Professor Richard H. Kohn
Cohort Writing Fellowship
2026-2027
Arthur Billingsley
Project: Convergent Leadership: reimagining strategic decision-making in an interconnected world
Arthur Billingsley’s professional career fused front-line engineering expertise, C-suite leadership, distinguished military service, and a passion for aviation and teaching. Enlisting in the Navy from High School as Nuclear Power Machinist Mate, Billingsley was later selected for undergraduate scholarship. He continued his military career as a Surface Warfare Officer, Engineering Duty Officer and Acquisition Professional. Following his military career, as founder and principal of technology consulting firm, he guided defense and federal clients on enterprise IT, strategy, AI/ML, and cybersecurity, drawing on prior executive posts at a number of fortune 50 firms. Billingsley’s engineering credentials rest on a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering from Auburn University. A licensed multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot with more than 1,800 flight hours, he channels his aviation acumen into published articles and executive board service for nonprofit STEM and aviation organizations. Billingsley unites disciplined engineering thinking, executive vision, and instructional zeal, delivering mission-critical technology, cultivating next-generation leaders, and exemplifying the credo he instills in others: “Leave it better than you received it.”
Nikki Dean
Project: The Kaiser’s Ashtray: the impact of vigilantism on diplomacy in post-WWI Europe
Nikki Dean currently serves as a Military Educator and Interpreter for the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, providing education content and professional development support to military audiences. A retiree from the U.S. Army, she served for over 21 years as an aviation officer and was stationed throughout the United States, in Germany and in the Republic of Korea, and is a veteran of the recent Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Her last assignment with the U.S. Army was with the Combined Arms Center in Fort Leavenworth, developing command and control and capstone doctrine and hosting the Breaking Doctrine podcast. She is a current Ph.D. student at the University of Kansas, researching the intersection of armed conflict, cultural material, and the enduring impact of the post-WWI treaties of peace and the Inter-Allied Reparations Commission on cultural collections and institutions. She holds a B.A. in Journalism and French from Canisius College, additional M.A.s in National Security Studies and in Military Arts and Sciences, and recently completed an M.A. in Museum Studies with the University of Kansas in 2023. While all of her graduate studies are Midwestern, she is a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan.
Jeremy Kofsky
Project: Machines Without Mourning
Jeremy Kofsky is a Marine veteran and AI strategist with two decades of experience integrating human judgment with machine intelligence. From combat operations in Iraq to enterprise transformation at Deloitte and MIT-linked innovation teams, he has built systems that help organizations see clearer, decide faster, and act smarter. His focus is turning complex data into trusted, explainable insights that save time, money, and lives.
He has led AI and digital modernization programs across the Department of Defense, State Department, and global enterprises, delivering measurable results: reducing decision cycles by 40%, improving operational readiness, and enabling data-driven strategy at scale. A Brute Krulak Innovation Scholar and Expeditionary Warfare Excellence Award recipient, he brings battlefield pragmatism and boardroom precision to responsible AI adoption.