Kathleen Perley

Kathleen Perley is an Instructor in Management and Advisor on AI Initiatives within the Business & Economics faculty at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. Holding a B.S. in Linguistics and Communication Science from Texas Christian University, she is pursuing an MBA at Rice Business. As a Fulbright Scholar, she researched in Madrid the influence of phonetics and phonology on second language acquisition, aiding bilingual education efforts. Her linguistics expertise underpins her focus on human-centered artificial intelligence integration in business contexts. At Rice Business, Perley designs and teaches specialized courses in AI strategy, generative AI applications, and practical AI implementation, empowering MBA students and executives to spearhead AI transformations. She provides strategic counsel to the deans and institutional leaders on AI adoption, conducts faculty training on emerging technologies, and drives the incorporation of AI into the school’s educational framework. Her academic interests lie in AI and operations management.

Parallel to her teaching, Perley excels as an entrepreneur and innovator. She is the Founder and CEO of DemystifAI, a firm delivering AI consulting and training to enable mid-sized enterprises to harness AI for innovation, efficiency gains, and growth. Earlier, she launched Decode, a healthcare digital transformation agency that achieved $17 million in yearly revenue prior to acquisition by Unlock Health. There, as Chief Innovation Officer, she orchestrated AI integrations, formulated AI governance policies, and facilitated digital overhauls for executive teams. Recognized as a thought leader, Perley bridges the divide between AI advancements and business leadership. In 2025, she published AI Made Simple. Results Made Real.: An Executive's Guide to..., celebrated with a book launch and fireside chat at Rice Business. Through these endeavors, she guides organizations toward confident, strategic AI utilization.

Professional Email: kp72@rice.edu