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Washington and Lee Hosts Inaugural DataCon Event DataCon, a new event for students, will highlight the impacts of data analytics, big data and statistical computing.

“We can tell already that we are tapping into an existing but quiet network of students, faculty and alumni who are really doing interesting work.”

DataCon-692x768 Washington and Lee Hosts Inaugural DataCon EventDataCon 2017

Washington and Lee University presents DataCon, a new event for students scheduled for Nov. 3‑4. The event will highlight the impacts of data analytics, big data and statistical computing across a variety of industries.

Rich Cober ’96, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Microstrategy is the keynote speaker at the DataCon kickoff event.

Saturday’s events include a series of panels on analytics in advertising, analytics in finance and analytics in technology, followed by a networking lunch. Panelists will discuss their school and work experiences, their career paths, the lessons learned in their fields and the potential opportunities for current undergraduates.

The idea for the event stemmed from faculty discussions surrounding new developments in teaching topics in statistics, computing, information systems, and math. In addition, W&L has seen more graduates take professional and academic positions related to the collection and use of data.

“We can tell already that we are tapping into an existing but quiet network of students, faculty and alumni who are really doing interesting work,” said Denny Garvis, professor of business administration.

Panelists include:

  • Emily Helander ’04 – director of marketing, Carmax
  • Will Chamberlin ’08 – vice president, digital marketing, BlackRock
  • Noah Egorin ’98 – product manager, FINRA
  • Fletcher McCraw ’06 – partnerships and consulting – Blockchain, Cognizant
  • Elizabeth Falco ’05 – director, Splash Financial
  • Clint Wheelock ’92 – founder and managing director, Tractica
  • Anurag Chandra ’98 – product manager, PWC
  • Kathryn Arthur ‘08 – HR analytics, Jubilant LLC
  • Eli Smith ’97 – head of customers, Google Cloud

“This event is the first of its kind,” said Molly Steele, assistant director of Career and Professional Development. “We are excited to see where it goes.”

W&L’s Data Science Cohort, Career and Professional Development, and the Williams School provided funding for the event.

For more information and to register visit LexLink events #530 and #533 or contact Professor Denny Garvis at garvisd@wlu.edu and Molly Steele at msteele@wlu.edu.