Professor Munir Mandviwalla received the Sandra Slaughter Service Award from the Association for Information Systems at the  International Conference for Information Systems held in December in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The award recognizes “longstanding members who have provided leadership within the Association, particularly through such activities as participating in the SIGs/chapters/colleges, strengthening the conferences, and participating in AIS-sponsored journals.”

This honor reflects the MIS community’s high esteem for Professor Mandviwalla and his many contributions to the field. 

Attending a performance at the Isarphilharmonie music hall in Munich sounds like a lovely way to spend a summer evening. But the concert there on July 17, 2022, had much deeper significance for Stauffer Professor of MIS Jason Thatcher. 

“It was amazing,” said Thatcher, recounting how his partner, daughter, friends, and students were among the people in the audience.

Thatcher’s community had turned out to see him receive the prestigious TUM Ambassadorship from the Technical University of Munich on stage, along with other scholars from around the world.

TUM is well-known as one of the top universities in the European Union. The TUM Ambassador is an interdisciplinary award given annually in Munich.

“It was unexpected,” says Thatcher, of his award nomination. TUM faculty and students nominate their colleagues who they believe have made substantial contributions to the academic life of the university. 

Thatcher holds a faculty appointment at TUM and has held visiting appointments at the Information Technology University-Copenhagen and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

While at TUM, Thatcher says he’s learned a lot about project management, gathering data, and “looking at research problems through new eyes from my colleagues.”

His research includes work on digital platforms, IT workforce, and digital nudges in partnership with major corporations and government agencies in Germany.

“Absent the TUM relationship, I would never have had a chance to participate in research that examines how digital platforms are changing how firms manage relationships with key stakeholders and business partners,” Thatcher says.

Thatcher also works on technology use and stigma in the United States, including the dangers facing veterans who post about PTSD on social media. His recent findings are scheduled to appear in Personnel Psychology.

“We’re presently extending that work to examine how technology use can further stigmatize people with mental health conditions in Germany,” he says. 

According to Thatcher, the Isarphilharmonie concert, meeting TUM President Thomas F. Hofman, and the award dinner were all unforgettable. However, he is perhaps most grateful that the ambassadorship will enrich his academic life by solidifying his working relationships at TUM.

“It was affirming the relationships with my colleagues in Munich that made it special,” Thatcher says.

During her career, Rhea Prabhu (BBA ‘17) has served as a trusted advisor to clients across several different industries, including financial services and life sciences. The throughline in her work is helping organizations leverage innovative and emerging technologies while prioritizing cybersecurity and managing risk.

Depending on the client, that might look like developing a vulnerability management program, or creating executive dashboards to show security risk posture across an enterprise.

Prabhu’s resume includes stints at Grant Thorton and Deloitte. She currently serves as a Cyber Security Senior Associate at Ernst & Young.

At EY, Prabhu creates custom security solutions for her clients’ unique operating environments. And she continues to draw upon the skills she honed and networks she grew during her time at Temple.

“What stuck out to me about many of my classes at Temple was their emphasis on creating solutions to real problems—not just theoretical scenarios,” says Prabhu. They helped me to stretch my creative and technical skills and learn how to interact with clients.”

Prabhu also credits being a part of Temple AIS as a member and officer with helping her develop a community of peers and smoothly transition into the workforce. “The IT fairs, awards, socials, and competitions impressed on me the importance of developing a network in addition to applying myself in class. Many of the connections I made there are cherished relationships to this day,” she says.

How do entertainment executives decide what content to produce? As a Technical Program Manager at the Santa Monica offices of Disney Streaming, 2023 Temple “30 under 30” recipient Ciara Murphy (BBA ‘16) leads the Data Solutions teams to help figure it out. They help determine what you watch on some of your favorite streaming (Disney Plus, Hulu) and linear (ABC, FX) channels. 

Murphy’s teams collect data as it relates to content, like Disney Channel shows and The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. “Then we transform the data to make it easy for analysts and business folks to create insight from it,” says Murphy.

After spending a few years at Cigna, Murphy found a great culture fit at Disney with a fun team who challenges and pushes each other—reminiscent of her experience at Temple. 

“Working on group projects at Temple was similar to my career experience so far in the way that you have this big idea, then you break it up into more achievable milestones,” says Murphy.

“The curriculum overall really challenged my way of thinking and taught me how to approach problems in different ways,” she says.

Murphy encourages undergrads to get a solid foundation in data and analytics. “Especially in this economy, decisions are very data driven. And having accurate data on customers is super important to operate your day-to-day business,” she says.