Dr. Matthew Lanham, Assistant Professor of Business Technology & Analytics in Butler University’s Lacy School of Business, has been elected Vice President / President-Elect of the INFORMS Analytics Society, the largest society within INFORMS and a premier global community for analytics and decision-science professionals.
The INFORMS Analytics Society brings together leaders in analytics, operations research, optimization, data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to advance data-driven decision-making across industries. In his new role, Dr. Lanham will help shape strategic priorities for professional development, certification alignment, and industry partnerships that influence global standards for analytics practice, education, and professional development.
“This role allows me to directly connect emerging industry needs with how we educate students and support analytics practitioners,” Dr. Lanham said. “My goal is to ensure that analytics education remains decision-centric, experiential, and aligned with the skills employers are actively seeking.”
Dr. Lanham’s leadership in the Society directly strengthens Butler’s Business Technology and Analytics (BTA) curriculum and experiential learning ecosystem. Through this role, he brings early visibility into evolving analytics standards, certifications, and GenAI-enabled practices—often before they are widely adopted in academic programs—insights that are integrated into coursework, applied projects, and student competitions. These connections help ensure Butler students graduate with not only strong technical foundations, but also industry-validated credentials, portfolios, and professional networks that differentiate them in the job market.
Dr. Lanham currently serves as an elected member of the INFORMS Analytics Certification Board (ACB) and previously served as President-Elect of the INFORMS Data Mining Society, where he helped lead its growth from a Section into a full Society. His continued involvement across INFORMS societies positions Butler as an active contributor to the national and global analytics community.
Students interested in applied analytics, competitions, certification pathways, and professional engagement are encouraged to participate through Butler’s INFORMS Student Chapter.