INFORMS Chapter Excellence Awards

INFORMS chapters are the heart of our community, bringing together academics and practitioners to advance operations research and analytics. To celebrate their remarkable contributions, we established the Chapter Excellence Awards. These awards recognize chapters that demonstrate outstanding performance in areas including membership growth, engaging programming, community outreach, professional development, collaboration, innovation, and leadership. Every INFORMS chapter is automatically considered for these awards through their annual reports. 

Congratulations to the chapters whose exceptional efforts have been recognized in 2026!

Here is the full list of chapters honored with the Excellence Award this year:

• Atlanta Chapter
• Chicago Chapter
• Houston Chapter
• Korea Chapter
• North Carolina Chapter
• Pittsburgh Chapter
• Poland Chapter
• San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
• Southeastern U.S. Chapter
• Taiwan Chapter
• WINFORMS Chapter

The special mentions include:

• Atlanta Chapter – For an exemplary student project competition, an impressively rich calendar of substantive meetings, and the remarkable reach the chapter has built across its community
• Chicago Chapter – For distinguished industry engagement, highlighted by executive sessions with US Foods and a forward-looking program on AI for inclusion, vibrant multi-platform outreach, and an inspired awards initiative that brings industry closer to the chapter
• San Francisco Bay Area Chapter – For proudly hosting “Convergence 2025: AI & OR Synergy Summit” at UC Berkeley as the INFORMS Regional Analytics Conference, for programming that masterfully bridges academia and industry, and for outstanding member engagement through social media
• WINFORMS Chapter – For remarkable membership growth that can inspire and revitalize other chapters, an exceptionally creative slate of events, and year-round engagement thoughtfully coordinated with local conferences