Vince Ricco | AI Enablement

The best AI systems don't replace trust.
They're built on it.

I design governed, human-centered AI systems for individuals, startups, universities, and enterprises. Every system protects authentic voice and keeps human judgment in the loop.

Vince Ricco

AI Enablement & Implementation

About

I design AI systems that hold up under real-world pressure.

My work sits at the intersection of communications, governance, and applied AI. I architect workflow systems that operate inside institutions with regulatory constraints, distributed teams, and reputational risk. Higher education, clinical environments, hospitality, and global organizations all share one requirement: new tools have to earn trust before they scale. That's where I work.

Before AI, I spent more than a decade in live production, communications leadership, and institutional operations across the United States and Europe. I ran a PreK–8 school through COVID. I built communications infrastructure at Columbia. I led AI-enabled enrollment and marketing strategy at Fordham, generating $1.51M in confirmed incremental revenue in a single admissions cycle. Across every role, the lesson was consistent: if the system doesn't serve the people using it, it doesn't work.

Today I architect AI-enabled ecosystems that integrate governance, adoption strategy, training, and measurement from day one. I design for environments where data sensitivity, institutional accountability, and long-term sustainability aren't optional.

I'm based in New York and work globally. I'm direct, curious, and I like people. If we meet in person, I'll probably ask what you're eating.

Impact

"Every system I build starts with a real problem inside a real organization. The tools are the answer, not the pitch."

$1.51M

Confirmed incremental revenue, single cycle

36.8%

Enrollment lift vs. four-year average

600+

Annual communications assets governed by AI editorial system

From the 2025 MHC Yield Campaign at Fordham Graduate School of Education

Read the Full Impact Report

“During an anxiety-driven transition, Vince was able to lead through adversity and be the voice of reason and calm for those around him. He has a passion for learning that resonates and a natural ability to connect and communicate.”

Daniel Lee, VP Retail & Business Operations, Artly.ai

“Vince is one of the most impressive people I have encountered in a very long time. Driven and curious, goal-oriented, seeks advice and listens — really listens. Anyone would be lucky to work with him.”

Peggy Crane, Senior Manager, Holland America Line

“Vince consistently understands the broader institutional goals and steps up to launch initiatives that move us forward. His strategic use of emerging technologies and marketing systems has positioned our school at the forefront of change.”

Director of Enrollment, Fordham Graduate School of Education

“Vince is an extremely talented communicator — he touches and inspires audiences in a captivating but genuine manner. He adapts seamlessly to evolving situations and handles all public relations with class and diplomacy.”

Megan Minakov, Entertainment Director, Holland America Line

“Vince is a key player in whatever he does. A born leader, his strategies are among the finest I’ve seen in business. A highly skilled people person who leads a team with just the right amount of balance and finesse.”

Jamie Sampson, Founder, 33 Entertainment Group

Systems Portfolio

Tools I've Built and Deployed

Each system is custom-built, governed, and operating in production across higher education, hospitality, health and wellness, and individual coaching.

Maroon Quill

Editorial Governance

Standardizes institutional voice across distributed teams and high-volume communications. Deployed at Fordham GSE across 600+ annual assets.

600+ assets/year governed

Torchlight

Behavioral Strategy

Uses behavioral research and engagement data to guide outreach timing, channel selection, and message focus. Powered the campaign that generated $1.51M in confirmed incremental tuition revenue.

$1.51M confirmed revenue lift

Fortress

Health & Wellness Intelligence

Wearable-integrated system that synthesizes nutrition, movement, sleep, and behavioral data into clinician-reviewable summaries. Co-designed with mental health and nutrition professionals.

PHI-conscious design · GDPR-aligned · clinician-reviewed

Continuum

Evaluation & Feedback

Helps school leaders align qualitative feedback to the Danielson Framework while preserving their own voice and professional judgment.

Adopted by NYC DOE principals

POP Voice

Multilingual Adaptation

Adapts institutional and brand messaging across languages while preserving meaning and tone. Cut manual translation for localization marketers by 60%.

60% reduction in manual translation

Scaffold

Career Decision Support

Helps professionals articulate their experience clearly and evaluate next steps. Built with ethical guardrails to keep outputs accurate and honest.

Presented at Columbia University & NASPA national conference

Credentials

Academic Background

MBA

Applied AI & Communications

Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business

International Economics & Cultural Diplomacy

Hochschule Furtwangen, Germany

Graduate Fellow

Applied Linguistics

University of Bologna, Italy

Bachelor of Music

Montclair State University

Languages

English

Native

Italian

C2 — Near-Native

German

B2 — Professional

Spanish

B1 — Intermediate

How I Work

AI built to hold up under scrutiny.

Most implementations fail at adoption. I work backwards from governance, so by the time we deploy, your team is already bought in.

Discovery → Governance Design → Build or Source → Deploy → Adopt

AI-Enabled Workflow Systems

Custom tools that slot into how your team already works. They reduce manual effort, surface better information at the right moment, and keep a human in control of every decision that matters.

Adoption Playbooks & Training

A new tool means nothing if your staff won't use it. I build the training, communication, and change management that turns skeptics into advocates — before launch, not after.

Governance Frameworks

Who can see what, when, and why — documented and defensible. Built for healthcare and education environments where sensitive data, regulatory requirements, and institutional accountability are part of the job.

Dashboards & Measurement

Clear reporting that shows leadership what's actually happening — so you can double down on what works, fix what doesn't, and justify the investment to anyone who asks.

Background

I have always believed that people deserve to feel safe in the systems built around them.

Most AI projects don't fail because the technology broke. They fail because the people it was built for never trusted it. That gap is a human problem. It requires a human answer.

I spent years working on cruise ships across dozens of countries, eventually rising to Cruise Director, responsible for the full guest experience across thousands of people, multiple nationalities, and ports that changed every 48 hours. You learn quickly: if people do not feel safe, informed, and genuinely cared for, nothing else works. Not the programming. Not the logistics. Not the team.

That is the same standard I bring to AI work. That means governance frameworks that exist before the first prompt is written. Data handling decisions made at the architecture level, not added later. Training that does not end at go-live. And a hard line against deploying systems that cannot be audited, explained, or turned off.

A live presentation to 800 guests at sea. The audience is different now. The job is the same.