Analytics Summit 2023 Event Schedule
CPE credits: 6.7 credits
| 08:00 am - 09:00 am Checkin - Blue Ridge Ballroom; Light Breakfast - Linville Falls Room |
| 09:00 am - 09:05 am Kickoff and Session Details G. David Shows, D.B.A., Director of the Office of Professional Education (Appalachian State University) |
| 09:05 am - 09:10 am Welcome and Introductory Remarks Lakshmi Iyer, PhD, Acting Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research (Appalachian State University) |
| 09:10 am - 09:55 am “AI, Analytics, and the road ahead” (1.0 CPE – Information Technology - Technical) Kunal Das, Vice President of Data Analytics & Computational Intelligence for Lowes’ Companies, Inc. Generative AI has ushered in a new era of usage, acceptance, and possibility of AI in all settings. In corporate analytics settings, general AI is already in use, but new possibilities are also developing with generative AI enhancements. What does an analytics organization and analytics professionals need to think about and do to prepare for using AI in an optimal manner, and how can you be ready for both the current and next plateau of AI to come. Learning Objectives: • Understand the current state of General Artificial Intelligence present in corporate analytics. • Provide an understanding of the differences between General Artificial Intelligence and Generative Artificial Intelligence to further understand its potential in future uses. • Learn how to prepare for a future where Generative Artificial Intelligence is used to its optimum, to maximize its potential benefits and prepare for the next iteration of AI development. |
| 10:00 am - 10:30 am “A Brief History of Applied Analytics in Higher Education” (0.6 CPE – Information Technology - Technical) Rick Sears, Director of Strategic Analytics and Institutional Research, Appalachian State University This presentation briefly overviews the history of applied analytics in higher education. Beginning with the emergence of a new profession in the late 1960s known as Institutional Research through the current evolution of contemporary applied analytics. We’ll trace the development of institutional research and analytics in higher education with a focus on the emphasis on public accountability, the advancement of technology, the impact of institutional financial pressures, and the current challenge of predictive analytics and the use of increasingly integrated data available to institutions of higher education. Learning Objectives: • Gain an understanding of the history of how data technology shaped the development of institutional research to the current use of applied analytics. • Understand the impact of analytics in institutional research with its emphasis on public accountability and its impact on institutional financing. • Provide an understanding of how current data will shape the future use of institutional research through using predictive analytics in the decision-making process |
| 10:30 am - 10:45 am Networking Break |
| 10:45 am - 11:15 am “Cognitive Augmentation Transforming Healthcare” (0.6 CPE – Information Technology - Technical) Brian Dalgetty: Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Wizeview Cognitive augmentation, AI and ML, are improving job opportunities in the caring professions. These technologies will equip and empower care professionals with plan directives, data collection capabilities and engagement methodologies to proactively reach high-need members in the community, act and intervene early, and ultimately deliver on the promise of value-based care. AI is creating new and exciting healthcare business opportunities, helping to solve the challenge of providing higher-quality care for the increasing number of patients while reducing overall Medicare and Medicaid utilization. Background: When you look at some interesting ‘new economy’ companies – Airbnb, Uber, Lyft – they’ve developed intelligent platforms that solve real-world problems at scale. They have created an on-demand marketplace that matches suppliers (homes, condos, cars, drivers) with users (renters, riders). They have a robust back-end that in real-time computes the demand and value of services. And they have front-end applications that make it easy to use for service providers and consumers. But what’s really interesting is that what they’ve done is to create a cognitively augmented worker. Put another way, they’ve used data, machine learning, and mobile technology to make workers smarter and customers happier. Much like in the building industry, the nail gun and power saw have created a physically augmented worker. In a similar way, today’s technology offers the ability for cognitive augmentation in healthcare. In the case of Uber and Lyft, the power of GPS, mapping, communicating, billing, evaluating, and reporting, is packaged in a platform that enables drivers to effectively replace the legacy taxi business and meaningfully improve the service for customers and drivers. The vision for WizeView is to reach the millions of complex, high-need, and at-risk Medicare and Medicaid patients in their homes with services that specifically help to identify and resolve physical, behavioral, social, and environmental issues resulting in poor health and negative social outcomes. WizeView uses Image Processing and Language Processing models built using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to extract and evaluate clinical data gathered from text, voice, images, and videos. Learning Objectives: • Introduce the concept of Cognitive Augmentation and its impact on the healthcare profession. • Understand how Cognitive Augmentation can possibly increase the quality of public healthcare to patients while reducing the burdens on Medicare and Medicaid. • Explain how the use of cognitive augmentation will promote the greater good by reaching high-need and at-risk Medicare and Medicaid patients by resolving behavioral, social and environmental issues that promote poor health. |
| 11:15 am - 11:45 am “RIEEE DataDash: Empowering Sustainable Research through Data Infrastructure” (0.6 CPE – Information Technology - Technical) Matthew Heffner: Environmental Data Scientist for the Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics, Appalachian State University The Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics (RIEEE) at Appalachian State University is committed to connect, support, and amplify research on the environment, energy, economics, and equity in sustainable solutions. The critical role of designing and developing data infrastructure that supports this mission is fulfilled by the Environmental Data Scientist for RIEEE. This presentation introduces the flagship data infrastructure project of RIEEE - DataDash, an open-source, modular python web application built on the Dash framework. DataDash is designed to enable RIEEE to quickly deploy curated interactive dashboards, analyses, and dataset management and sharing solutions for sustainability research partners across the Appalachian State community. With DataDash, RIEEE aims to enhance research capacity and impact, elevate collaborative opportunities, and lead in sustainability research. This talk will highlight the design and development of DataDash and its alignment with RIEEE's goals, as well as opportunities for researchers and graduate students to get involved. Learning Objectives: • Learn the properties of Dashboards, and their value as collectors and condensers of information. • Understand the use of an open-source application written in Python called DataDash and how it is used to create interactive dashboards used in sustainability research. • Provide a foundation of knowledge to students on the impact of dashboards in research on the environment, energy, and equity in the promotion of sustainable solutions. |
| 11:45 am - 12:15 pm “Leveraging Analytics in Fraud and Financial Crime Response” (0.6 CPE – Information Technology – Technical - Auditing) Cyrus Rattler, CPA, CPE, Business Advisory Manager at Frazier & Deeter, LLC A crash course in the characteristics of fraud and money laundering followed by the intersection of automated systems and analytic techniques commonly employed in anti-money laundering programs and fraud prevention, detection, and investigation. This presentation aims to cover tools and methods used by forensic accountants, anti-fraud and financial crime professionals, and businesses to prevent, detect, and respond to occurrences of fraud or financial crime. Major topics include automated internal controls, transaction monitoring, and analytic tools available for fraud investigation. Learning Objectives: • Learn what are the characteristics of fraud and money laundering. • Understand the tools and methods used in the detection and investigation of fraud used by forensic accountants and financial crime professionals. • Learn the analytic tools available for fraud investigation. • Understand the process of transaction monitoring and the automated internal controls available. |
| 12:15 pm - 01:15 pm Lunch |
| 01:15 pm - 02:30 pm “Analytics Tools, Skills, and Experience in Volvo's Supply Chain” (1.5 CPE – Production – Non-Technical) Jesper Holst, Manager of Operational Planning for Service Market Logistics, North America at Volvo Group The service Market supply chain for Volvo includes enormous amounts of data in a complex network. This leads to endless possibilities for analytics. Jesper will bring the perspective of how Volvo works with Analytics both in operational teams and in the center of excellence for Advanced Analytics. We will also investigate the trends of the Service Market supply chain and what expectations Volvo has for our future employees. Learning Objectives: • Understand the complexities of the Supply Chain Network and how data is transformed into intelligence through the analytic process. • Learn of the future of the Service Market supply chain through the investigation of trends and how this will affect the expectations of future employees. |
| 02:35 pm - 03:05 pm “Inspiring Lifelong Learning Habits to Stimulate Career and Personal Growth for Analytics Professionals” (0.6 CPE – Personal Development – Non-technical) Dana E Harrison, PhD, Associate Professor of Marketing, Chair of Management, Marketing, and Supply Chain, and Director of MBA Programs, East Tennessee State University Chelsie Dubay, EdD, Clinical Instructor and Director of Instructional Design for the Department of Computing, East Tennessee State University The topic of analytics has permeated business discussions for the last several years. Furthermore, the promise of empowering effective decision-making and competitive advantage has propelled the adoption of advanced tools and techniques. Companies continue making efforts to establish a successful analytics strategy and are focusing on building a data-and-analytics-centric culture. However, a 2022 executive survey by Wavestone indicated that only 26.5% of companies have created a data-driven organization, and 19.3% established a data culture – both values have virtually flat or trended lower since 2019. People equipped with the analytics knowledge and expertise to be ethical leaders are highly sought after by companies desiring to build an effective analytics organization. Yet, companies’ demand for skilled workers is outpacing the supply of qualified analytics talent. The evolving nature of analytics development of tools, techniques, and adoption rates necessitates remaining current in the most in-demand field in business. Why and how should new and experienced analytics professionals establish successful lifelong education practices? This session will explore the habits and skills that are necessary for analytics professionals to stimulate career and personal growth. Learning Objectives: • Understand the promise of effective decision-making and the lack of success in producing data-driven analytics-centric culture in organizations over the last five years. • Learn the necessary habits necessary for analytics professionals to promote their own personal growth and stimulate their career path. |
| 03:05 pm - 03:15 pm Networking Break |
| 03:15 pm - 03:45 pm “Crunching the Numbers: Harnessing the Power of People & Talent Analytics” (0.6 CPE – Personnel/Human Resources – Non-technical) Keirsten Henson, MBA, Corporate People Analyst Specializing in People Analytics Explore the growing importance of people and talent analytics in the workplace, as well as some of the latest trends and innovations in the field with me! We will dive into how organizations can use data to make informed decisions about talent management and workforce optimization and discuss the various tools and technologies available for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing people data. We will also explore the essential role that soft skills play, like communication & collaboration, and discuss how you can make an impact in helping your future HR team to harness the power of data analytics. Learning Objectives: • Understand the use of people and talent analytics. • Learn how organizations can use analytics to make decisions in the management of talent and the optimization of their workforce. • Understand the importance of communication and collaboration and their impact in your Human Resource team |
| 03:45 pm - 04:15 pm “Building a Data-Centric Culture and Monetizing Your Data” (0.6 CPE – Personal Development – Non-technical) Teresa Spangler, Chief Executive Officer, Plazabridge Corporation This keynote program focuses on building a data-centric culture and monetizing company data for sustainable revenue growth. The program emphasizes the importance of gathering the right data, using advanced tools, and building predictive models on processes. It also covers how to continuously factor changes in processes into new models, compare metrics against similar companies, manage decision-making, and optimize through more data and model optimization. Attendees will learn a 10-point plan for building innovative data-oriented products and turn the resulting information into actionable insights. Attendees will leave with the knowledge and skills to build a sustainable innovation culture that monetizes their company's data for a competitive edge. Learning Objectives: · Learn the importance of gathering the right data and the building of predictive models and processes. · Understand the value of information created from the processes and how to compare your own metrics against corporations similar to yours · Learn the 10-point plan used to change information into actionable insights. |
| 04:15 pm - 04:45 pm Volvo Student Competition, Presentations and Awards Jeff Kaleta, PhD, CIS Department; Deepti Agrawal, PhD, CIS Department; Jason Xiong,PhD, MSADA Director, All Appalachian State University affiliations. |
| 04:45 pm - 04:55 pm "Closing Remarks" Sandy Vannoy, PhD, Dean, Walker College of Business (Appalachian State University) |
| 04:55 pm - 05:45 pm Social Hour |
Appalachian State University – Department of Accounting is a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www. NASBARegistry. org