Lightning Lessons

Lead AI Adoption as a Change Agent

Hosted by Ethan Evans and Sue Bethanis, Ed.D.

Wed, Sep 17, 2025

4:00 PM UTC (30 minutes)

Virtual (Zoom)

Free to join

138 students

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Go deeper with a course

Cracking the C-suite 'How to Get and Master Key Executive Roles'
Ethan Evans and Sue Bethanis, Ed.D.
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What you'll learn

Embody the Change Agent Role for AI Success

Learn how top leaders are embracing the "change agent" role to drive AI transformation beyond traditional management.

Master the Mindset Shift: Expect and Embrace Change

Reframe AI disruption as growth using the "sandpile" concept to navigate change with confidence, not fear.

Practice Empathy-Driven AI Leadership

Lead with understanding, not mandates. Hear real strategies from senior leaders on turning fear into curiosity.

Live audience Q&A

We will end with audience Q&A. So bring your questions!

Why this topic matters

AI Adoption is no longer merely about implementing GenAI tools. It's more about humans partnering with AI. And with that shift, AI Adoption (especially as part of the change management parlance) should be seen as a human disruption issue as much as—if not more than—a technical/digital one. The top leaders act as responsible change agents to help usher in this change.

You'll learn from

Ethan Evans

Former Amazon VP (15+ years); 70+ patents; led global teams of 800+

In Ethan's 15+ years at Amazon, he led global teams of 800+ and invented well-known businesses and products such as Prime Video, Amazon Video, Amazon Appstore, Merch by Amazon, Prime Gaming (formerly Twitch Prime), and Twitch Commerce.


  • Hold 70+ patents.
  • Reviewed 10,000+ resumes and conducted 2,500+ interviews.
  • Was an Amazon Bar Raiser and Bar Raiser Core Leader, responsible for training and maintaining Amazon's group of interview outcome facilitators.
  • Helped advocate for and draft the Amazon Leadership Principle (LP) “Ownership” — the words, “They never say ‘that’s not my job.’” are Ethan's.


Ethan has promoted 8 reports from Senior Manager (Amazon L7) to Director (Amazon L8), contributed to 25+ Director promotions, hired 10+ Directors internally and externally, drove the promotion of 3 engineers to Principal, and of his former reports 2 are current Amazon VPs (L10) and 5 are C-Suite outside of Amazon.


Ethan retired from Amazon as a Vice President in September 2020 to focus on paying forward his good fortune to others.


Prior to Amazon, Ethan spent 12 years at 3 startups.


Follow Ethan on LinkedIn and subscribe to his newsletter to get candid career advice.

Sue Bethanis, Ed.D.

Executive Coach & CEO/Founder, Mariposa Leadership; coached 400+ tech executives

Susan J. Bethanis, Ed.D., is the CEO/Founder of Mariposa Leadership, Inc., a 15-person San Francisco- based firm, which provides executive coaching and design thinking to high-tech leaders.


Sue is the author of the well-received business book Leadership Chronicles of a Corporate Sage (Kaplan Publishing, 2004) and hosts the popular show WiseTalk, a monthly leadership forum, and WiseSpace, a Zoom coaching community.


Sue regularly facilitates strategy offsites and delivers keynotes on influence, coaching, and innovation. Most recently, Sue has been focused on supporting executives to pivot strategies and enhance culture given the Hybrid/Remote work environment.


Using real-time, relevant business issues, Sue helps executives:

  • Energize their leadership skills that results in increased influence across the organization.
  • Energize their leadership teams that results in increased engagement, motivation, and productivity.
  • Energize their leadership creativity that results in innovative and sustainable organizational strategies, structures, and culture


​Sue has worked with many Silicon Valley and San Francisco companies and non-profits, including C-level Executives and VPs at Amazon, Apple, Cisco, eBay, EqCA, Expedia, GoFundMe, Google, Guru, HPE, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft, MongoDB, Monite, Paypal, Pinterest, Roku, Twitch, Workday, Yahoo!, and Zynga.

Amazon 15+ years & Mariposa 27+ Years

Amazon
Mariposa Leadership

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