When Will Davis walked into MIT Sloan Executive Education's Artificial Intelligence Executive Academy on June 15, 2026, he wasn't simply beginning another executive education course. He was taking the final step in a journey that had started 18 years earlier, completing both MIT Sloan School of Management’s Advanced Certificate for Executives (ACE) and Advanced Certificate for Executives in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Business (ACE-AIDB).
For nearly two decades, Davis kept returning to Cambridge, not because he needed another credential, but because he believed the best leaders never stop learning. Across 21 MIT Sloan Executive Education programs, he built expertise alongside a career serving the United States Air Force and Department of Defense. That commitment reached its peak on June 26, 2026, the day he made history, reflecting nearly 20 years of sustained professional growth, an unwavering commitment to public service, and a conviction that leadership requires constant reinvention.
"This is not a line on a résumé," Davis says. "This is not a credential I'll just place on the wall. This achievement ranks among the very top things in my life."
Coming from a leader whose 41-year career in the Air Force and Department of Defense includes combat tours and prestigious promotions, that statement carries real weight.
A Career Built on Service and Continuous Learning
Long before artificial intelligence became a boardroom priority, Davis understood that leadership demanded constant evolution. After retiring from active military service in 2005, he moved into the defense industry as a Department of Defense contractor. His longtime mentor, Colonel Kent Mueller, who had been his first and last supervisor, had other plans.
"You think you're retired?" Davis remembers him asking.
"I said, 'Yes, this is great.'"
Col Kent Mueller didn't hesitate. "No. You're going back to school."
That single exchange changed the direction of Davis's career. His mentor understood that the knowledge that carried an organization through the 1980s and 1990s wouldn't meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Davis started with a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from Georgia Tech, then a Black Belt. Each milestone felt like a finish line until another opportunity appeared. That path led him to MIT Sloan Executive Education, where his first course in 2008 became something far bigger than expected.
Over the following 18 years, one course led to another. By 2026, Davis had completed 21 MIT Sloan Executive Education programs: 18 in-person courses on campus in Cambridge, one live online program, and two self-paced online courses.
"It was building-block learning," he says. "I just kept moving at it."
Serving America While Preparing for the Future
Today, Davis provides Principal (Subject Matter Expert) experience supporting a $110 million modernization program for the U.S. Air Force Support Equipment and Vehicles Division at Robins Air Force Base. His strong work ethic shows why continuous education matters so much to him. Despite operating aircraft as advanced as the F-35 and F-22, the Air Force still relies on flight-line support equipment more than 40 years old.
"We're trying to load bombs, missiles, and munitions onto fifth-generation aircraft using equipment that was already in service when I entered the Air Force," Davis explains.
Will Davis was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant upon completing the Air Force ROTC Program at West Virginia University, 1984
During the AI Executive Academy, he shared those challenges with classmates from around the world. One conversation stood out: a fellow participant who works on Wall Street listened to Davis describe the modernization effort and immediately wanted to help. For Davis, that captured something unique about MIT Sloan Executive Education. The conversations don't end when class does. Executives from different industries find common purpose, and investment leaders start thinking about national security.
Learning From the Room
Ask Davis what makes MIT Sloan Executive Education different, and he starts not with the faculty, but with the room itself.
"When I walked into the MIT AI Academy," he says, "I did not just walk into a classroom. I walked onto a world stage."
The cohort included more than 60 senior leaders representing 26 countries, each bringing a different perspective on one of the defining technologies of our time. "The diversity was not just impressive, it was instructive," Davis says. Every discussion grew richer as participants approached artificial intelligence through different cultural and industry lenses. "This is the MIT difference," he says. "You don't just learn from the faculty. You learn from the room."
That global perspective didn't stay in the classroom. Participants started a WhatsApp community where they still trade ideas, business challenges, travel photos, and professional milestones. Some have already reunited in Paris, Spain, Mexico, China, and at FIFA World Cup matches. What began as a classroom has become an international leadership network.
Packing an "AI Suitcase"
Davis speaks passionately about the people he met, but the curriculum proved just as transformative. The Academy wasn't a theoretical overview of emerging technologies. Participants applied what they learned almost immediately, and faculty pushed executives to develop practical tools they could use the moment they got home.
One phrase stuck with Davis more than any other. Visiting Senior Lecturer Paul McDonagh-Smith encouraged participants to "pack your AI suitcase." The metaphor landed hard. "The Academy was not a survey course," Davis says. "It was a powerful, dynamic, and immersive experience."
The program built toward a week-long capstone project that challenged global teams to solve complex, real-world problems using everything they'd learned. "It wasn't just an academic exercise," Davis says. "It was a rehearsal for what we would do the moment we returned to our jobs." When he flew home to Georgia, he didn't unpack souvenirs. He unpacked ideas. "My AI suitcase was full," he says, "and I've been unpacking it ever since."
MIT Visiting Senior Lecturer Paul McDonagh-Smith
A Faculty Member Who Changed How He Thinks
Among the many faculty members Davis encountered across 21 MIT Sloan Executive Education programs, one experience during the AI Academy stands apart. Professor Eric So pushed participants not just to understand artificial intelligence, but to think differently about it. Rather than lecturing, he walked among the teams, questioned assumptions, and made sure every participant fully grasped the material before the group moved on.
Will is a natural leader. In a cohort of more than 60 executives from 26 countries, he was one of the people who brought everyone together. What stood out most was how excited he was to learn. After decades of service and countless MIT programs, he still came to every session with real curiosity, and his instinct was always to take what he learned and use it to help others.
"He transformed my perspective," Davis says. "Every session left you thinking differently, seeking differently, and leading differently."
By the end of the program, Professor So had memorized every participant's name without ever glancing at a name tag, a small detail reflecting a much bigger commitment to personalized learning.
Behind the Scenes of a Historic Moment
Most participants remember their professors and classmates. Few see what happens behind the scenes. Davis never forgot.
As Director, Executive Programs, Mollie Laffin-Rose Agbiboa coordinated the final days of the Academy, quietly making sure his milestone unfolded exactly as Davis had hoped. Three people mattered most to him that week: his wife, Diana; his CEO, Marissa King of PE Systems; and Senior Associate Dean Peter Hirst, MBE.
Making that happen took more than a scheduling favor. When Marissa King's flight landed minutes before Davis's capstone presentation, Laffin-Rose Agbiboa stayed in constant contact, texting updates and coordinating logistics. At Davis's request, she rearranged the presentation order so his team went last, giving his CEO and his wife time to arrive before the ceremony.
Those details mattered to Davis. "The level of care, coordination, and commitment to making a milestone truly special is what separates MIT Sloan from other executive education experiences," he says. It was genuine care for one participant's experience.
One Hallway Conversation That Changed Everything
The journey toward two Advanced Certificates almost didn't happen. About a year before the Academy, Senior Associate Dean Peter Hirst ran into Davis in a hallway, and what followed became a conversation Davis has never forgotten.
Hirst explained that, based on the courses Davis had already completed, he was positioned to earn both Advanced Certificates. "I said, 'What's a Double ACE?'" Davis recalls. Hirst laid out what remained and made clear he believed Davis could pull it off. That confidence carried Davis through the following year. "He didn't just teach me," Davis says. "He mentored me. He guided me. He championed my journey."
Will truly exemplifies the spirit and commitment to lifelong learning that we see in so many of our executive education participants. He takes to heart MIT’s Mens et Manus philosophy and brings it to life. Hearing how he has applied the tools and frameworks learned throughout his MIT journey, along with the connections, relationships, and insights he has gained, to make meaningful differences for his organization and in the world is incredibly motivating. There are many outstanding certificate holders, but there is only one Will Davis. He stands out for the amount of time he has dedicated to developing through our programs and beyond. His journey reflects a sustained commitment to learning that extends well beyond the classroom. We appreciate that Will has been willing to share his stories with us in the classroom and with the world. I’m sure those stories will inspire others, as they certainly have inspired us.
When the final ceremony arrived, Hirst made sure he personally presented Davis's second Advanced Certificate before leaving that day for Scotland. For Davis, that gesture turned an already meaningful achievement into something he'll never forget. "His presence at my certificate ceremony was one of the most meaningful moments of my professional career," he says.
MIT Sloan Executive Education Senior Associate Dean Peter Hirst and Will Davis
More Than a Certificate Ceremony
The final ceremony was about more than handing over two certificates. It became a celebration of everyone who had supported Davis across nearly two decades of learning.
His wife, Diana, had traveled with him to Cambridge for every single MIT Sloan Executive Education program. She'd lived through the late nights, the studying, and the excitement that followed each course. This time, she got to see the finish line. Marissa King, CEO of PE Systems, flew to Cambridge for essentially a day trip, traveling solely to watch Davis deliver his final capstone presentation before heading home hours later.
Those gestures said something important. "This wasn't just an academic milestone," Davis says. "It was a life event." Coming from someone whose career includes combat deployments and decades of military leadership, ranking this achievement among the defining moments of his life says a great deal about what executive education can mean.
(Left to Right) Will Davis with CEO Marissa King at MIT AI Executive Academy 2026; Will Davis' official commander's photo taken in June 2001; Will Davis with his wife Diana on Newbury St, Boston
Making History, One Class at a Time
Looking back, earning both Advanced Certificates wasn't the result of one extraordinary week. It was the product of sustained commitment: 18 years, 21 courses, and 41 years of military and defense service, layered on top of thousands of hours of learning and hundreds of relationships built along the way.
For Davis, MIT Sloan Executive Education has been a partner for nearly half his professional career, shaping how he approaches leadership, modernization, innovation, and artificial intelligence. Above all, it has reinforced one belief: learning never ends. Davis hopes other executives recognize that transformational growth doesn't happen overnight. It happens one class, one conversation, one commitment at a time. "This," he says, "is what sustained commitment looks like."
The metaphor that stayed with him throughout the Academy captures it best. Executives arrive carrying experience. They leave carrying something more: an AI suitcase filled with practical tools, new perspectives, and ideas ready to put into action. That suitcase has been nearly two decades in the making. After 21 courses and two Advanced Certificates, Davis is still unpacking the suitcase, carrying its lessons back to the people and mission he has spent 41 years serving.
For leaders committed to making a difference, the journey of learning never truly ends.