Harnessing Experience to Thrive Through Transitions

Sunday, April 6, 2025
6-7pm

This workshop will explore the unique challenges and opportunities faced by mid-career professionals navigating career transitions. Whether shifting industries, moving into leadership roles, or redefining career paths, our panelists will share practical strategies for successfully managing career pivots, building new skills, and leveraging existing expertise. Attendees will gain practical advice on navigating change with confidence, finding clarity in uncertain times, and positioning themselves for continued success. Registration not required but encouraged.

Moderator

Nick Ulmer, CAP

Mr. Nick Ulmer is a retired Navy Supply Corps officer with over 20 years as a defense systems analyst. He is a Principal Operations Research Analyst for CANA LLC where he leads teams of analytics professionals to produce high level analytics products across federal and commercial domains including: operations research studies & analysis, models of systems, data and information-based decision support solutions, and data quality & analytic assessments. He is the current President of the INFORMS Veteran Interest Forum, voting council member of INFORM Military and Security Society, and the VP of Professional Development on the Executive Council of the Military Operations Research Society (MORS).

Panelists

Hina Arora

Clinical Associate Professor
Arizona State University

Bio

Hina Arora is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. At ASU, Hina has taught artificial intelligence, data science, analytics, and programming courses at the executive, graduate, and undergraduate levels. She has also held Faculty Director and Director of Experiential Analytics roles for the MS in Business Analytics Program. Prior to joining ASU, Hina was an Analytics Manager at Microsoft, where she led analytics teams in the Windows Services Division and the US Central Marketing Organization. She has also held Software Development positions at IBM and Cognizant, and worked as a Research Scientist at the Center for Excellence in Document Analysis and Recognition at SUNY Buffalo. Hina has a PhD in information systems, a graduate degree in electronics and communication engineering, and an undergraduate degree in Physics.

Jason Ford

Senior Operations Researcher
JDSAT, Inc.

Bio

Jason was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. After graduating high school he attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland where he studied Economics and was a varsity wrestler. Upon graduation he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Jason served for 23 years as an infantry officer, deploying numerous times to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Africa, Australia and South America. He also attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California where he received a Master’s degree in Operations Analysis (Research) and spent three years as an analyst with Operation Analysis Directorate under the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration. Jason retired in Feb 2023 and currently works as a Senior Operations Researcher at JDSAT where he recently achieved his INFORMS CAP.

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