Jason Balser
Senior Director, AI & Data Strategy, RELI Group Inc.
With Jason Balser’s leadership, RELI Group moved from AI interest to AI execution by building the internal strategy, governance, workforce enablement and solution frameworks needed to responsibly apply AI across federal missions.
This includes launching RELI’s AI Foundations Learning Path, creating its AI Maturity Assessment Framework and helping implement emerging technologies like agentic AI into practical, governed solutions for client operations. The result is a clearer path for using AI to improve speed, quality and mission outcomes.
“Jason has played a critical role in shaping how we approach applied AI across the enterprise,” said RELI Group Chief Innovation Officer Sarah Sanchez. “From establishing thoughtful guardrails and advancing responsible AI practices to developing enterprise training and helping teams understand the practical value of AI within our solutions, he continues to lead with both vision and purpose. He understands that applied AI is not simply about adopting new technology, but about enabling smarter outcomes, improving mission delivery and creating meaningful value for our customers and teams.”
Why Watch
In 2026, Balser’s team is heavily focused on operationalizing AI in ways that are practical, secure and mission-aligned for government customers. They are prioritizing agentic AI, data intelligence, program integrity and AI-enabled workflow modernization while keeping human oversight and governance as the guiding factors of those implementations. The goal is to help agencies use responsible AI to improve decision support and accelerate their operations.
RELI is aligning with the administration’s efficiency priorities by helping agencies modernize operations, reduce manual burden, and apply technology in ways that produce measurable mission value rather than technology for technology’s sake, he said. RELI’s focus on applied AI, data intelligence, program integrity and operational efficiency directly supports efforts to streamline workflows, improve oversight and make better use of existing federal data and systems.
They are also emphasizing practical implementation models, including commercial and configurable platforms, automation, agentic AI, and human-in-the-loop review, so agencies can improve productivity while maintaining accountability, security and trust.
“I believe the purpose of technology is to serve people: to improve our lives, expand our capabilities and create space for the work and relationships that matter most,” Balser said. “When we lose sight of that, technology can have the opposite effect, undermining the very things it was meant to support. That belief shapes how I approach AI: not as a replacement for people, but as a tool to help us do our best work.”
Fun fact: Balser enjoys keynote speaking and delivered a TEDx talk last year on the power of lifelong learning.
