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Homecoming 2013: The College of Business Goes Undercover

October 25 | 3:30 - 5:15 p.m. | Muma College of Business Atrium

• 3:30 p.m. - Guest speaker and panel discussion
• 5:30 p.m. - Reception (Family-friendly!)
• 7:00 p.m. - Homecoming parade watch party and carnival

RSVPs are required for this free event (parking is $5). All Muma College of Business alumni in attendance will receive a complimentary t-shirt (while supplies last). 

Click here to reserve a seat.

Guest Speaker

"Undercover Boss" Sara Bittorf will kick off the Muma College of Business' homecoming celebration with a discussion of her recent appearance on the popular CBS Television show, "Undercover Boss." Bittorf, the chief brand officer for Boston Market, will speak about her career, her experiences on the award-winning show - she was the first executive on the show to fire someone during an episode - and how the company has used the information gleaned from the experience to shape management decisions. 

"Big Data" Panel Discussion

Big data technologies are emerging fast and companies have the ability to collect heaps of information that intuition alone can't decipher. Data-driven decision-making skills are the answer to capitalizing on this abundance of information. Bittorf's remarks will precede a talk on a prevailing trend in business: data-driven decision making. 

USF Professor Balaji Padmanabhan, an expert in the areas of business intelligence, data analysis, and data mining, will lead the discussion. The chair of USF's Information Systems Decisions Sciences Department, Padmanabhan will talk with senior-level industry experts from a range of fields about how they use data to drive business decisions.

A complimentary reception will follow the panel discussion, and those who wish to enjoy the USF Homecoming Parade from the Muma College of Business lawn are encouraged to stay for our family-friendly watch party.

Panelists: Data-Driven Decision-Making

Robert Carter
Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Information Officer, FedEx Corporate Services

Rob Carter directs FedEx's technological strategic vision. He is a three-time recipient of Information Week's Chief of the Year Award, and was inducted in to CIO magazine's Hall of Fame.  Carter Bio

Kimberly Ross
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Avon

Avon's finance, strategic planning, and investor relations divisions are headed by Kimberly Ross. Her expertise includes emerging and developed market analysis, the consumer product and retail sectors, and the functions of forecasting, auditing, and financial reporting.  Ross Bio

Andre Therrien
Chief Business Officer, Florida Panthers

Andre Therrien applies business analytics to the competitive sports management field. He uses data to optimize real-time pricing and finance decisions for the professional sports team.  Therrien Bio

Balaji Padmanabhan
USF Information Systems Chair

Balaji Padmanabhan is the Anderson Professor of Global Management and an associate professor in the Information Systems Decision Sciences Department. His research addresses data analytics for business applications, algorithms for online news recommender systems, management of data analytics in firms, fraud detection in healthcare, analytics in examining service quality and customer churn, behavioral profiling, and pattern discovery.  Padmanabhan Bio

View information about other USF Homecoming events here.