OLPD PhD students secure first place at 2026 AHRD case study competition

Three doctoral students from the Human Resource Development program in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD)—Rawan AlGahtani, Justin Hillard, and Zeynab Rzayeva—emerged victorious at the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) PEN Student Case Competition. The event took place during the AHRD International Research Conference in the Americas, held February 11–13, 2026, in Irving, Texas.

The challenge: navigating AI adoption at DFW airport

The 2026 competition task was centered on a complex, real-world scenario: Building Responsible AI at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport. As the largest carbon-neutral airport in the world, DFW sought a strategy to implement enterprise-wide AI adoption by 2026, led by a temporary Principal AI Lead.

The OLPD team had to address significant organizational hurdles identified in the case:

• Literacy Gaps: 68% of employees reported minimal or no AI literacy.
• Resistance & Skepticism: 61% of staff expressed compliance concerns, alongside fears of job displacement and loss of professional identity.
• Operational Scale: The strategy focused initially on 2,000 Board Career employees, with future plans to expand to a workforce of over 228,000.

Rigorous preparation and performance

The team operated under a high-pressure 12-day timeline to submit a detailed case analysis and a written executive summary by the February 2 deadline. Hillard noted that the scenario required developing primary and secondary proposals with detailed deployment and measurement strategies, translating academic concepts into actionable, real-world solutions. To manage this efficiently, the team held regular, recurring meetings to ensure the solution was scalable and evidence-based.

On the day of the competition, the team delivered a 10-minute oral presentation followed by a 15-minute intensive Q&A session with a panel of three expert judges. They were evaluated on several critical HRD competencies:

• Problem identification and root cause analysis.
• Application of HRD theoretical frameworks.
• Decision-making rationale and implementation strategy.
• Professionalism and team delivery.

Reflections on success

The experience provided the students with unique exposure to industry leaders. AlGahtani highlighted the value of receiving direct feedback from the judges on analysis tools and the opportunity to showcase their belief in their selected approaches. Following their win, the team engaged in informal feedback sessions with AHRD leadership and was later invited to provide a formal assessment of the competition.

This achievement highlights the strength of the OLPD Human Resource Development program in preparing doctoral students to lead through complex organizational change. By integrating rigorous academic theory with high-stakes practical application, the program continues to develop scholars and practitioners capable of addressing the most pressing challenges in the modern workplace. These students' success reflects the program's commitment to excellence in research, strategic leadership, and the development of innovative HRD solutions.