Stella Tomasi
Towson University, College of Business & Economics
“Dr. Tomasi has been an exceptional mentor and leader throughout my undergraduate career. She provided invaluable guidance on my sports analytics research project, allowing me to explore advanced mathematical modeling and machine learning techniques. Under her mentorship, I was able to present my findings at two national conferences, providing me with opportunities to connect with leading professionals in the sports analytics field, gain feedback on my work, and further develop my technical skills. I also had the privilege of serving as an executive member of the Data Analytics & Visualization Group. Dr. Tomasi not only shaped my academic journey, but has also positively impacted many other Towson students in the field.” – Austin Raymond
Stella D. Tomasi is Professor in the Business Analytics and Technology Management department at Towson University, College of Business and Economics. She is Director of Graduate Programs in Supply Chain Management and Director of the Data Analytics Research Lab.
Tomasi teaches courses related to data analytics and visualization, enterprise resource planning, and business process management. Her research interests include information visualization, big data, sports analytics, social media, and online communities. Her work has appeared in Behaviour & Information Technology, Information Technology & People, Information Visualization, Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations, Journal of Systems and Information Technology, Journal of Supply Chain and Operations Management, among other journals.
She received a University of System Maryland’s Board of Regents Faculty Award in Mentoring in 2023, Towson University’s Presidential Faculty Award in 2023, CBE Dean’s High Impact Award in 2022, and Towson University’s OIA Innovation in Teaching Award in 2018. In 2023, Tomasi was inducted as a faculty member into Beta Gamma Sigma. She was also a finalist for Women in Technology Annual Leadership Awards within the Washington, DC metro area for the non-profit/academia sector in 2024.
Tomasi is also a partner in a family-owned business with her siblings and parents within the hotel industry. Prior to joining the Towson faculty in 2010, she worked in the industry for over ten years at various companies such as Wyeth and Accenture.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2010
Education: BS in Chemistry; MS in Management Information Systems; PhD in Management Information Systems, Temple University
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Data Visualization and Dashboards, Business Process Management, Introduction to Enterprise Resource Planning
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … I had my first summer off…transitioning from industry, I was happy to have summers off, which provided a great work-life balance to enjoy with family. The summers also provide time to focus on new research ideas and collaborate with colleagues.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I am working on various projects with colleagues and students. A recent project that my colleague and I worked on with students was about detecting real news from fake news. An interesting finding was that fake news had more links within the article than real news.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be … busy in the entrepreneurship field growing my business.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? Prior to becoming a professor, I worked in industry for over 10 years. I like to share my past experiences with my students as we go over various topics. As a professor, I continue to work with industry partners to ensure that students are obtaining experiential learning opportunities throughout their academic work whether it is in the classroom, case competitions, or internships. It is important to keep material relevant to what students will practice in their careers.
One word that describes my first-time teaching: Daunting…
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: Your teaching is really appreciated once the student graduates and begins their career. I love hearing from my past students that they are using the skills and techniques learned within their current positions.
Professor I most admire and why: Dr. David Schuff because he made technical courses like object-oriented program and database design into fun and enjoyable courses through active learning. Instead of dreading those courses, I looked forward to them in my graduate program and because of his teaching style, I am still able to remember what he taught.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? I enjoy teaching students about relevant skills and tools that they will utilize in their careers.
What is most challenging? Grading
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Attentive
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Procrastinator
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as … Fair
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? Volunteering
How will you spend your summer? Being an Uber driver to my three sons and spending some time on our boat…
Favorite place(s) to vacation: Jamaica
Favorite book(s): Bible
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? The Last Kingdom. It is a British series based on novels by Bernard Cornwell. The main character goes through a journey of self-discovery as he navigates between two cultures.
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? Hip-hop and Bollywood music…I grew up listening to both…and I also absolutely love it when artists incorporate both types into remixes and songs!
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … automation and AI. While it can seem challenging, all students should learn about how businesses are automating repetitive tasks through robotic process automation. In addition, schools should incorporate AI tools into courses to support decision-making so that students can learn how to work with AI. Both AI and automation are enabling businesses to be more efficient, productive and creative and our students should be aware of how to use these tools.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at … working with college professors on providing experiential learning cases for students as well as working on applied research projects that will benefit the industry. I worked with a company that provided a logistics case study with data that allowed students analyze data to find solutions to the problem, while my colleagues and I were able to analyze the data to give insight regarding transportation and logistics processes to the research community through a journal publication. That one company’s case helped both students and researchers advance the field of logistics.
I’m grateful for … I am grateful for my family, as well as colleagues and industry partners for supporting me.
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