AI Operations Consulting

I help companies solve real business problems with AI — and I have the results to prove it works.

Cloud cost accountability. Developer velocity. AI governance. Fixed-scope sprints with measurable outcomes — built on Fortune 50 scale.

$30M Annual cloud run rate reduction
41 days → 2 hrs App provisioning at Best Buy
56% Incident impact reduction at Target
10x ROI on $9M governance investment

Built for CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and CDOs at 500–5,000 employee enterprises

If your cloud bill keeps growing, your engineers are using AI tools without a standard, or your platform team has become the bottleneck — you need an answer fast. Not a multi-year transformation. A clear diagnosis and an actionable roadmap.

The problems I solve

  • Cloud spend that's grown past what anyone can defend to the CFO
  • AI tools in use without a security sign-off or enterprise standard
  • Platform team is the bottleneck — developers wait for everything
  • New CTO role with inherited problems and board pressure
  • Leadership gap: open VP seat, headcount freeze, interim period

What I bring

  • 15 years at Fortune 50 scale — Best Buy and Target
  • $30M cloud run rate reduction, 10x ROI on governance investment
  • 70-person global platform org and $25M platform budget
  • AI governance framework adopted enterprise-wide before an incident forced the decision
  • Harvard MLA in Information Technology

Not sure what AI could actually do for your business? Find out.

The AI Operations Quick Scan is a structured 3-hour working session where Stephanie listens to your top operational pain points and tells you exactly which ones AI can solve, what it would take, and what to tackle first.

You get a written report you can share with your team or leadership, plus a 30-minute review call. $997. No long-term commitment.

Most clients walk away with 3–5 concrete AI opportunities they didn't see before — and a clear answer on where to start.

Book My AI Operations Quick Scan →

Four sprints. Four to six weeks. Clear deliverable.

Each sprint is fixed scope and ends with a concrete deliverable — not a strategy deck. No retainer required.

AI Transformation Sprint

Move from AI pilot approval to org-wide adoption in 4–6 weeks

The pilot worked. Leadership bought in. Now teams aren't using the tools and ROI questions are getting harder to answer. Get an adoption maturity assessment, a change management plan, and a rollout playbook with real owners.

Proof: Copilot standardization + agentic development practices rolled out across a 70-person global engineering org at Best Buy.
See Sprint Details →
AI Governance Sprint

Build an enterprise AI operating model before the incident forces one

Engineers are using AI tools without a standard or security sign-off. Get ahead of the governance gap with a 60-day implementation roadmap.

Proof: 3-month structured bakeoff → Microsoft Copilot standardized across Best Buy before a security incident forced the decision.
See Sprint Details →
Platform Velocity Sprint

Find and fix the #1 platform constraint bottlenecking your developers

Your platform team is called a bottleneck by everyone except the platform team. Get a DORA benchmark and a 90-day improvement roadmap.

Proof: 41 days → 2 hours app provisioning at Best Buy by standardizing what "consistent" looked like and automating everything that followed.
See Sprint Details →
Cloud ROI Sprint

Quantify your cloud savings opportunity in 4 weeks

The CFO is asking hard questions about the cloud bill. Get the numbers — and the accountability model to make them stick.

Proof: $30M annual run rate reduction at Best Buy. 10x ROI on the governance investment.
See Sprint Details →

A practitioner, not a framework salesperson

Stephanie Culver

Fractional CTO & AI Strategy Consulting

I spent 15 years at Fortune 50 scale — leading the Strategic Cloud platform org at Best Buy and building the reliability systems at Target that delivered the first clean Thanksgiving in 30 years.

At Best Buy, I owned a $25M annual platform budget and a 70-person global engineering organization. We reduced annual cloud run rate by $30M, avoided $35M in capital expenditure, cut application provisioning from 41 days to 2 hours, and standardized enterprise AI tooling before a security incident forced the conversation.

I now work with CTOs and engineering leaders at mid-market and enterprise companies on the same problems — through fixed-scope sprints and fractional CTO engagements.

Best Buy — Director, Strategic Cloud Target — R3 Platform Engineering Harvard MLA in IT $30M Cloud Savings Fortune 50 Scale
→ Connect on LinkedIn

Frequently asked questions about AI consulting

What is an AI operations assessment?

A brief written analysis of which business operations are best suited for AI automation, what it would realistically take to implement, and what to tackle first. Stephanie Culver delivers it as a 3–5 page written report based on a structured listening session with the client.

How do I know if my business is ready for AI?

If you have at least one repeatable process that takes staff more than a few hours per week and involves moving, summarizing, or classifying information, there is almost certainly an AI improvement worth exploring. The AI Operations Quick Scan helps you identify exactly which ones.

What does an AI operating model look like for a small business?

An AI operating model for a small business typically identifies 3–5 high-leverage automation opportunities, establishes AI governance (what tools, what data, what oversight), and creates a 60-day rollout roadmap prioritized by impact and effort.

How much does AI consulting cost?

The AI Operations Quick Scan starts at $997 — a 3-hour listening session plus a written brief delivered in 5 business days. Full AI Operating Model Sprints typically run $15,000–$25,000 depending on scope.

20 minutes to find out if there's a fit

If cloud costs, developer velocity, or AI standardization are live conversations at your company this quarter, this is the fastest path to an answer.

Schedule a 20-Minute Call