AI
AI for Data Analysis | 3 Hour Workshop
Spending too much time in spreadsheets every week? There’s an easier way. Join us and get hands-on practice using the power of AI to automate your data analysis
Candace Roberts
Director of Data Strategy & Insights | GenAI Instructor | Founder, Thought Trails™, Vanco Payments
Atlanta
Candace Roberts is a strategic data leader and educator with over 20 years of experience translating complexity into clarity. As Director of Data Strategy & Insights at Vanco, she leads KPI alignment, BI modernization, and GenAI adoption efforts across product, finance, and executive teams.
She serves as a Lead Instructor and Curriculum Developer at General Assembly, where she’s delivered 700+ classes in SQL, Tableau, data governance, data engineering, and technical debt. As a member of GA’s AI Instructor Team, she also leads GenAI-focused workshops that help professionals build practical fluency with emerging tools.
Candace is the founder of Thought Trails™, a strategy and education company delivering clarity-first tools, GenAI enablement, and fractional support to help teams turn insight into impact. She is also the author of the upcoming 2026 book, Shift Your Pace—a career strategy guide for professionals ready to lead with clarity, adapt with confidence, and build sustainable momentum in a shifting world.
A thought leader and speaker at industry events such as Tech in Motion: AI Strategy Sessions, Candace brings a rare blend of technical fluency and organizational insight—empowering professionals to navigate data and AI transformation with confidence.
IN CONVERSATION WITH CANDACE:
What is your favorite technical skill to work with on your own projects and why?
Right now? Data architecture and metric alignment. I love taking messy source data, figuring out what matters, and turning it into something scalable and actually useful. Give me a cross-functional KPI nightmare or a half-documented Snowflake instance, and I’m in my zone. There’s nothing more satisfying than cleaning up behind the scenes and watching teams breathe easier because the numbers finally make sense.
What is your favorite technical skill to teach to students and why?
Lately, it’s GenAI. When students realize they can use large language models to accelerate problem-solving, brainstorm use cases, or gut-check their own logic—it changes everything. It’s not about replacing deep knowledge; it’s about extending their reach. That said, I still love teaching SQL. You can’t evaluate or troubleshoot anything without knowing how the data actually works. GenAI + SQL is a power combo when it’s grounded in real use.
What is most important to you about teaching technical skills at General Assembly?
What matters most at GA is helping students master the tools so they can do solid analysis right now. It’s about turning confusion into clarity—showing them how to treat a dataset like it’s a story waiting to be told. Yes, we dabble in real-world problems, but our strength lies in ensuring students leave class knowing how to use the tools—to build insights, clean data, join tables, and visualize outcomes they can trust. .
What advice do you have for anyone looking to learn technical skills to reach new career goals?
Start before you feel ready—and focus on being useful, not perfect. Nobody ever “masters” everything. The real growth happens when you start applying what you know, even if it’s rough. Pick a tool, solve a problem, and let people see you figure it out. Confidence builds through use, not waiting.
What would you like to highlight about your experience in your technical domain outside of teaching?
I’m currently Director of Data Strategy & Insights at Vanco, where I lead KPI alignment, BI modernization, and practical GenAI use with tools like Snowflake Cortex. I’m also the founder of Thought Trails™, where I create clarity kits, lead GenAI workshops, and (soft-launching soon) my book Shift Your Pace™—a strategy guide for navigating modern work without losing your mind. My work sits at the intersection of data, leadership, and clarity. And I still love getting my hands dirty with SQL when things go sideways.
WHAT CANDACE’S STUDENTS ARE SAYING...
”Candace Roberts was an excellent instructor. Her enthusiasm was only exceeded by her knowledge of the curriculum. I highly recommend her and would love to take more classes from her.”
“Candace is the best instructor I have had in a very long time. Engaging, fun, organized, dedicated, approachable. Loved her!"
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