Confidence
You've done it yourself. When AI comes up in the boardroom or the all-hands, you speak from experience because you built something that works.
Martha's Vineyard · Oak Bluffs · August 2027
Lead the AI change.
Don't chase it.
Two days on the island for senior leaders accountable for people, culture, and change. You work in the tools yourself, on real problems from your own organization, in a small room of peers. Then you go home and lead it. Earn 12 SHRM PDCs, or 18 with VIP.
- Retreats
- Monday and Tuesday, August 2 and 3 or August 9 and 10, 2027
- AI Summit
- Thursday, August 5, 2027
- Where
- Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard
- Early pricing
- $2,500 deposit before January 1
Why this retreat
Your hands on the tools from the first hour.
You already know AI matters. What leaders rarely get is protected time to build with it, on their own work, with expert guidance in the room. These two days give you that time.
Built on your real work
Bring a process from your own organization. You build on it using sanitized data and leave with something that runs.
A room of peers
Senior leaders accountable for people, culture, and change, in a room small enough that everyone gets hands-on help.
Governance from day one
Everything you build, you also learn to govern: data, risk, vendors, and the policy that lets your teams move with confidence.
What changes for you
Three things you take home and keep.
Conviction
You know what to back, what to pause, and what to pass on, with clear judgment about where AI helps your people and where it doesn't.
Credibility
You walk back in with working tools, a governance starting point, and a 90-day plan. Your team sees you using it first.
SHRM recertification credit
Earn up to 18 SHRM PDCs.
Every seat earns SHRM Professional Development Credits toward your SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification. That makes your seat simple to fund from a development budget.
-
12SHRM PDCs
Executive Seat
Both retreat days on the island, with your hands on the tools.
Executive Seat · Nonprofit and education rate -
18SHRM PDCs
VIP Seat
The retreat plus 90 days with Bethanie: two small-group calls a month, September through November.
VIP Seat
Marley Nonami, Inc. is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities. The retreat is valid for 12 PDCs, and the retreat with the 90-day VIP program is valid for 18 PDCs, for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification. Every seat also earns CPD (Continuing Professional Development) hours.
The experience
Monday you build. Tuesday you lead.
Two full days in a room set for working. Guest faculty who have deployed AI at enterprise scale join Bethanie and are announced here as each commitment is confirmed.
Build
The Tooling Lab
- Morning
Opening session. Where AI stands inside organizations right now, and what you came here to solve.
- Late morning
Lab, block one. Set up your workspace and build your first assistant on a real workflow.
- Midday
Lunch with the room. Chef-prepared and unhurried.
- Afternoon
Lab, block two. Agentic workflows, and connecting AI to the systems you already run.
- Close
Show the room. Everyone shares one thing they built today.
Lead
The Governance and Leadership Forum
- Morning
Governance in practice. Data, risk, vendor questions, and policy that frees your teams to move.
- Late morning
Bringing your people with you. Leading adoption when people are unsure, using the ADOPT Method™.
- Midday
Lunch with the room.
- Afternoon
Your 90-day plan. Measurable targets you set, pressure-tested with your peers.
- Close
Closing circle. What you built, what you'll lead, and who you'll call when you get home.
The place
Oak Bluffs, on purpose.
Oak Bluffs began in 1835 as a camp meeting, a place people traveled to on purpose to gather, listen, and leave changed. For more than a century since, it has been a summer home for Black families, professionals, and leaders who built community on this shore.
We chose it for that history. It's the right place to do serious work about the future of people at work.
- Sessions
- A private room in Oak Bluffs set with round tables, power at every seat, and full AV. We'll announce the venue soon.
- Connectivity
- Dedicated Starlink, so the tools never wait on venue Wi-Fi.
- Getting here
- Ferry to the island or fly into Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY). Travel and lodging guidance arrives as soon as your seat is held.
Your host
Bethanie Nonami
Founder and CEO, Marley Nonami, Inc.
Bethanie's story starts with a high school diploma and caregiver roots. Over 35+ years in technology she rose to Senior Vice President at IBM, and since founding Marley Nonami in 2017 she has trained more than 21,500 professionals to lead with AI.
She teaches the ADOPT Method™: Acknowledge the fear, Demystify the tech, Own your human edge, Practice in community, Take the lead. It exists because AI adoption usually stalls for human reasons. One belief runs through every hour of this retreat.
Nobody is unadoptable.
- TEDx Harlem speaker, 2026
- Stevie Award, Best Training Practice
- SHRM Recertification Provider
- CPD (Continuing Professional Development) certified
Track record
Years of rooms like this one.
- Years in technology
- 35+
- Professionals trained
- 21,500+
- Certifications issued
- 2,000+
- Participant reviews
- 4,300+
Trusted by leaders at
The best way to understand what these systems do, how they help, and how to use them across every department in an organization.
She provided a roadmap for how to safely approach and advance your AI knowledge and develop expertise.
An interactive AI session that showed us how to use various tools for research and evaluation to help address real world work issues.
Worth every minute. She makes participants feel capable of learning and engaging AI.
For the person who approves this
The business case, in one place.
If you're the one signing off, this section is for you. Leaders, it's written so you can forward it as is.
Return on investment
What comes back to your organization
Your leader returns with working AI tools built on your own processes, a governance starting point for AI decisions, and a 90-day adoption plan they own. If you're weighing AI training at scale, this is also the most complete way to see the method in action before an organization-wide decision.
Data security
Nothing confidential goes into a public tool
Lab work uses sanitized or synthetic versions of your real workflows. The governance sessions then cover how to hold that same standard across your organization, including what to require from AI vendors in writing.
Measurable outcomes
What you can check at 90 days
- Working AI tools built during the lab, on a real workflow
- A governance checklist for AI vendor and tool decisions
- A 90-day plan with measurable targets your leader sets and reports against
- VIP seats add small-group working calls twice a month, September through November
Cost justification
Funded like professional development
Your leader earns 12 SHRM PDCs, or 18 with the VIP Seat's 90 days of small-group calls, plus CPD (Continuing Professional Development) hours. Many organizations fund attendance from development budgets. Early pricing holds with a $2,500 deposit before January 1, which can come from this year's budget. The balance is due February 1 and June 1.
A ready-made approval request
Copy it, add your approver's name, and send.
Subject: Request to attend the AI Executive Retreat, August 2027
Hi [Name],
I'd like to attend the AI Executive Retreat in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, on [August 2 and 3 / August 9 and 10], 2027. It's two days of hands-on work in AI tools, built around our own processes and led by Bethanie Nonami (35+ years in technology, 21,500+ professionals trained).
What we get back:
· Working AI tools built on one of our real workflows
· A governance checklist for AI vendor and tool decisions
· A 90-day adoption plan with measurable targets I'll report against
No confidential company data goes into public AI tools during the program, and governance is covered throughout.
The retreat earns 12 SHRM PDCs (18 with the VIP Seat) plus CPD (Continuing Professional Development) hours, so this can come from our development budget. Early pricing is $8,500 with a $2,500 deposit before January 1, and the balance is due February 1 and June 1.
Full details: [page link]
Could we talk about it this week?
[Your name]
Apply for your seat
Two ways in.
Every seat includes both retreat days, chef-prepared breakfast and lunch, the Tooling Lab, and the Governance and Leadership Forum. Every seat starts with a short application, and you choose your dates when you reserve.
Retreat OneMonday and Tuesday, August 2 and 3The AI Summit follows on Thursday, August 5
Retreat TwoMonday and Tuesday, August 9 and 10The AI Summit comes first, on Thursday, August 5
Executive Seat
$8,500early pricing
12SHRM PDCs
With a $2,500 deposit before January 1. The Executive Seat is $10,000 from January 1.
- Both retreat days, Monday and Tuesday
- The Tooling Lab and the Governance and Leadership Forum
- Pre-retreat training and cohort calls
- Chef-prepared breakfast and lunch both days
- Your 90-day plan, pressure-tested with the room
- 12 SHRM PDCs, plus CPD (Continuing Professional Development) hours
VIP Seat
Support through November$15,000
18SHRM PDCs
Everything in the Executive Seat, plus a small group that keeps your plan moving after you get home.
- Everything in the Executive Seat
- Small-group working calls twice a month, September through November
- 18 SHRM PDCs in total, plus CPD (Continuing Professional Development) hours
- Groups capped at number leaders
- Reserved seating at the AI Summit on Thursday, August 5
Nonprofit and education leaders. The Executive Seat is $7,500, with verification at checkout, and earns the same 12 SHRM PDCs.
Apply at this rateHow payment works
- Once you're accepted$2,500 deposit
Holds your seat and your retreat dates. Before January 1 for early pricing.
- February 1, 2027Second payment
The first half of your remaining balance.
- June 1, 2027Final payment
Your seat is paid in full well ahead of August.
Seats are non-refundable and transferable. If plans change, move to the other retreat or transfer your seat to a colleague with written notice by June 1.
The AI Summit · Thursday, August 5 · Oak Bluffs
Bring your team to the AI Summit.
Between the two retreats, we open the doors wider. The AI Summit brings together executives, founders, and the teams they lead for a practical, value-first day on the island, with no one selling from the stage. It's a strong way to bring your people into the conversation you'll start when you get home.
Venue: announced soon
- $497early registration
- $797after January and at the door
- $999VIP add-on with breakfast and a group call after the event
Questions
Before you reserve.
Who is this retreat for?
Senior leaders accountable for people, culture, and change: CHROs, chief people and learning officers, heads of talent and operations, and the executives they partner with.
How many SHRM PDCs will I earn?
The Executive Seat earns 12 SHRM PDCs. The VIP Seat earns 18, because it adds 90 days of small-group calls with Bethanie, twice a month. Every seat also earns CPD (Continuing Professional Development) hours. You receive your credit documentation after the retreat.
How does the application work?
It takes about five minutes. Our team reads every application personally and follows up for a short conversation. Once you're accepted, you receive a private link to hold your seat with a $2,500 deposit.
Do I need a technical background?
No. Everyone works at their own pace with guidance in the room. If you can send an email, you can build in the lab.
What should I bring?
A laptop with browser access, and one or two real processes from your organization that you'd like to improve. We send a short prep guide before you arrive.
Is lodging included?
Lodging is booked separately. August on the island fills early, so we send lodging guidance as soon as your seat is held.
What if my plans change?
Seats are non-refundable and transferable. You can move to the other retreat or transfer your seat to a colleague with written notice by June 1.
Can my organization send more than one leader?
Yes, and it's often the strongest choice, because your leaders come home with a shared plan. You can also split leaders across both retreats. For three or more seats, email us and we'll help you plan it.
How is our data protected during the lab?
Nothing confidential goes into a public AI tool in this room. Lab work uses sanitized or synthetic versions of your real workflows. See the approver section above for the full picture.
Oak Bluffs · August 2027
Come do the real work.
Apply now. Accepted leaders hold early pricing with a $2,500 deposit before January 1.
Questions from you or your approver? Email retreat email address.