Annual Meeting Events

Annual Meeting 2025, Atlanta, GA (October 26-29, 2025)

1. WORMS-sponsored sessions

Panel Discussion: Grand Challenges in Public Sector Operations Research: Opportunities at the Intersection of AI and OR
Sunday, October 26, 1:15 PM - 2:30 PM, Building A Level 4 A411

Moderators:
- Chaitra Gopalappa (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
- Irem Sengul Orgut (Loyola University Chicago)

Panelists:
- Carolina Vivas-Valencia, The University of Texas at San Antonio
- Lavanya Marla, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Shalome Hanisha Anand Tatapudi, University of South Florida
- Hamsa Bastani, University of Pennsylvania

Panel Discussion: Life After the PhD: Exploring Careers in Industry and Academia
Sunday, October 26, 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM, Building A Level 4 A411
Moderators:
- Irem Sengul Orgut (Loyola University Chicago)
- Chaitra Gopalappa (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
Panelists:
- Lauren Davis, NC A&T State University
- Muge Capan, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Cara Touretzky, Gurobi Optimization
- Masoud Barah, Grainger

2. Business Meeting

Monday, October 27, 6:30-7:30pm, Building A, Level 4, A401 (GWCC).
Learn about the status of our forum and future plans.

3. Networking Reception

Monday, October 27, 8:00-9:00pm
Venue: North Tower, Level M2, International Ballroom F
Come and connect with like minds!.

4. WORMS Luncheon

Tuesday, October 28, 12:00-1:00pm, OMNI, North Tower, Level M2, International Ballroom F
Join us in celebrating the recipients of WORMS Awards for 2025.
Ticketed event, limited capacity

Sessions at Past Conferences

1. Annual Meeting 2023, Phoenix, AZ (October 15-18, 2023)
A. Building Blocks Towards Effective Leadership - by Women in the OR/MS Community

Moderator: Lavanya Marla (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Panelists:
- Angelika Leskovskaya, SMU Cox School of Business
- Janice Lichtenwaldt, Virago Coaching

B. Design and Algorithmic-Biases and Fairness Solutions
Chair: Tuğçe Işik (Clemson University)
Panelists:
- Wilkistar Otieno, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Michael Johnson, University of Massachusetts, Boston
- Anahita Khojandi, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- Angelika Leskovskaya, SMU Cox School of Business

C. Guided Discussions on How Women Can Thrive
Chair: Tuğçe Işik (Clemson University)
Speaker:
- Aineth Torres, Fractal.ai

2. Annual Meeting 2022, Indianapolis, IN (October 16-19, 2022)
A. Identifying and Handling Microaggressions at Work - by Women in the OR/MS Community

Moderator: Angelika Leskovskaya (SMU Cox School of Business)
Panelists:
- Karen T. Hicklin, University of Florida
- Michele Pfund, Arizona State University
- Maria Vlasiou, Eindhoven University of Technology
- Lauren Rhue, University of Maryland, College Park

3. Self-care Strategies
Chair: Tuğçe Işik (Clemson University)
Panelists:
- Amy Cohn, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Sibel Alumur Alev, University of Waterloo
- Jacqueline Griffin, Northeastern University
- Samaneh Shiri, UPS

2. Annual Meeting 2021, Anaheim, CA (Hybrid) (October 24-27, 2021)
A. Countless Possibilities: A Panel Discussion with Minority Women in OR/MS

Moderator: Banfsheh Behzad
Panelists:
- Julie Simmons Ivy, North Carolina State University
- Estelle Kone, Goldman Sachs
- Jessye Talley, Morgan State University
- Trilce Encarnacion, University of Missouri, St. Louis
- Iris V. Rivero, Rochester Institute of Technology

B. Navigating the Big 3: Impostor Syndrome, Perfectionism and Comparisonitis
Chair: Angelika Leskovskaya (SMU Cox School of Business)
Speaker: Jessica Dowches-Wheeler, Bright Space Coaching