INFORMS, the leading association for operations research and analytics professionals, announced that Elena Gerstmann, Ph.D., FASAE, CAE, has been named Executive Director effective July 27.
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Before joining INFORMS, Dr. Gerstmann served as a consultant, facilitator, researcher, and leader on key client projects for Avenue M Group. She previously served on the senior executive team at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) where she was responsible for strategy and planning, volunteer leadership development, corporate communications, international relationships, board relationships, and executive operations. Before being recruited to ASME, Gerstmann was an executive with IEEE, the world’s largest professional association for the advancement of technology.
Gerstmann earned her doctorate in social psychology from Rutgers University. A Fellow of the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) and a Certified Association Executive, Gerstmann is a recognized thought leader in the association community. In 2017, she received the ASAE’s Professional Performance Award, which recognizes invaluable contributions made by association executives who are at the top level within their organizations. She served on the ASAE and ASAE Foundation Board of Directors from 2012-2015. Previously, she was chair of the ASAE Research Committee.
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As Executive Director, Gerstmann will lead INFORMS, its Board, members, and 55-person staff through the development and implementation of a new strategic planning process. This will ensure the organization continues to meet the evolving needs of operations research, analytics, and other data science professionals, while ensuring ongoing operational excellence.
“On behalf of the INFORMS Board of Directors, we are delighted to announce that Elena Gerstmann has been selected as our next Executive Director,” said INFORMS President Pinar Keskinocak and President-elect Stephen C. Graves. “After a comprehensive national search that evaluated many excellent candidates, it was clear that Elena possessed the perfect intersection of association leadership skills and experience, combined with the unique understanding of technical professional societies such as INFORMS. Elena’s qualifications make her an exceptional choice to lead us into our future as we embark on a new strategic planning process while navigating the rapidly evolving business, societal, and technological challenges of this unprecedented time.”