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[INFORMS Insights] Analytics Project Masterclass: A Case Study in Problem Framing & Business Impact 

05-29-2025 10:18

Recording of INFORMS Insights panel webinar with Douglas A. Gray

Douglas A. Gray is an accomplished data science executive with over 30+ years of experience in data and analytics, IT/software, e-commerce, and consulting. His leadership has garnered multiple industry accolades, including Teradata EPIC, FICO Decision Management Innovation, and Alteryx Best Business ROI awards. His teams have delivered over $3 billion in finance-validated business value. Doug has been a member of two INFORMS Prize-winning organizations: Walmart (2023) and American Airlines (1990). 
 
Currently, Doug serves as Director of Data Science at Walmart Global Tech—US Omni Retail Tech, where he leads programs enhancing operational efficiency throughout supply chain, fulfillment, and delivery operations, generating nine-figure annual impact. He also leads Data Science initiatives for Walmart's GENAI Center of Excellence. His distinguished career includes pivotal roles at American Airlines Decision Technologies, founding CTO of Travelocity, Director of Enterprise Data & Analytics at Southwest Airlines, and Acting Director of Analytics at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City. 
 
Through his company, Optima Analytics, Doug advises executive teams on technology and analytics applications for corporate strategy. Since 2016, he has served as an adjunct professor at SMU teaching business analytics and AI strategy. Doug has published over a dozen articles and academic papers on analytics applications, and been an invited keynote & guest speaker and panel discussion participant at industry conferences and universities world-wide, including Deloitte Analytics AI Summit, Gartner Data & Analytics, and INFORMS Business Analytics. Doug is the author of Why Data Science Projects Fail: The Harsh Realities of Implementing AI and Analytics, without the Hype (2024) and The Art of Data Science: A Practitioner’s Guide (2025). He holds an MBA from SMU’s Cox School of Business (Beta Gamma Sigma), MS in Operations Research from the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering, and a BS cum laude in Mathematical Sciences (Statistics) from Loyola University Maryland (Pi Mu Epsilon).
Please enjoy the recording here, as this is an INFORMS Member benefit. Thanks!

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