On May 1, Koray Özpolat, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at URI’s College of Business, assumed his new role as VP for Information Management on the Board of Directors for the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI). The Decision Sciences Institute is a professional organization of academics and practitioners interested in the application of quantitative and behavioral methods to the problems of society. The Institute provides an international forum for presenting and sharing research in the study of decision processes across disciplines.

As the Vice President for Information Management, Professor Özpolat will help establish the organization’s strategic direction and oversee DSI’s operations; chair the Information Management committee; and provide recommendations to the Board and the Executive Director concerning the acquisition and use of information technology, including conference management systems, member management systems, web presence and mobile applications.

“I am truly humbled that members of the Decision Sciences Institute elected me for this position, and I am honored to serve on the Board of Directors. My hope is to both positively contribute to DSI’s mission and move the organization forward, while also raising the visibility of URI” says Özpolat.

The Decision Sciences Institute is an internationally recognized organization doing critical work in key regions across the globe. Many renowned academics and practitioners are involved with the group and operate in key roles.

Özpolat explains “my presence on the board may not only help the College of Business attract top faculty to URI, but also assist with placement of our supply chain management doctoral students into academic positions. It also has the potential to pave the way for our junior faculty to engage more actively with DSI.”

Professor Özpolat’s appointment is part of a long partnership between the URI College of Business and the Decision Sciences Institute. Dean Maling Ebrahimpour and Associate Dean Shaw Chen previously served in key leadership roles as President and Vice President, respectively.

“We are delighted that Professor Özpolat will continue the tradition of representing URI on the board of this prestigious international academic organization. His election by DSI members is another indicator that the URI College of Business has a solid reputation amongst colleagues in business schools across the globe” says Dean Ebrahimppour, Past President of DSI. Özpolat is honored to walk in their footsteps and serve in this role.

“This service comes at a unique time. Having survived the pandemic, academic organizations are brainstorming about the future modality of conferences – in-person, virtual or hybrid. Although virtual conferences offer limited networking opportunities to members, many more were able to attend due to lower costs and convenience of joining from office/home. I am excited to be part of this conversation and help identify the best format for future DSI conferences” says Professor Özpolat.

Özpolat will serve a two-year term on the DSI Board of Directors.