Episode 443 "AI Infrastructure & Capital Strategy" w/ Brandon Chicotsky, Ph.D., Texas Senator Tan Parker, John Nichols, and Chase Friedman.
Episode 443 "AI Infrastructure & Capital Strategy" w/ Brandon Chicotsky, Ph.D., Texas Senator Tan Parker, John Nichols, and Chase Friedman.
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Previously serving in the Texas House, Tan held leading committee roles on policy matters vital to our state. His leadership was instrumental in the unanimous election by his colleagues as chair of the House Republican Caucus during the 84th and 85th legislative sessions.
Tan’s legislative success touches a broad range of issues facing Texans and serves as a reflection of open dialogue with his constituency. His legislative accomplishments represent his extensive work fostering Texas’ economic vitality and protecting our most vulnerable.
Tan graduated from the University of Dallas and earned a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics before building a distinguished private sector career in technology and private equity. He also created the book, Making Government Work.
Tan Parker is a businessman, who grew up in North Texas working in his family’s restaurants while volunteering in his community. He married his college sweetheart, Beth, and they moved to Flower Mound, raising their daughters, Lauren and Ashley. While family comes first, Tan considers working for the betterment of Texas the highest honor of his professional life.
The bedrock of his service is exemplified through passionate advocacy for community and fighting for common-sense, conservative policies that strengthen Texas’s prosperity.
John Nichols is a recognized leader in artificial intelligence and innovation, currently serving as the Technology Lead for AI & Innovation within EY’s Government & Public Sector (GPS) practice. Passionate about helping public institutions navigate the complexities of digital transformation, John works closely with city governments, state agencies, and public education systems to drive meaningful change through emerging technologies. He has played a key role in developing responsible AI frameworks, advancing the adoption of AI/ML in secure environments, and modernizing infrastructure with cloud-native, compliant solutions.
John’s work is grounded in a deep commitment to public service and innovation, especially in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. He partners with leaders across government and education to ensure technology is applied in ways that are ethical, scalable, and inclusive. Whether collaborating with CIOs, economic development teams, or innovation labs, John brings a people-first approach rooted in trust, empathy, and a long-term vision for impact.
He has spoken on AI at national forums, led executive conversations with state leaders, and partnered with organizations including the White House, Microsoft, and AAAE. John also serves on the board of the Keller Education Foundation and is a strong advocate for AI literacy in underserved communities.
At the heart of it all, John is a community builder. He believes the most powerful innovations are those shaped by the needs of the people they serve and he works every day to make that belief real.
Chase Friedman is Managing Partner at Alpine Anchor, an AI automation platform making enterprise capabilities accessible to SMBs. With 10 years in sales and solution architecting, he combines technical expertise and business acumen, rapidly architecting solutions. Previously spending weeks building integrations at Venn Technology, he now delivers them in hours. His philosophy: click to deploy, not code—enabling businesses to scale operations without scaling headcount.
