MORS-Talk

Organizational Ethnographer

As a civilian analyst to the United States Marine Corps, long-time educator in the School of Communication at San Diego State University, and national-level education consultant, Dr. Alana Nicastro brings together teams across departments, institutions, and workplace segments to help them achieve a deeper understanding of their work. Through facilitating conversations and innovations with change agents at all levels, her work positively impacts performance to help organizations become more humane and empowering.

Civilian Analyst

Dr. Shelly Valdez is now retired from a decades-long career in education, organization consulting, and coaching teams through change. Her multi-faceted background includes developing and supporting collaborative change structures, conducting original research, teaching at the post-secondary level, as well as authoring and public speaking on a variety of subjects—most recently, on women’s wellness and dynamic aging: rethinking aging from a time of decline to one of transition and vitality.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Katherine A. McGrady is President and Chief Executive Officer, CNA, which operates the Institute for Public Research and the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally-funded research and development center (FFRDC) that pioneered the field of operations analysis in support of the U.S. Navy during World War II. Read More

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Dr. Katherine McGrady

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Katherine A. McGrady is President and Chief Executive Officer, CNA, which operates the Institute for Public Research and the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally-funded research and development center (FFRDC) that pioneered the field of operations analysis in support of the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Dr. McGrady began her career with CNA as an analyst in 1988. As the field representative to the Commander of Marine Forces Central Command and Commander, I Marine Expeditionary Force, she served in the Persian Gulf during the first Iraq war (Desert Shield and Desert Storm). Dr. McGrady received the Department of Navy’s Superior Public Service Award for her contributions during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. She also deployed as part of the Unified Task Force to Mogadishu, Somalia.

Subsequent assignments led to her selection as Vice President and Director, Integrated Systems and Operations (ISO) Division, where she led a team focused on issues at the interface between the Navy and Marine Corps, including analysis of expeditionary systems, logistics, operations and tactics, and training for expeditionary operations. Simultaneously, she directed CNA’s Marine Corps Program, where she developed the annual research program and was the primary interface between CNA and the senior Marine Corps leadership.

From 2004 through 2009 Dr. McGrady held a variety of positions at CNA: In 2004, she became CNA’s Senior Vice President for Research; in 2006, she was promoted to Executive Vice President; in June 2009, she was appointed CNA’s first Chief Operating Officer. In that role, she was responsible for the execution of CNA’s strategy and business processes, assuring consistency of policy and approach across the organization, and maintaining an environment of accountability and high research performance.

Dr. McGrady earned her Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Macromolecular Science and Engineering (Polymer Chemistry) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, and a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry (cum laude) from Smith College, Northampton, MA.

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Data Visualization Expert / Industrial Engineer

Ms. Lucia is a data visualization expert with experience implementing analytical models in a variety of environments, including healthcare, manufacturing, defense, and finance. An industrial engineer by training, Lucia also has extensive experience with Lean and modeling complex systems. She was introduced to the MORS community in her four years as an Operations Research Analyst with CANA Advisors. She holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Oregon State University and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Dickinson College. Lucia is currently a Content Marketing Data Analyst with RepRisk AG, an environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) data science company based in Zurich, Switzerland.

Director of Analytics Capabilities at CANA Advisors

An Operations Research Professional with experience in Government, Industry and Academia. He is the Chair of the MORS Continuing Education Committee and the INFORMS SpORts Section as well as a MORS Board of Directors member. He is also on faculty and teaches at the University of Arkansas and serves as an Executive Practicum Advisor at the NC State Poole School of Management. In his role as a Principal Operations Research Analyst at CANA Advisors, he leads the sports analytics research area.