Kristin Kautz, CPSM
Since 2007
Active
SMPS Houston member
AEC marketing professional
Kristin leads artificial intelligence strategy and digital transformation for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry as Partner at JAM Idea Agency and AI strategist with Zweig Group. She specializes in AI education, change management, and strategic implementation through her signature Minds & Machines symposiums, AI in Action workshops, AI IQ Community, and comprehensive consulting services that help firms navigate both opportunities and challenges AI presents to the built environment.
Her expertise spans over 25 years in A/E/C marketing and business development, with deep specialization in AI integration, organizational structure development, policy and procedure creation, and strategic communications for technology adoption. Kristin brings comprehensive capabilities in proposal management, CRM strategy, digital marketing innovation, and transformational leadership that positions firms for competitive advantage in an AI-driven marketplace.
Known for her no-nonsense, high-energy approach, Kristin cuts through AI hype to deliver practical, industry-specific strategies that firms can implement immediately. Her techno-optimism and talent for making complex topics accessible inspire professionals to move past inertia and fear, embracing AI as a strategic driver of growth, efficiency, and client satisfaction. She provides customized AI training through LMS-ready courses, leadership symposiums, and hands-on workshops serving clients from small firms to large corporations across the United States.
Kristin demonstrates exceptional professional leadership as a 2019 Fellow of SMPS (FSMPS), representing the highest level of achievement in A/E/C marketing and business development combined with pioneering thought leadership in artificial intelligence for the built environment. She has emerged as the industry’s most sought-after AI strategist, speaking at SMPS chapters locally, regionally, and nationally, plus Society for Design Administration (SDA), Project Mark, Chief Executive Network, Zweig Group, AIA, ACEC, NCSEA, Urban Land Institute, and multiple CEO cohorts.
Her groundbreaking Minds & Machines symposiums provide immersive two-day AI integration training that equips AEC leaders and managers with understanding, insight, and intelligence to identify and act upon AI opportunities within their organizations. These high-impact, hands-on learning experiences help emerging and current leaders stay at the forefront of the AI technological revolution. Kristin created the AI IQ Community and Digital Guerillas Group, providing year-round access to AI expertise, trusted information, and practical implementation frameworks.
At SMPS Houston, Kristin served in multiple board leadership positions and created the foundational SMPS 101 Membership Orientation program, sharing her insider secret: “You can’t just join. You have to sit on the Board.” Her leadership philosophy emphasizes active engagement and giving back to the profession that serves as a career-long resource.
Beyond SMPS, Kristin co-founded Hire AEC Direct as Chief Connection Officer, creating Texas’s dedicated job listing, referral, and search platform connecting the right people to the right jobs in the right AEC firms. Her entrepreneurial ventures demonstrate commitment to solving industry-wide challenges through innovation and strategic connection-building.
Kristin’s consulting work extends across the nation through partnerships with JAM Idea Agency and Zweig Group, where she develops AI First Steps frameworks, creates LMS-ready training courses updated annually to keep pace with AI’s rapid evolution, and delivers keynote presentations that inspire firms to think critically, act now, and stay ahead in the AI-driven business era.
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