INFORMS Open Forum

Today we are sharing the bittersweet news that Mary Magrogan, Director of Recognition & Development, will be retiring in early November after an extraordinary 45 years of service.

Mary's journey with us began in 1981 when she joined ORSA via Waverly Press, and she continued her remarkable contributions with INFORMS from 1995 onward in multiple roles. Over four and a half decades, Mary has helped shape INFORMS through her professionalism, deep institutional knowledge, steady commitment to excellence, and care for our members and community.

It is hard to capture what 45 years of service means. Mary has been part of so many important moments in INFORMS history and has supported generations of members, volunteers, colleagues, award recipients, donors, and leaders. For many members and staff, she has also been a trusted colleague and friend.

Along the way, Mary built a wonderful life with her husband, Kevin, raised two children, and is now enjoying being a grandmother to three. In retirement, she looks forward to spending more time with her family and friends.

There will be more opportunities to celebrate Mary in the months ahead, including at the INFORMS 2026 Annual Meeting in San Francisco. But for now, we want to begin by saying thank you. Thank you, Mary, for your 45 years of outstanding service, devotion, and commitment to INFORMS.

We invite you to join us in celebrating Mary by posting a reply with your congratulations, thanks, a favorite memory, or a photo. 

Mary, we wish you happiness, health, and fulfillment in your retirement. You will be deeply missed.

------------------------------
Elena Gerstmann, PhD
Executive Director
INFORMS
egerstmann@INFORMS.org
------------------------------

Wow! 45 years! Congratulations, Mary, and thank you!

------------------------------
Shane Henderson
Professor
School of ORIE, Cornell University
Ithaca NY
------------------------------

So many fond memories - over decades, including her arranging ORSA Council dinners so many years ago.
Best wishes!
Chuck McCallum

------------------------------
Charles McCallum
SVP, Optimization
Retired
Redmond WA
------------------------------

Mary.  You will be sorely missed.  I cannot imagine walking into an INFORMS gathering and not seeing your smiling face greeting everyone.  You have helped so many people succeed!  I remember first meeting you at Waverly's offices (dark, ink-smelling and absurdly cramped).  Then, as now, your willingness to help others, your ability to overlook the negatives and move forward, and your warm welcome to everyone cannot be overstated.   Wishing you a wonderful retirement and lots of fun, future adventures.   

------------------------------
Karla Hoffman
Professor
George Mason University
Clifton VA
------------------------------

Mary - congratulations and thank you. For 45 years, you've recognized what's worth seeing in others, and you've done it with rare grace. For me personally, you presented opportunities to serve INFORMS that I might not have sought on my own, and I know I'm one of many who would say the same. INFORMS is a warmer, stronger community because of you. Wishing you a wonderful next chapter with your family.

Mary,

Thank you for all you have done for the members over the years ... and for putting up with us for so long. Welcome to retirement!

------------------------------
Paul Rubin
Professor Emeritus
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI
------------------------------

Best wishes to you Mary! You will be missed in the PRC meetings! Please take care and enjoy the retirement! Thank you for being an awesome person and so kind ! 

------------------------------
Amit Dubey
Founder and AI ML researcher
DataFlux.ai
Sammamish WA
------------------------------

Not quite 45 years, but I searched my inbox and found email exchanges with Mary on various topics going back about 20 years - when I first started getting involved with INFORMS service in a significant way. :-) Saying "we will miss you" doesn't quite do it justice!

Congratulations, Mary, on your time with IFORMS, and best wishes for an enjoyable retirement. 

------------------------------
Marina Epelman
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor MI
------------------------------

Congratulations, Mary, on 45 amazing years! You will be missed. Best wishes for your next chapter, which I hope involves lots of joy with family and friends.

------------------------------
Timothy Chan
Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost
University of Toronto
Toronto ON
------------------------------

Congratulations, Mary! Very best wishes for your retirement, and a huge thank you for your dedication to the success of INFORMS. 

------------------------------
Miguel F. Anjos, PhD, PEng, FAcadMathSci, FCAE, FEUROPT, FHEA
Chair of Operational Research and Head of Theme (Data & Decisions)
Chair of the Research Committee, Operational Research Society
Schöller Senior Fellow, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
Associated Member, GERAD, Canada
------------------------------

Well done, good and faithful servant! A great memory from West Lafayette, Indiana. Wishing you many more in retirement.

------------------------------
Matthew Lanham
Assistant Professor of Business Technology & Analytics
Butler University
Lafayette IN
------------------------------

Mary,  it is hard to imagine INFORMS (both all of the background work and the Annual Meeting) without you! But I hope that "early November" means right after the meeting in SF so we can acknowledge your special contributions to our community in person!

Thank you so much for your dedication to INFORMS, and the OR/Analytics community.

David Shmoys

Professor
School of ORIE, Cornell University
Ithaca NY

------------------------------
David Shmoys
Professor
Cornell University
Ithaca NY
------------------------------

That's an end of an era.

Congratulations, Mary! It was truly a pleasure to work with you. I wish you a happy retirement full of time with your loved ones. 

------------------------------
Yulia Vorotyntseva
University of St Thomas
Minneapolis MN
------------------------------