Alexis Bonnell has stepped down as the chief information officer (CIO) and director of the Digital Capabilities Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and said on Tuesday that she is joining OpenAI.
Bonnell made the announcement in a post on LinkedIn, noting that she wrapped up her chapter at the AFRL a month ago. The AFRL appointed Bonnell as its first CIO and director of the Digital Capabilities Directorate in July 2023.
“The role was truly one in a lifetime – serving the national security mission alongside some of the most brilliant scientists, engineers, and digital visionaries in the country,” Bonnell wrote.
“From cybersecurity to networks and infrastructure, from enterprise service design to pushing the frontiers of AI, I couldn’t be more proud of what we built together – or more confident in the team carrying the mission forward,” she added.
Bonnell said she had big plans to write a book, rest, and “find ways for AI to contribute to humanity” after finishing up at the AFRL. However, Bonnell said she is “thrilled” that the opportunity at OpenAI presented itself.
In her new role at OpenAI, Bonnell said she will “support extraordinary public sector organizations like the U.S. National Labs to research and apply frontier current and future AI models to the grand challenges of research, science, innovation, and national security.”
MeriTalk recognized Bonnell in the 2024 inaugural class of AI Honors Award Winners – the 48 women and men working across government and industry to bring responsible AI tech to bear for the next revolution in government IT services.