Operations and Analytics Club
The club sponsors presentations by industry executives, tours of manufacturing facilities, and networking opportunities for students.
It's also affiliated with the , a professional organization that offers educational, training and network opportunities in the areas of operations and supply chain management. You can learn more about the club in this
Six Sigma Certification
The club provides additional training and resources to help our students build valuable skill sets and accreditations.
One area of interest is the American Society for Quality (ASQ) Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification.
Six Sigma provides value to potential employers through reduced costs, increased revenue, streamlined business processes, and improved employee buy-in, which all lead to a better bottom line. Six Sigma provides value to our students by improving skill sets for in demand positions, displaying commitment to improving business acumen, preparing students for leadership roles, and increased earning potential.
2023-2024 Events
Spring 2024 Events
First Semester Meeting
January 31, 2024 6:15pm, First O & A Club meeting, Brennan Hall, Classroom 205- Discussion was held with members about upcoming semester events including Veterans Boxes fundraiser and Vote for upcoming field trip.
Six Sigma Event
February 12, 2024 6pm, Brennan Hall, Pearn Auditorium-Six sigma education hosted by students Alyssa Fontana and Anthony Mazzaro.
March Madness
February 26, 2024 6pm, Brennan Hall, Pearn Auditorium
Supply Chain Panel
March 4, 2024, 6pm, Brennan Hall, Pearn Auditorium-Professionals from area businesses discussion with Q & A about the supply chain.
Veterans Boxes
March 20, 2024, 6pm, Brennan Hall, Pearn Auditorium-Fundraising activity collecting self care items to be distributed to our local veterans.
Python Night
April 8, 2024, 6pm, DeNaples Center 407 - Hosted by Dr. Wesam AlRamadeen. Several student teams from KSOM Business school learning python with a fun, friendly competition.
Casino Night
May 9, 2024, 6pm, The DeNaples Center- Held each semester, a fun-filled night of games and fundraiser for local food bank.
Fall 2023 Events
Fall Internship Panel
September 11, 2023 6pm, Brennan Hall Pearn Auditorium- Student Panel highlighting Internship opportunities. The students will discuss obtaining an internship, time commitment, hands-on experience and takeaways.
Internship sites include
- ub bank
- BNY Mellon
- Lockheed Martin
- J.P. Morgan
- Verizon
- SL Green Realty Group
Sports Analytics Session
September 19, 2023 11:30 am
Brennan Hall, Room 103
O & A club treasurer Michael Castellino will be sharing the work that he did with Dr. David Mahalak using Python for Sports Analytics.
Sports Analytics Panel
September 25, 2023 6 pm
Brennan Hall, Pearn Auditorium
Jack Houston from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and Brian Coe from the Wilkes-Barre Penguins will speak on their careers and roles, and provide valuable advice for those interested in the field of operations and analytics.
Operations Management Panel
October 16, 2023 6 pm
Brennan Hall, Pearn Auditorium
A Guest Speaker from Paint Pittston Pink will discuss the operations of the event and the O & A Club will be presenting a donation from monies collected from selling pink ribbons.
Python Education
October 24, 2023 11:30 am Brennan Hall, Room 105
O & A club secretary Alyssa Fontana will be leading a discussion on PowerBI and the club will be hosting a PowerBI competition with awards for the best dashboards created and presented.
Female Leaders in Business
November 6, 2023 6 pm
Brennan Hall, Pearn Auditorium
Six Sigma Night Kahoot
November 13, 2023 6 pm
Brennan Hall, Pearn Auditorium
Dr. David Mahalak
Six Sigma Education
November 28, 2023 11:30 am
Brennan Hall, Room 105
Casino Night
December 4, 2023 6 pm
Brennan Hall, Rose Room 509
Previous Events
Paint Pittston Pink
The Operations & Analytics club supported Dr. David Mahalak's participation in the Gentlemen's Dash for Paint Pittston Pink to help our local community and further cancer research! The club designed and sold Beating the Statistics t shirts and helped Dr. Mahalak donate over $30,000 to Paint Pittston Pink!
Female Leaders in Business
Every year, the Operations & Analytics club host speakers and panels to discuss relevant topics in the fields of operations and business analytics. One of our main events is the Female Leaders in Business, Operations, and Analytics panel with enables successful female leaders/entrepreneurs of business to share their stories and expertise with our club. Students are able to ask questions about their experience in various industries, e.g. working Wall Street.
Our speaker and panel events have produced several internship opportunities for our club members!
Past Female Leaders in Business panelists include :
- Larissa Hoffman, 草榴社区 2016 graduate, majoring in Accounting with minors in Philosophy and Business Leadership. Larissa is a CPA and has spend the entirety of her career sinc graduation at Deloitte in the audit and assurance practice, primarily service clients with the Life Sciences Industry.
- Maura McCormick Waskevich, Villanova 2010 graduate with a BSA in Accounting. She is currently an Enrolled Agent at practice before the IRS and has been working as principal at Wilcox and McCormick.
- Jennifer Lombardo, Certified Personal Trainer and sole owner of Evolve Fitness Pittston. Jennifer graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor's degree in Social Work.
- Kathy Duddek, Marywood University 1992 graduate, Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration and Marketing. Kathy is a member of the Executive Leadership team for Alleima USA LLC (previously Sandvik) 1999-present. Previous roles include Director of Supply Chain, Executive member of Environmental, Health and Safety Steering committee, Liaison between Sale and Production Units and Special Projects leader for Production and Supply.
- Logyn Muscheno, 草榴社区 alumni, BS Operations Management and MBA in ERP Systems and Operations Management. Currently, Logyn is a Human Resource Specialist at Army Material Command. She worked as a Management Analyst at Tobyhanna Army Depot and as a Purchasing Analyst at Top Notch Distributors Inc.
- Ali Mahalak, Chief Financial Officer and Co-Owner of Colours, Inc. a Family owned and operated business distributing automotive and commercial refinishes products.
- Hannah Burgess, Founder of The Beekeepers Daughter, operating since 2011 The Beekeepers Daughter has grown to what is now the largest honey bottling company in Northeast Pennsylvania.
- Mary E. Hirthler, Wealth Advisor of Jacobi Capital Management. Previous Goldman Sachs Global Markets Division and Blackstone Alternative Assets Management Group.
Casino Night
O & A Panel
Each semester the O & A club hosts speakers from businesses relevant to Business Analytics and Operations Management.
Some Past Speakers and Businesses include :
- Patrick Houlihan, Top Notch Distributors. Patrick studied supply chain management at Penn State and has spent his career developing better supply chains. He currently serves as Director of Operations.
- Michael Auriemma, Alleima. Michael studied marketing at the 草榴社区 and currently serves as Director of Supply chain at Alliema Steel.
- Jake Latcham, Mericle. Jake studied mechanical engineering at MIT and has an MBA from Harvard Business school. He currently serves as Chief of Staff at Mericle Commercial Real Estate.
- Michael Elias, Supplier Management Solutions (SMS). Michael studied at Lehigh and Wilkes University in mechanical engineering and production control. He currently works as a Quality Engineer.
- John Garofalo, Consolidated Rail Corporation (transportation industry)
- Raymond Scuderi, Commerce Supply Chain Lead at Crayola (supply chain management)
- Robert Norris, Summit Behavioral Healthcare (healthcare industry)
- Ken Staats, COO, Festival of Ballooning
- Richie Endico, 草榴社区 Alumni 2021, Consulting Operations Associate, Forrester
Guest Speakers and Site Visits
Every year, the club hosts speakers and panels to discuss relevant topics in the field of operations and business analytics. The panel shares their stories and expertise with the club. Students are able to ask questions about their experience in various industries. Our past speakers and panels have produced several internship opportunities as well. In addition, students have the opportunity to visit local facilities, businesses and companies.
Past Facility Visits
- Walmart Distribution Center, Tobyhanna, PA
- Gertrude Hawk Chocolates plant, Dunmore, PA
- Philadelphia Phillies Stadium, Philadelphia, PA for a Sports Analytics project