Ivey is pleased to be welcoming numerous new faculty members to campus this school year! To help you get to know our new colleagues, we asked each of them a list of questions about their academic – and personal – interests.
Get to know: Stephanie Kelley
Stephanie Kelley is a new Assistant Professor of Operations Management who says her background has been focused on “business, business, and more business.” After doing a Bachelor of Commerce at Queen’s University, she worked for five years in various marketing and sales roles at Reckitt Benckiser, a multinational consumer-packaged goods company. She then returned to Queen’s, first for the Master of Management Analytics, and then to pursue a PhD in Management Analytics. Kelley says she is excited to teach Ivey’s HBA1 Operations Management course particularly at a time when global supply chains and logistics are at the forefront of many organizational challenges due to the current global business environment. Read on to learn more about her research, pastimes, and her big summer trip.
Q&A with Stephanie Kelley
What is the most important thing business executives can learn from your research/area of expertise?
I study the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) in organizations and am particularly interested in prevention methods that organizations can implement to prevent or reduce these issues from happening. The most important takeaway for business executives, particularly those using AI in their business today, is that developing AI principles alone is not enough to prevent ethics issues from occurring. Instead, the principles must be truly operationalized (i.e., through leadership buy-in, communication, education and training, integration with data strategy, and privacy) to prevent the unethical use of AI, and the associated negative outcomes.
Where did you grow up and what was it like there?
I grew up in Kingston, Ontario on a property beside the St. Lawrence River. Growing up, my brothers and I were permanently outside, whether it was mountain biking, swimming or sailing in the river, or playing soccer on the lawn. I developed a real passion for the outdoors growing up in Kingston, which I still have today.
Who have been your strongest influences in life?
My family members have had a particularly strong influence in that they have always highlighted the importance of crafting a life that inspires you as an individual, inclusive of both career and non-career activities. Similarly, my fiancé is ever supportive of my endeavours, whether that be going back to school full time or starting a new hobby outside of work. He is always a solid sounding board. I am thankful for my family’s influence to pursue a career that is fulfilling since it brought me to academia, and now Ivey.
What led you to your career?
My interest in analytics and AI at the operational level started back in my consumer-packaged goods days at Reckitt Benckiser. I had a role as a sales analyst; which at the time meant pulling together basic descriptive reporting and building dashboards. I started to learn about other types of advanced analytics and, being a young employee at the time, was confused and frustrated that we weren’t implementing these things when their benefits could be so great. This ultimately led me to go back to school full time to study analytics and AI use in organizations. Upon initial discussions with firms using AI specifically, I learned concerns around the ethical challenges, such as bias and explainability of the technology, were front of mind. AI ethics continues to be a barrier to adoption of the technology in organizations, and a space I continue to research in my career today. I have also always adored school at every level and am very excited to continue enjoying the campus life as an Assistant Professor.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Generally, you can find me doing something active with my fiancé and our mini Australian Labradoodle, Alfie. This could be anything from a class at the gym, paddleboarding, running, cycling, or hiking at a local park. I also love to cook and enjoy a good glass of wine with friends and family on the weekends.
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
I am a highly competitive athlete. This has taken various forms throughout my life. In my school years, I was a provincial basketball and volleyball player. After university, I was a competitive marathon runner. And in the last six years, I have been competing in CrossFit. I imagine, in a few years, I will be writing about some other competitive sport I’ve focused my energy on as I also clearly love to switch things up!
What is the most played song on your playlist as of now?
Summer Holiday by Cliff Richard and The Shadows. I’ve played this song frequently to remind me of my upcoming vacation. This summer, I’ll be travelling to the South of France for vacation before starting full time at Ivey. Between life as a PhD student and pandemic travel restrictions, it’s been quite a while since I’ve taken a proper holiday!
What book would you recommend to others on the personal side?
On the personal side, The Opposite of Loneliness, which is a collection of essays and short stories written by a young Yale graduate, Marina Keegan. The first essay, written for her commencement, speaks about the wonderful feeling of the university campus education experience, a feeling she refers to as “the opposite of loneliness.” Other stories provide a unique glimpse into the mind of an English university student; particularly interesting for someone like me with a heavy math and business background.
And on the business side?
On the business side, I recommend Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil. This was one of the first published books to discuss the concept of AI ethics. O’Neil uses everyday examples of how even basic analytics and artificial intelligence models, when applied without proper ethical oversight, can wreak havoc on everyday citizens. It’s a must read for anyone interested in AI ethics and the challenges and opportunities in the space moving forward.
Another more general math/analytics book on the business side is How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg. The book is written for a general audience and introduces a series of mathematical models or ways of thinking that can be applied to solve or optimize various aspects of your life. I first read it at a point in my life when I was “knee-deep” in learning mathematical proofs and theory. It offered a refreshing reminder of how neat math can be when brought outside the classroom.
