Paul LaForge, PhD, serves as Vice President and Dean in the School of Technology at Western Governors University, overseeing AI, Data, Computer Science, and Software Engineering programs. He holds a PhD in Economics, specializing in labor market analysis and platform behavior, and is committed to helping organizations innovate responsibly while building the workforce they need to sustain that innovation.

Paul is a strategically minded technology executive and systems thinker who helps organizations scale innovation into durable outcomes. His work is especially focused on how AI reshapes work, skills, and operating models. He brings 20+ years of technology leadership experience, including eight years as a Chief Technology Officer in both venture-backed and established organizations. Across that work, Paul has built, led, and scaled cross-functional teams spanning product, AI and machine learning, software engineering, cloud, and security. His teams have delivered platforms and transformations that improved scalability, reliability, and measurable business outcomes.

Paul is known for bringing strategic clarity to complex transformation, connecting technology and innovation investments to real outcomes and strengthening the organizational capabilities that make progress durable. He pairs systems thinking with pragmatic strategy to focus efforts on the highest-leverage opportunities, reduce execution friction, and create the conditions for change to scale. A consistent theme in his work is balancing ambition with discipline, moving quickly, learning continuously, and evolving teams and operating models as roles and skill needs change.