CEO & Founder, Northline Strategy — AI strategy, governance, digital transformation, and execution.
About Dr. Buehler-Hoard
Professional
I am the CEO and Founder of Northline Strategy, an advisory firm that helps executive teams in regulated industries—education, healthcare, financial services, and government—navigate the challenges of AI adoption and organizational transformation.
Northline’s work is built around a simple but urgent idea: the challenge isn’t finding the right AI tool. It’s building an organization that can actually use it. I call this the Acceleration Gap—the widening distance between what technology makes possible and what organizations are designed to do. Closing it requires more than a software decision. It requires leadership alignment, governance built to enable rather than restrict, and a deliberate redesign of how work gets done.
My background shaped this directly. As a former Chief Technology Officer and Chief Compliance Officer with more than 15 years of experience in complex, regulated environments, I understand both the urgency to move and the governance structures that exist for good reason. That combination—speed and structure—is what Northline was built to deliver.
I work with executive teams through strategic advisory engagements, structured workshops, and hands-on implementation support. The goal is always practical progress—not presentations that end in a binder on a shelf.
Acceleration, by Design.
Academic
I have a B.A. in Religion and French from Augustana College (now University), a Master of Theological Studies with a focus on Jewish Studies and Holocaust Literature from Harvard Divinity School, and a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University. My academic interests range from theological discussions to education technology and virtual learning to widespread AI alignment in organizations.
Those threads—leadership, innovation, and AI alignment—converged directly in the founding of Northline Strategy. The question I kept returning to in my doctoral work was not whether AI would transform organizations, but whether organizations were actually designed to transform. That question became a company
Personal
I am a proud father and husband. Family is the most important thing to me and I have always been blessed to be able to put them first. In my spare time, I enjoy home projects, hiking, video games, spending quality time with friends, and exploring new places. Minnesota is home but I won't turn down any chance to go back and visit Boston!