Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering Inducts Members, Announces Faculty, Staff Awards

Mia Quain

The Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering, faculty, staff, family and friends gathered on the evening of April 19 to celebrate the induction of seven new members. This marked the 38th anniversary of the academy. The event was held at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Springdale.

The evening was punctuated by the outstanding success of the annual silent auction, which raises funds for scholarships. Donations from the auction totaled $2,955.

New members inducted:

• David Bates, B.S.I.E. 2004; Sam's Club, group director growth and supply chain finance
• David Boguslawski, B.S.I.E. 2003; CityVet, CEO and president
• Julia Carmack, B.S.I.E. 2008; Campbell Soup, senior manager/customer sales lead - Natural Channel
• Rafael Merida, B.S.I.E. 2004; Tyson Foods, procurement director
• Lindsey Simpson, B.S.I.E. 2006, M.S.I.E. 2007; Walmart, senior manager assortment analytics
• Kelly Sullivan, B.S.I.E. 2006, M.S.I.E. 2008; U of A, Department of Industrial Engineering, associate professor
• Ed Pohl, honorary; dean, U of A, Graduate School and International Education

The academy also gives faculty and staff awards for outstanding performance. This year, the Academy Faculty Member of the Year was Professor Shengfan Zhang. The award recognizes a faculty member who has contributed strongly to the department's mission for outstanding research, teaching and service.

Zhang's research interests are mathematical modeling of stochastic systems with an emphasis on statistical and decision analysis as applied to health care, manufacturing and service environments. Her research focuses on developing methodologies and solution approaches in data analytics and medical decision making, especially advancing predictive and prescriptive analytics for disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. She has been funded by numerous prestigious organizations including the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation. 

Her teaching impact was very much felt in 2023, as Zhang contributed to multiple courses. In addition to her normal course load, she accepted the task of creating and offering for the first time a newly required industrial engineering course.

Zhang is director of the Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution and leads the department's student INFORMS chapter, which received an Honorable Mention for the 2023 INFORMS Student Chapter Annual Award. Her leadership is indicative of her emerging as a senior leader in our department.

She serves as a committee member on the INFORMS 2024 Annual Meeting Program Committee. She also serves as an area editor for the journal Health Systems and as an associate editor of IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering. 

Zhang is well established as an extraordinary adviser and mentor to students both at the undergraduate and graduate level. She is currently advising five Ph.D. students and serves on eight dissertation committees. This amount of Ph.D. student advising is truly exceptional.

Mindy Hunthrop was the recipient of the Administrative Staff Member of the Year Award. Hunthrop began working with the Operations Management program in 2015 as an academic adviser. Over the past nine years, she has been promoted twice: once to assistant director for faculty and later as the assistant director for students. Hunthrop plays a pivotal role in the success of Operations Management and Engineering Management. She coordinates the work of the academic advisers to help recruit and retain students. She advocates for students and is a champion for the equitable treatment of everyone. Hunthrop has a keen attention to detail, leaving no stone unturned during any project or initiative. She also began and continues to serve as chair of the MSOM Scholarship Committee.

The weekend was capped off the next day with the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering annual meeting in the morning, followed by the traditional catfish picnic lunch at Bell Engineering.

The date for next year's Academy Weekend is April 11 and 12, 2025.

Meet the new inductees.