From the Classroom to the Boardroom, and Back Again

DBA ’25, Golden Gate University
Faculty, GGU India AA Program
Pre-Sales Solutions Leader, Datamatics

Dr. Smrite Goudhaman enrolled in GGU’s Doctor of Business Administration program with a question she couldn’t answer through work experience alone: are organizations truly understanding how people learn and adapt as AI reshapes the workplace?

“I wasn’t looking for a degree,” she says. “I was looking for meaning.”

That question became the spine of her doctoral research, her career at Datamatics, and her work teaching GGU students in India.

The First, Twice Over

Dr. Goudhaman was the first person in GGU’s India cohort to complete the DBA, and the first in her family to earn a doctorate. She describes both as defining pressures of the journey.

“Every late night, every revision, every defense wasn’t just about completing a program. It was about proving that global, rigorous research can come from anywhere in the world — and that sometimes, one person stepping forward can carry the dreams of many.”

After graduating, that sense of responsibility shifted from her own achievement toward what she could do for others.

What the Research Changed

Her doctoral research focused on AI-enabled training systems and why people resist technology even when it is designed to help them. The findings changed how she works.

“My research showed that even the most advanced AI tools fail if people don’t feel confident using them,” she says. “Workforce development is no longer about teaching skills. It’s about building comfort, curiosity, and confidence with technology.”

She now designs AI-led systems for large organizations at Datamatics. The questions she brings to that work trace directly to her GGU research: What does this mean for the person using this system? Where does human judgment still matter?

“Adoption is never about technology alone. It’s about trust.”

Her work evolved from a controlled pilot study into a larger longitudinal implementation, helping organizations better understand how human oversight, trust, and learning behavior influence AI adoption at scale.

Teaching at GGU

Dr. Goudhaman now serves as faculty in GGU’s Associate of Arts program in India. She did not plan to teach, but over time, she felt a sense of obligation to share what she had learned in the field.

“Teaching allows me to close that loop,” she says. “I take what I see in industry into the classroom, and what I hear from students back into industry.”

She wants students to leave with confidence in their own judgment, specifically in an AI-driven world where she believes empathy is a leadership skill, not a soft one.

On Responsible AI

Dr. Goudhaman was featured on the cover of Conglomerate Magazine this year for her work on ethical, human-centered AI. She is also a member of the International Association of Safe and Ethical AI (IASEAI).

The most common mistake she sees from organizations is assuming that people will adopt new technology simply because it has been implemented.

“Adoption is emotional,” she says. “It requires trust, clarity, and support. Without that, even the best systems fail.”

On governance, she is direct: responsible AI means clear accountability for decisions, human oversight where it matters, and the discipline to ask not just whether something can be done, but whether it should be.

What’s Next

Dr. Goudhaman wants her next five years to operate at the intersection of academia, enterprise, and policy.

“I want to help shape what responsible, human-centered AI looks like for the world. It’s a big statement. It’s meant to be. Because the future we’re building with AI is too important to approach quietly.”

For GGU students, her story is evidence that a mid-career doctoral degree opens doors that experience alone does not.

Dr. Smrite Goudhaman earned her Doctor of Business Administration from Golden Gate University (GGU) and teaches in GGU’s Associate of Arts program in India. She is a Pre-Sales Solutions Leader in AI and Enterprise Transformation at Datamatics and a member of the International Association of Safe and Ethical AI (IASEAI).