INFORMS President-Elect Nominee: David T. Hunt

Vision Statement

When the INFORMS Pro Bono Analytics program was launched, I received a heartfelt request from the founder of a community-based homeless shelter serving women and children. The founder said she collects data on families at the shelter and the services they use. She was sure the data could help her provide better services, but she didn’t know where to begin. We connected her with local INFORMS volunteers, who helped organize the data to support program improvements through more informed decision-making.

This story, to me, is what operations research and analytics represents – making direct and lasting impacts on society and the lives of people through research and applications. INFORMS members drive fact-based policy decisions, improve profits and growth at corporations, reduce inefficiencies for a more sustainable world – and help a homeless shelter better serve its community. Our vision succinctly sums it up: “Better decision-making for a just, prosperous, and sustainable world.”

I am honored to be nominated for President-Elect of INFORMS. My 32 years as a member, 6 years on the INFORMS Board, and a career in management consulting have helped prepare me for this position. If elected, I will strive to advance the five goals in our strategic plan:

Enhance Member Value

INFORMS provides tremendous member value through connecting people, disseminating research and best practices, honoring achievement, providing volunteer opportunities, and promoting the profession. There is, however, always room for improvement.

I will focus on enhancing value for all members, both in the United States and internationally, but especially for two cohorts:

• Early Career Academic and Industry Professionals – INFORMS has a vibrant student community, but too many leave as they transition into their careers. It is important to provide meaningful opportunities and relevant content to the future leaders of our profession.
• Industry Members – INFORMS offers great value for practitioners, but a campaign is needed to better package and promote this value to industry leaders and potential members.

Champion our Profession

A benefit of being INFORMS President is the opportunity to tout the cutting-edge research and impactful applications developed by our members. INFORMS needs to continue communicating these contributions outside of the O.R. community. I will therefore build on existing efforts to:

• Engage funding agencies to discuss the relevance and impact of our work.
• Support our members in expounding their contributions to science and society.

Advance the Science and Technology of Decision Making

During this golden age of algorithms, with frequent advancements and new buzzwords, INFORMS must promote the contributions and impacts from the O.R. community to ensure our voices are heard. Nominating members to serve on relevant national and international boards and committees is a key strategy to advancing our viewpoints.

Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

INFORMS is making great strides around volunteer and leadership opportunities, awards and recognition, and codifying DEI values in policies and procedures. I will:

• Continue to support K-12 efforts and programs such as DEI Ambassadors that help attract more diversity into our field.
• Champion how Pro Bono Analytics, Doing Good with Good O.R., and other efforts demonstrate that our solutions are inclusive for all and can equitably benefit everyone.

Ensure Operational Excellence and Financial Health

Having just completed four years as INFORMS Treasurer, I have a deep affinity for ensuring our financial health. INFORMS is in strong financial shape, but the budget impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are still being felt and curtailing opportunities to advance new member benefits. During my tenure as treasurer, the Finance Committee and INFORMS staff developed the first-ever 5-year financial plan with a path to a balanced budget. I would like to see this effort through.

Thank you for considering me for President-Elect of INFORMS!

Bio

David Hunt (he/him), vice president at Oliver Wyman, focuses on transportation policy, operations and strategic planning. He has worked with clients on six continents and across all transportation modes. Projects include developing market share models predicting modal shifts under industry changes, developing predictive maintenance programs using machine learning, and implementing large-scale optimization models for equipment repositioning.

Dave is a 30+ year INFORMS (and ORSA) member, where he received the 2017 INFORMS President’s Award for founding Pro Bono Analytics and chairing the INFORMS Ethics Guidelines committee. He has served six years on the INFORMS Board, as treasurer and vice president of Chapters and Fora. Dave was chair of the Railway Applications Section and the New Jersey Chapter, in addition to serving on numerous committees.

Dave earned a B.S. from West Virginia University and M.S.E. from the Civil Engineering and Operations Research Department at Princeton University.