MinneAnalytics

Dr. Rajeev Bukralia is a faculty member and director of the MS in data science program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He is the founder of DREAM (Data Resources for Eager & Analytical Minds), a student organization dedicated to data science, which has over 300 members. Dr. Bukralia is a recipient of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees Outstanding Educator award and the South Dakota Board of Regents faculty award. His research focuses on data science, machine learning, and IT strategies. Previously, he served in administrative positions including CIO and dean. He was chair of the 2019 and 2020 Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition (MUDAC) sponsored by MinneAnalytics.

Diana is a Business Analytics Consultant with UnitedHealth Group and MinneWiADS Conference Co-Chair.

Renee Ernst is a Sr. Lead Data Scientist at General Mills, serving as the technical manager for a team of data scientists building models used to scenario plan and optimize promotions. Outside of work she is actively involved in the data science community, including co-organizing events like the upcoming MinneAnalytics Women in Analytics and Data Science conference.

Daniel is a Principal software engineer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise working on the open-source SPIRE security toolkit. He strives to work hard, learn new things constantly, and share as much as possible with the community.

Lizzy is Senior Director, Analyst - Marketing Analytics and Advertising at Gartner. She previously served on the MinneAnalytics Board of Directors and as co-chair of the MinneAnalytics Marketing Analytics Conference (MAMA).

John leads a team that leverages 150 years of General Mills data to find patterns and solve problems. This team of data scientists enables the creation of sustainable and scalable solutions that change how General Mills makes decisions and does business worldwide.

Randy is CEO and Owner of Inside Edge. He served as co-chair of the MinneAnalytics Sport Analytics Conference (SportCon).

Kim is a data scientist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. She provides statistical analyses, data analyses and visualizations, among other things, to help the Bank better understand issues affecting low- and moderate-income communities. In addition to her work at the Minneapolis Fed and co-chairing MinneAnalytics conferences, Kim also co-organizes the Women in Machine Learning and Data Science Twin Cities meetup group.

Chris Malone is a Professor of Data Science and Statistics at Winona State University. Malone is the co-founder of MUDAC and co-founder of the WSU - Statistical Consulting Center.

Jake is a Senior Data Scientist at Carrot Health, where he helps health plans acquire new members, improve the health of their existing members, and generally manage the quality of their plans via predictive modeling. Outside of the office, he has previously organized meetup groups like StarEightyTwo, and serves as a conference chair for MinneAnalytics’ Data Tech conference. As an avid Nebraska football fan, he hopes someday to see their return to national relevance.

Abhishek's core belief and motto in life is to apply his learnings to bring meaningful changes in the world. At Cargill R&D, he builds data tools that can automate and augment decision-making processes through AI and Machine Learning. Outside work, he runs an organization to help aspiring data scientists master their skills while partnering with nonprofits such as Generation NEXT, Avivo, and the Science Museum of Minnesota to apply Data Science for social good. His is also an Adjunct Professor at University of St Thomas and teaches Data Engineering and Machine Learning to Data Science and Computer Science graduate students.

Dr. Ashley Stadler Blank is an Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Williams College of Business at Xavier University.