Awards & Events

E. Leonard Arnoff

Len Arnoff was the Dean of the UC College of Business Administration from 1983 to 1988. Len was a pioneer in the field of operations research (OR). He co-authored the first OR textbook, worked for Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory (now part of NASA), and served as a Principal, Partner, and National Director of Planning and Operations Services for Ernst and Young. At UC, he was instrumental in gaining the support of Carl H. Lindner to consolidate all College of Business Administration departments in a single building.

Milton J. Schloss

Milt Schloss was passionate about the fields of operations and management science. He was a member of the Business Advisory Council, adjunct professor of management at UC, and the first executive-in-residence for the Total Quality Management Center in the UC College of Business Administration in 1991. Milt was an avid practitioner of Total Quality Management during his executive careers at Hillshire Farm, Kahn’s and John Morrell. Milt was also a decorated World War II veteran and a longtime philanthropic supporter of many University of Cincinnati programs.

• David Simchi-Levi, PhD, Professor of Engineering & Director of the Data Science Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  April 4, 2024
  "Supply Chain Resiliency and the Need for Stress-Tests"
  
  
• Dr. Christopher Tang, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Distinguished Professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management
  April 13, 2023
  "Managing Supply Chains in the Environmental, Social and Governance Era"
  
  
• Regina Liu, Rutgers University, Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University
  April 18, 2022
  "Data, Statistics, and the Stories They Tell"
  
  
• Arun Rai, Georgia State University, Regents' Professor of the University System of Georgia, J. Mack Robinson Chair of IT-Enabled Supply Chains and Process Innovation
  Sept 18, 2020
  "How Will the AI Genie Behave?"
  
  
• Rebecca Doerge, Professor of Statistics and Professor of Biology, Glen de Vries Dean of the Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University
  April 17, 2019
  “The Future of Statistical Bioinformatics and Genomics in the Automated World of Agriculture”
  
  
• Xiao-Li Meng, Whipple V. N. Jones, Professor of Statistics, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University
  April 18, 2018
  "How Small Are Our Big Data: Turning the 2016 Surprise into a 2020 Vision"
  
  
• Garrett van Ryzin, the Paul M. Montrone Professor of Decision, Risk and Operations at Columbia Business School, and Head of Marketplace Optimization for Uber
  April 19, 2017 6:00 p.m.
  "Marketplace Engineering"
  
  
• Wayne L. Winston, Kelly School of Business, Indiana University, Bauer College of Business, University of Houston
  April 20, 2016
  "Sports Analytics: Past, Present, and Future"
  
  
• Wallace Hopp, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
  March 10, 2015
  "Patient Routing for Cost Effective Care: Lessons from Emergency Medicine and Cardiac Surgery"
  
  
• Lawrence M. Wein, Stanford University
  March 31, 2014
  "Data-Driven Operations Research Analyses in the Public Sector"
  
  
• Cynthia Barnhart, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  April 11, 2013
  "Congestion and Delays in the National Air Transportation System"
  
  
• Margaret L. Brandeau, Stanford University
  May 9, 2012
  "Operations Research & Public Health: A Little Help Can Go a Long Way"
  
  
• Leonard Kleinrock, University of California Los Angeles
  May 5, 2011
  "A Brief History of the Internet and its Dynamic Future"
  
  
• Hau L. Lee, Stanford University
  May 5, 2010
  "Creating Value With Supply Chain Excellence"
  
  
• Ralph L. Keeny, Duke University
  May 6, 2009
  "Making Informed Business, Health, and Personal Decisions"
  
  
• Michael Trick, Carnegie Mellon University
  June 4, 2008
  "Sports Scheduling and the Practice of Operations Research"
  
  
• Yossi Sheffi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  April 19, 2007
  "The Resilient Enterprise"
  
  
• Karla L. Hoffman, George Mason University
  May 25, 2006
  "The Dance of the 30-Ton Trucks"
  
  
• William P. Pierskalla, University of California, Los Angeles
  May 12, 2005
  "How Are We Ever Going to Fix Our Health Care System? Doesn't Anyone Have Any Workable Ideas?"
  
  
• Marshall L. Fisher, University of Pennsylvania
  May 27, 2004
  "Rocket-Science Retailing"
  
  
• Gary L. Lilien, The Pennsylvania State University
  May 8, 2003
  "Modeled to Bits: Marketing Decision Models for the Digital, Networked Economy"
  
  
• John R. Birge, Northwestern University
  May 30, 2002
  "Using Management Science to Reduce Enterprise Risks: Defining the Role of Operational and Financial Hedges"
  
  
• Robert E.D. (Gene) Woolsey, Colorado School of Mines
  May 11, 2001
  "On Doing Well by Doing Better O.R. - Thirty Years and Counting"
  
  
• Edward H. Kaplan, Yale University
  May 25, 2000
  "Policy Modeling for Better Decisions: The Case of HIV Prevention"
  
  
• Arnold I. Barnett, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  May 6, 1999
  "Aviation Safety in Numbers"
  
  
• Steven C. Wheelwright, Harvard University
  May 14, 1998
  "Leading Product Development – From Art to Science"
  
  
• John D.C. Little, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  May 15, 1997
  "Operations Research/Management Science, Marketing, and the Internet"
  
  
• Alfred Blumstein, Carnegie Mellon University
  May 23, 1996
  "Youth Violence, Illicit-Drug Markets, and Gun Availability"
  
  
• Russell Ackoff, INTERACT: The Institute for Interactive Management
  May 2, 1995
  "Systems Thinking: An Intellectual and Managerial Revolution"
  
  
• Saul I. Gass, University of Maryland
  May 18, 1994
  "Operations Research/Management Science: The Way it Should Be"
  
  
• Thomas Cook, American Airlines Decision Technologies
  April 29, 1993
  "Operations Research Applications in the Airline Industry"
  
  
• Robert E.D. (Gene) Woolsey, Colorado School of Mines
  May 19, 1992
  "Success in Management Science/Operations Research - How To Do It in Spite of Your Education"

Yael Grushka-Cockayne's research and teaching activities focus on data science, artificial intelligence, forecasting, project management and behavioral decision-making. Her research is published in numerous academic and professional journals, and she is a regular speaker at international conferences in the areas of decision analysis, project management and management science.

Grushka-Cockayne is an award-winning teacher, winning the Darden Morton Leadership Faculty Award in 2011, the University of Virginia's Mead-Colley Award in 2012, the Darden Outstanding Faculty Award in 2013 and 2022, University of Virginia All University Teaching Award in 2015, the Faculty Diversity Award in 2013 and 2018, and the Transformational Faculty Award in 2024. Grushka-Cockayne teaches the core "Decision Analysis" course, an elective she designed on project management, an elective on data science and a new course on coding with ChatGPT. 

Before starting her academic career, she worked in San Francisco as a marketing director of an ERP company. As an expert in the areas of project management, Grushka-Cockayne has served as a consultant to international firms in the aerospace and pharma industries. She is a UVA Excellence in Diversity fellow and a member of INFORMS, the President of the Decision Analysis Society, and a member of the Operational Research Society and the Project Management Institute (PMI). She serves as an associate editor at Management Science and Operation Research.

Grushka-Cockayne was named one of "21 Thought-Leader Professors" in Data Science. Her course "Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management" Coursera MOOC has over 300,000 enrolled across 200 countries worldwide. Her "Data Science for Business" Harvard Online course, launched in 2021, has taught hundreds of learners around the world.

2024: Paul Bessire

• The Chief Data Officer at Coterie Insurance, Bessire, BBA ’04, MS ‘05, has an extensive background in data science and technology, with experience spanning various roles in companies such as Coterie Insurance, AMEND Consulting and PredictionMachine.com. With a focus on using data science to help businesses grow, Paul also has experience in academia, having served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati. Paul's expertise includes statistical research, mathematical modeling, financial analysis, and forecasting, making him a valuable asset in the field of data analytics.

2023: Myron E. Ullmann III

• Ullman earned his BS in Industrial Management from UC and then went on to an amazing career. After working at IBM, he came back to UC as VP of Business Affairs. He then expanded his horizons with significant international trade experiences. Ullman went on to serve as the CEO of Macy’s, where he led the organization through its merger with Federated Department Stores. He also served as the CEO of DFS Group, LVMH, JCPenney (twice) and Starbucks before retiring.

2022: Jude Schramm

• Schramm earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Systems from UC. After a brief stint in consulting, he enjoyed a successful career at GE Aviation, working up from a role as program manager to the position of CIO. His current position is Chief Information Officer at Fifth Third Bank.

2019: Michael Czinege

• Czinege graduated from UC twice — once with a Bachelor in Operations Research and Marketing, and then with an MBA shortly thereafter. After consulting at firms like Cap Gemini and Ernst & Young, he was Chief Information Officer of Applebee’s International. Czinege has served as the CIO for AMC Entertainment starting in 2008. 

2018: Suprateek Sarker

• Sarker graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a PhD in Information Systems. After joining the faculty of Washington State University and then serving as the Microsoft Chair of Information Systems at the Copenhagen Business School, he is currently the Rolls-Royce Commonwealth Commerce Professor (of Information Technology) at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.

2017: Eric Jack

• Jack earned his PhD in Operations Management from the Carl H. Lindner College of Business. Prior to that, he served for 21 years as a US Air Force officer. Since then, he has enjoyed significant success in academia, most recently serving as Professor and Dean of the Collat School of Business at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

2016: Les Artman & Tim Keyes

• Artman received a BBA from UC. He retired from Accenture as a Partner in the Cleveland office where he specialized in supply chain management, e-commerce and information technology projects. He spent over 20 years in the management-consulting profession working with a variety of companies including consumer goods and automotive manufacturers, publishing companies and retailers.
• Keyes graduated from UC first with an MS in Industrial Engineering, then with his PhD in Applied Statistics and Business Analytics. His career has included an engineering position at Measurex and several positions at GE Aviation, from statistician to analytics executive. Keyes is currently running his own data science and analytics consultancy.