INFORMS Open Forum

INFORMS Board Update: Summer Meeting 2017

  • 1.  INFORMS Board Update: Summer Meeting 2017

    Posted 09-13-2017 09:05

    INFORMS Board Update: Summer Meeting 2017

    The Executive Committee and Board of Directors of INFORMS met in Catonsville, MD, on August 8 and 9. Information below is based on data through 7/31/17.

    • Financial: INFORMS continues to have a "healthy" financial status. Net revenues are $109K year-to-date (this number may change substantially owing to costs and revenues associated with the annual meeting in Houston). The long-term investment account balance is $13.49 million, or 123% of average annual expenses. Short-term working capital is $5.20 million.
    • Membership: 10,528 regular, retired and student members. This number increases seasonally around the time of the annual meeting, and is projected to be around 12,500 by yearend in line with the 2016 number.
      The current membership system will be replaced by a new and more flexible Customer Management System. This initiative and meeting a new European regulation (GPDR) will require approval for substantial funding.
      The Board approved a small increase in membership dues, in line with similar associations, from $158 to $160.
    • Strategic Issues: Board members Susan Martonosi and Laura Albert led a strategic discussion about membership issues. Three breakout sessions focused on the following topics: (i) What will INFORMS' future members will look like? (ii) What will the future members want that is different from today? (iii) Possible impacts of adapting or staying the same. A strategic discussion of how INFORMS will become the organization of the future is scheduled for the Board meeting in Houston.
    • Conferences: Mani Janakiram and Scott Nestler are appointed as General Chairs for the 2019 and 2020, respectively, INFORMS Business Analytics Conference
    • Publications: The Board discussed various topics including: (i) Development of guidelines for new editorial members. (ii) Editorial board size and activity. (iii) New journals. (iv) A charter for authors. The board approved a motion to explore the possibility of introducing term limits for editorial board members and the following journal editor (re)appointments: Anne Robinson as Series Editor of INFORMS Editor's Cut; Christopher S. Tang as Editor-in-Chief of Manufacturing & Service Operations Management; John R. Birge as Editor-in-Chief of Operations Research; Douglas R. Shier as Series Editor of Tutorials in Operations Research.
      As of 7/1/2018, INFORMS will take control over the operations of OR/MS Today and Analytics Magazine, and $100k was approved for this purpose and for IOL redesign.
    • Marketing and Outreach: Several initiatives are planned, including a White Paper on "O.R. Analytics for Policymakers" and policy briefings.
    • A new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion statement was approved.
    • All Board members had participated in an offline strategic planning exercise. They discussed their recommendations, which have been forwarded to the appropriate committees.

    Nicholas G. Hall, President-Elect and Pinar Keskinocak, Secretary



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    Pinar Keskinocak
    Professor
    Georgia Institute of Technology
    Atlanta GA
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