SECTION FIVE

The Rose Blooms in Every Season

A rose represents more than beauty; it also reflects resilience. It can bloom across changing seasons and grow in both carefully tended gardens and difficult conditions. Its thorns are not a defect but a form of protection for what is still growing.

ROSE Tech Academy supports adult learners at different stages of their technology journeys, including career changers, working professionals, and emerging technologists.

They come to strengthen their skills, prepare for certification opportunities, and build confidence as technology continues to evolve. Their knowledge, experience, and commitment to continued learning can contribute to stronger technology decisions in their workplaces and communities.

As artificial intelligence becomes more widely used, organizations need clear policies, appropriate oversight, relevant expertise, and ongoing education. ROSE Tech Academy contributes to this broader need by helping learners build technology knowledge, prepare for recognized certification opportunities, and understand the responsibilities that accompany emerging technologies.

Every rose begins below the surface before it becomes visible. In the same way, progress in technology begins with learning, preparation, and the confidence to keep growing. That principle connects Rosie's legacy to the purpose of ROSE Tech Academy.

"Your technology journey can begin in any season. Keep learning, keep growing, and continue building the skills that open new opportunities."

Carol Griffin, Founder, ROSE Tech Academy