In February 2021, the Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning officially registered a chapter at UC Berkeley.
Launched by four graduate students in Berkeley’s Master of Information and Data Science program, the IBF at Berkeley chapter will seek to spread awareness among Berkeley students about careers in forecasting and planning, and to serve as a hub for networking and knowledge sharing among Berkeley students and forecasting and planning professionals in the Bay Area.
Chapter President Jesse Miller celebrated the launch saying, “It’s a great opportunity for students at Berkeley to connect with professionals and experts in this critical space. Whether its forecasting PPE supplies or energy demand in Texas, recent events have really highlighted the importance of the planning function in today’s businesses. Now more than ever we must embrace the opportunity to leverage IoT data and new tech to make to make our critical operations more agile and responsive.”
Srishti Mehra, student at UC Berkeley, will serve as Chapter Vice President of Strategic Development. She referenced the importance of the field in dealing with supply crises like that experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, “Helping organizations to forecast and plan better is probably one of the best ways Data Science can be utilized. We hope IBF at Berkeley will stimulate debate about the many industries and organizations that are leveraging the power of Data Science.”
Meera Sharma, also a student at UC Berkeley, will serve as Chapter Vice President of Media, Research, and Education. She commented, “Rigorous forecasting and planning practices play a foundational role in building our society’s core infrastructure. We hope to make this chapter the spring board for students seeking a profession in this core area.”
Other chapter leaders include Phillip Ng, Mechanical Engineer and Data Scientist at GE Healthcare, who will serve as Chapter Vice President and Chair of the Budget Committee.
Membership of The Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning chapter at Berkeley is open to all Berkeley students, staff, and faculty, and affiliate membership is open to all IBF members in the Bay Area.
To connect with the chapter please email jmiller558@berkeley.edu.
To start your own IBF chapter, please click here.
Chapter Leaders