Remembering Aaron Burciaga

The INFORMS community was deeply saddened to learn of Aaron Burciaga’s passing in March 2026. Aaron was a long-time friend of this community, one of its strongest supporters, and one of those rare people whose service left an imprint on both the profession and the people in it.

Aaron served the broader operations research and analytics community through prominent leadership roles in both INFORMS and MORS. In INFORMS, he was general chair of the 2023 Analytics+ Conference, chair of the Analytics Certification Board, and a leader in the CAP program, Analytics Society, MAPD, and especially Data4Good, which was among the efforts closest to his heart. 

He also helped shape work around aCAP, the evolution of CAP, and the INFORMS Analytics Framework. In MORS, his military analytics work earned the 2013 Outstanding Practical Application in Operations Research Prize and multiple symposium best-paper nominations. His standing across these communities was also reflected in recognitions including CAP-Expert, Analytics Capability Evaluation Coach, and the INFORMS Volunteer Service Award.

His professional life more broadly was remarkable, but what mattered to him most was not title or status. Over more than two decades, Aaron worked at the intersection of operations research, analytics, artificial intelligence, and decision automation. He held leadership roles across Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, HCL Technologies, ECS, AWS, PrimeAI, and Zetec, building teams, leading transformation efforts, and advancing applied AI with both technical rigor and practical impact.

But Aaron did not think about technology only in terms of careers, companies, or prestige. He thought deeply about who technology was for. He championed the idea of blue-collar AI - the belief that AI and analytics should not be reserved for elites, abstract strategy, or the already powerful, but should instead help ordinary working people, tradespeople, frontline operators, and organizations trying to solve real problems. He wanted these tools to create real value in the lives of the people who keep things running. Even in highly technical work, Aaron never lost sight of the human stakes. He wanted analytics and AI to lift people up.

When we heard of Aaron’s passing, Joseph posted a message on the INFORMS forum inviting people to share stories and reflections about him. The responses were immediate and deeply moving. A few stand out as especially revealing of how Aaron served this community.

Laura Albert remembered Aaron as “a force of nature,” “a dynamic and bold leader,” and someone who was “generous to our community and made us stronger.” Writing about the 2023 Analytics+ Conference, where Aaron was general chair and she was INFORMS’ president, Laura recalled “sharing our hopes for the O.R. & analytics community” and wrote that she had developed “a deeper appreciation for his vision for analytics.”

Irv Lustig, CAP-X, highlighted Aaron’s leadership “while chair of the Analytics Certification Board.” He wrote that Aaron “spearheaded the aCAP program, which led to the new CAP levels of CAP-Essential, CAP-Pro and CAP-Expert, which drove the creation of the INFORMS Analytics Framework.” He concluded that “the INFORMS community will miss his spirit, initiative and enthusiasm for our profession.”

Maher Lahmar recalled that when he served as general chair for the 2017 Analytics+ Conference, Aaron was “an indispensable partner.” He remembered Aaron “stepping up in a massive way,” “leaning on his deep network to resolve last-minute crises and ensuring the event’s success,” and described him as “the kind of leader who didn’t just show up; he took ownership.”

Daniel Windle offered one of the clearest examples of Aaron’s personal influence. He wrote, “Aaron is the reason I started participating at INFORMS.” He added that he had the chance to present at the Analytics+ Conference based on Aaron’s recommendation and later “joined the board to help find speakers based on his recommendation.”

Xiaonan Shang, reflecting on a brief interaction when Aaron served as chair of the 2023 Analytics+ Conference, wrote that Aaron came across as “incredibly sharp, confident, and kind.” What stood out most to Xiaonan was Aaron’s “commitment to supporting and uplifting young professionals in the analytics community,” adding that “he helped create opportunities and pathways for others to grow.”

INFORMS Executive Director Elena Gerstmann pointed to something even more enduring. She wrote, “Aaron is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.” Those words are the Scout Law. She also shared a video of Aaron speaking to a Scouting America group and noted that she was “particularly caught” by what Aaron said around minute 10: that he wanted his eulogy to start with those exact words. That memory, later echoed by Aaron’s father in the memorial service, captures something essential about how many of us knew him.

Aaron truly embodied the Scout Law in everything he did: in Scouting, in the Marines, in INFORMS, in MORS, at work, and in his devotion to his faith and family. He was a shining example of what it means to live the Scout Law. That is how we want to remember him.

Just a couple of months before he passed, Joseph had the honor of doing a Data4Good webinar on the Hero’s Journey with Aaron. In that webinar, Aaron explained that heroes have impact, and he showed how to move from idea to impact by embedding the Hero’s Journey into analytics. That captured something essential about him. He never thought it was enough simply to have a good idea. It had to be communicated well enough to move people to action, leading to lasting impact.

And an impact he had, in everything he did.

So yes, we will remember what Aaron did for INFORMS, for MORS, for analytics, for AI, for working people with his Blue Collar AI, and for our country. We will remember him as a leader, a supporter, a mentor, a Scout, a Marine, and a friend.

But most of all, we will remember Aaron as a hero.