Institute Kicks Off New Tradition with Inaugural Alumni Summit

Posted on by Val Schwartz

The Institute for Advanced Analytics (IAA) launched its inaugural Alumni Summit on Friday, April 24, at NC State’s Talley Student Center. Designed to strengthen connections among alumni, faculty, and staff, the event offered a crucial platform for dialogue on the future of data science. For many, the summit was the first opportunity to hear from IAA Goodnight Executive Director Bill Rand since he assumed the role in July 2025, detailing his vision for the nation’s “oldest and boldest” Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) program.

View photos from the IAA Alumni Summit

The forward-looking direction and continued leadership of the program were met with enthusiasm. One post-event survey respondent shared, “I am excited for the new direction of the IAA and proud that this program continues to lead the way in talent development for tomorrow’s analytical needs.”

A major focus of the day was ensuring the MSA curriculum remains cutting-edge. Attendees heard key findings from a recent alumni survey, presented by IAA Associate Teaching Professor Andrea Villanes ‘09, which provided valuable perspectives on the curriculum’s current strengths and areas for improvement. This discussion was reinforced by dynamic panel sessions. These panels explored how AI is fundamentally shaping the data professional landscape and highlighted the varied, successful career trajectories of IAA alumni.

Participants, who represented all but two of the IAA’s 19 cohorts of graduates, left the summit feeling empowered and connected. “The Institute is evolving and becoming more integrated with NC State,” noted one attendee. They added, “I walked away feeling like the skills we developed at the IAA enable us to thrive in the AI world, and reminded of my amazing network!” This network proved invaluable, as another respondent noted, “I found it very valuable to connect with peers and learn from their experiences, particularly around how AI is changing how we work.”

A highlight of the summit was the presentation of the Institute’s first Alumni Trailblazer Award. Director Rand honored Hiwot Tesfaye ‘16, Technical Advisor in the Office of Responsible AI at Microsoft, with the inaugural award. This recognition celebrates an MSA alum who embodies the Institute’s core ethos—humble, hungry, and smart—while making a significant impact in the data science profession and maintaining active engagement with the IAA.

As the Institute approaches its 20th anniversary, the IAA team is eager to build on the momentum of the Alumni Summit. Alumni and other IAA supporters can anticipate more events and engagement opportunities in the year ahead. The value of this network was perfectly captured by an attendee who remarked, “The feeling of companionship that comes from being surrounded by like-minded people facing the same dilemmas is priceless.”

The Institute team expresses sincere gratitude to all who attended the summit, especially the following alumni who served as speakers and panelists:

  • Bryson Bonham ‘18 – Head of AI Enablement & Data Science, Ellipsis Health
  • Jim Box ‘14 – Principal Data Scientist, Healthcare & Life Sciences, SAS
  • Lindy Bustabad ‘22 – Senior Analytics Engineer, Pendo
  • Adam Crouch ‘18 – Senior Director of Analytics, BHG Financial
  • Grant Fleming ‘19 – Senior Alignment Data Scientist, AE Studio
  • Grace Heyne Lybrand ‘17 – Senior Director of Product, Enterprise Data, Lantern
  • Erin McGowan ‘13 – SVP Customer Experience Solutions & Services, Dataiku
  • Sneha Raghavan ‘17 – Vice President, Global Customer Success, Pendo
  • Hiwot Tesfaye ‘16 – Technical Advisor, Office of Responsible AI, Microsoft
  • Ryan Wendt ‘17 – DataML Engineer, QuadSci
MSA '26 students test out VR Present headsets

Institute Hosts “Tours, Talks & Tech” Open House

Posted on by Val Schwartz

On Wednesday, October 8 from 4-6 p.m., the NC State Institute for Advanced Analytics team hosted an open house called Tours, Talks & Tech at the IAA.

Goodnight Executive Director Bill Rand spoke about the impacts of AI on data science education and practice, and offered a brief summary of his vision for the Institute moving forward.

Goodnight Executive Director Bill Rand

Assistant Teaching Professor Sarah Egan Warren provided opportunities for guests to try the VR Present technology she developed in partnership with NC State’s DELTA.

A panel of Institute alumni discussed the ways they’re leveraging AI in their roles, as well as ideas for how to identify job candidates with strong critical and creative thinking skills. Many thanks to our panelists:

  • Moderator: Aimee Marva ’15, Senior Director, AML Analytics & Operations, Ally
  • Ruth Goulding ’18, Principal Data Scientist and Software Engineer, Visionist
  • Shreye Saxena ’18, Senior Data Scientist II, Axios
  • Jim Box ’14, Principal Data Scientist, Healthcare & Life Sciences, SAS
  • Hiwot Tesfaye ’16, Technical Advisor, Responsible AI, Microsoft
  • Elaine Huspeni ’22, Senior Data Scientist, AVP, Fifth Third Bank
Aimee Marva '15, Ruth Goulding '18, Shreye Saxena '18, Jim Box '14, Hiwot Tesfaye '16, and Elaine Huspeni '22

The open house was a great opportunity for alumni, current and prospective MSA students, faculty, staff, and friends of the IAA to build connections and learn from one another.

This event was part of NC State’s Data Science & AI Week (October 6-10).

Dr. Bill Rand

Welcome, Dr. Rand!

Posted on by Val Schwartz

On July 1, Bill Rand joined the Institute for Advanced Analytics as its Goodnight Executive Director. Rand, who comes to us from NC State’s Poole College of Management, is responsible for ensuring the IAA’s curriculum excellence, high-quality student experiences, and effective enrollment management, as well as fostering cross-campus collaboration. Learn more.

Aric LaBarr

Congratulations to Dr. LaBarr

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The Institute congratulates Dr. Aric LaBarr on his new faculty position in Winston-Salem. Dr. LaBarr has been a mainstay instructor at the Institute since its earliest years, while completing his Ph.D. in Statistics, and therefore, he has played a role in the education of most of our 1,500 graduates. He is without question one of the country’s finest instructors in our field of study. We wish him the very best in his new endeavor.

Venture 3 – corner of Main and Varsity.

On the Move

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NC State University’s Board of Trustees approved the Institute’s proposal to relocate to Venture 3 Building on Centennial Campus in June 2025. Our current lease in Alliance Building will not be renewed due to the major tenant’s decision to lease the entire building. Venture 3 is located at 900 Main Campus Drive, directly across the street from Alliance.

Continue reading “On the Move” →
Navarra students 2025

Institute Hosts Students from Spain

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The Institute for Advanced Analytics recently hosted a group of 40 undergraduate students from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain for a weeklong immersion program. The students, all of whom are studying economics and data science, received instruction from Institute faculty and alumni on topics ranging from data visualization to Bayesian statistics. They learned professional networking strategies from the Institute’s career services team, and had the opportunity to put those skills into practice with current MSA students, alumni, and even NC State’s mascots — Mr. and Ms. Wuf! During the evenings, the students enjoyed bowling, ice skating, and exploring the Raleigh area. 

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Valerie Schwartz

Schwartz Speaks at Conference

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The Institute’s head of admissions Val Schwartz will highlight our MSA program at the 10th Annual WIDS Conference in Reston, VA. There, she will be part of a panel discussion entitled, “Mastering Data: Insights into Masters Degrees in Statistics and Analytics,” alongside representatives from Duke University’s Master of Interdisciplinary Data Science, Duke University School of Medicine’s Master of Biostatistics, New York University’s M.S. in Applied Statistics for Social Sciences Research, and Wake Forest University’s M.S. in Statistics.