07-08-2026
Strategizing how business can make the most of technology means anticipating issues such as privacy, bias, workforce disruption, energy consumption and AI-generated misinformation. With more than three decades of experience navigating these realities, Daniels School alumnus Tim Coleman has seen firsthand how emerging technologies reshape industries, create new opportunities and challenge leaders to think differently.
As the school’s newest Business Fellow, Coleman hopes to bring those experiences into the Daniels community, helping students and faculty connect classroom concepts with the realities of leading transformation in a complex business environment.
“Working as chief technology officer at Eli Lilly and Company has given me a practitioner’s view of what it takes to drive business transformation at scale,” Coleman says. “I hope to bring that real-world perspective into academic and research conversations to sharpen how students think about technology, not just as a tool but as a strategic lever.”
Coleman’s career at Lilly spans multiple roles and technology cycles, from the rise of enterprise computing and data analytics to today’s AI-driven economy. Projects delivered within his portfolio have been recognized nationally for digital innovation, bottom-line value and visionary leadership, including multiple CIO100 and FutureEdge 50 awards. Coleman was also honored by TechPoint with the 2025 Mira Trailblazer Award for bold leadership, innovative risk-taking and contributions with lasting and significant growth impact on the state of Indiana and its tech ecosystem.
Coleman is convinced that technological literacy is becoming essential for every business professional, regardless of industry or function. He believes AI represents one of the most significant opportunities of the current era, but also one of the most misunderstood.
“College students should not be afraid of AI,” Coleman says. “They should be informed about AI and not indifferent to it. Fear is rarely a productive response to transformative technology.”
Rather than focusing solely on what AI might replace, Coleman encourages students to think about how they can remain relevant and effective in a world increasingly shaped by intelligent technologies. While some jobs will inevitably change, he argues that people who learn to work alongside AI — and who cultivate uniquely human capabilities such as creativity, judgment, curiosity and empathy — will be best positioned to succeed.
Those ideas are central to how Coleman hopes to engage with students during his fellowship.
“I want to be a bridge between what’s happening in industry and what’s being studied in the classroom,” he says. “I’m interested in working alongside faculty on research where industry application lags behind theory, and engaging students on ambiguous business problems that define real leadership.”
He sees particular opportunities in areas such as AI adoption and digital transformation, where business practices are evolving so quickly that organizations are often writing the playbook as they go. By sharing lessons learned from leading technology initiatives at a global company, Coleman hopes to help students better understand both the opportunities and challenges that accompany innovation.
At the same time, he emphasizes that enthusiasm for technology must be balanced with thoughtful consideration of its broader impacts. “The ethical response should not be to slow everything down but to build guardrails proportional to the risks,” Coleman says.
That balanced perspective also informs his vision for collaboration between industry and academia. He believes the accelerating pace of AI innovation creates a unique opportunity for businesses and universities to work together more closely than ever before.
“Industry brings scale, real problems and urgency,” Coleman says. “Academia brings rigor, curiosity and the freedom to think longer term. When those strengths are combined around meaningful challenges, the research gets sharper and students graduate better prepared to lead real transformation.”
As the Daniels School continues to expand its focus on technology, analytics and AI, Coleman’s experience offers students and faculty a valuable connection to the realities of innovation in practice. Through mentoring, collaboration and engagement, he hopes to help prepare the next generation of leaders for a future where business and technology are increasingly inseparable.
“That’s the collaboration I want to help Daniels pursue,” Coleman says, “and it’s what I think the next generation of business leaders genuinely deserves.”
A Daniels School Business Fellow is a senior industry leader with more than 20 years of experience or a significant contribution to their field. Fellows serve as an extension to the Daniels School’s strategy, representing the school in their industry, engaging with students, faculty, and curriculum, and providing thought leadership to guide our future direction.
