Analytics Conference Events

WORMS is excited to announce its events for the upcoming INFORMS Business Analytics Conference to be held from April 3-5 in Houston, TX. 

1. Professional Development – The Great Re-Definition: Defining Power Through Pay Negotiation
Monday 10:30-11:20am, Track: INFORMS Prizes and Special Sessions

While societal and organizational changes are needed for more women to advance, you can take ownership of your career and create your own path. You will learn a step-by-step framework to identify your Strengths, Passions, Accomplishments, Resources, and Knowledge, and understand how to leverage your SPARK in pay negotiations. The Great Resignation and Great Re-Evaluation makes this the perfect time to hone your negotiation skills and learn to communicate your value in a competitive job market. You’ll walk away with the tools and resources you need to ask for what you deserve and use your SPARK to achieve your career goals.

Presenter: Jessica Dowches-Wheeler, CEO & Leadership Coach at Bright Space Coaching

Jessica Dowches-Wheeler, PCC is the Founder & CEO of Bright Space Coaching, a premier coaching and training organization that helps corporate women turn their passions and expertise into thriving coaching or consulting businesses. Jessica is an ICF-credentialed leadership and team coach with 15 years of experience in leadership development, team facilitation, group coaching, and training. As a former leader in a male-dominated field, Jessica became a coach to help women+ advocate for themselves and increase their influence, income, and impact. She has held leadership roles and consulted in a variety of industries, including Federal and local government, private sector, and non-profit organizations.


2. Cocktails & Conversations

Monday 4:40-6:30pm Westchase

Join us for this unique opportunity! Grab a cocktail and learn from a senior leader. Polly Mitchell-Guthrie, VP, Industry Outreach & Thought Leadership at Kinaxis will share her experience, wisdom, and advice about connections, transformation, and getting things done. Bring your questions for this intimate Q&A event.

Polly is the VP of Industry Outreach and Thought Leadership at Kinaxis, a supply chain planning and analytics software company. Previously, she was Director of Analytical Consulting Services at the University of North Carolina Health Care System and worked in various roles at SAS, in Advanced Analytics R&D, as Director of the SAS Global Academic Program, and in Alliances. She has an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also received her BA in political science as a Morehead Scholar. She has been very active in INFORMS (the leading professional society for operations research and analytics) and co-founded the third chapter of Women in Machine Learning and Data Science (now more than 90 chapters worldwide).

3. Networking Breakfast: Effective Development & Career Advice
Tuesday 7-8am River Oaks

Grab your breakfast and come join us for meaningful conversations and connections. Start the conversation by sharing the most effective/influential development activity you've completed and wrap it up with the best piece of career advice you've received. It's a chance to learn from one another, share best practices, and develop relationships.