AI Ethics Strategist: Felecia Webb

What do the runways of Paris, a patient navigation center in Harlem, and the United Nations General Assembly have in common? For Felecia Webb, Chief Strategy Officer at the Partnership on AI, they are all chapters in one continuous mission: ensuring everyone has access to the opportunities that shape their future.

Monica sits down with Felecia to talk about her remarkable career pivot from Parsons-trained designer to global AI equity advocate, and what it took to walk away from 12 years at Ralph Lauren to pursue work that truly lit her up. They dig into what AI actually is, how to protect your ideas when using free AI systems, why you can be over-mentored and under-sponsored, and why this moment in the AI revolution might be your moment to try something bold.

Listen below, or via your favorite podcast player.

In This Episode, You'll Hear:

  • What the Partnership on AI does and why Felecia calls this moment the AI revolution

  • Why AI is a tool, not a replacement, and how to think about using it to maximize your own capacity rather than surrendering to it

  • The practical advice Felecia gives everyone about data privacy, turning off model training on your accounts, and protecting your ideas when using free AI systems

  • The moment at the Ralph Lauren Cancer Center in Harlem that made her walk away from a glamorous design career and pursue public policy and the nonprofit sector

  • How design thinking has been the through line across every chapter of her career, and why human-centered design is the same as customer-centric design, just applied differently

  • The difference between a mentor and a sponsor, and why you can be over-mentored and under-sponsored

  • How volunteering outside her corporate role opened the doors that changed the direction of her career

  • Her favorite Nelson Mandela quote and what it taught her about failure, learning, and stepping out on faith

Key Takeaways

→ AI is a tool, not a replacement. Felecia is clear and consistent: artificial intelligence is a tool that can maximize your capacity, free up your time for critical thinking, and level the playing field. The people who will thrive are the ones who engage with it rather than fear it.

→ You have more agency over AI than you think. Every time you dislike a post, train your chatbot, or turn off data sharing on a platform, you are actively shaping how AI works for you. Understanding that is the first step to using it on your own terms.

→ Protect your ideas. If you are using a free AI system to develop ideas and you have not turned off data sharing, those ideas are no longer private. Turn it off in your settings, or mask your identifying information when you use the tool.

→ Every skill transfers. From trend-spotting in fashion to pulse-checking in AI governance, Felicia has used the same core skills across radically different industries. The creativity, systems thinking, and human-centered lens she developed in design are exactly what she brings to global AI policy today.

→ Find your village. Mentors give you advice. Sponsors open doors. You need both, but most people are over-mentored and under-sponsored. Felecia built her network by volunteering outside her corporate role, which meant that when opportunities arose, people already knew her work firsthand.

→ It was never about the title. When Felecia left Ralph Lauren, she had to separate her identity from the brand and get honest about what actually fueled her heart and her passion. That separation, she says, was what made everything else possible.

About Felecia Webb 

Felecia Webb is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Partnership on AI, a global nonprofit working across industry, civil society, and academia to ensure AI is developed responsibly for everyone. Before landing in the AI space, Felecia spent years in fashion with roles at Timberland, Donna Karan, and Ralph Lauren, where she led marketing initiatives like the Pink Pony campaign.

After earning a degree in public policy at NYU, she pivoted fully into the nonprofit sector, working across healthcare, education, and workforce development. She is a lifelong advocate for equity, access, and community-driven design.

About Monica Lyle

With over 30 years as an executive coach, Monica is on a mission to help more people do what they love and love what they do. Each episode of Mode to Joy features a guest who has found a way to make their life's work feel like their life's calling. 

Monica Lyle and the Renewal Fuel executive coaching team work with leaders and professionals who are ready to get clear on what is next. The first step is simple: book a Mini Coaching Session. It’s a focused conversation about your career, your goals, and what it might look like to move forward with real intention.

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