Assistant Professor, Information Systems/Operations Management

Education:
Ph.D., University of Maryland Baltimore County
M.S., University of Maryland Baltimore County
M.B.A., Loyola College in Maryland
M.Ed., Towson University
B.A., Western Maryland College

Research Interests: Intelligent real-time decision support, global IT, knowledge management and data mining

Teaching Interests: Strategic management of information technologies, global IT, decision support and data mining

Professionally Speaking: “Loyola students are offered a global, strategic view of decision and information technologies within a larger context of the Jesuit tradition of pursuing academic excellence.”

Personally Speaking: “Students not only gain a global management perspective, they are also challenged personally and professionally to change their views of the world.”

Spotlight
Being able to see the world through someone else’s eyes is an important component of Gloria Phillips-Wren’s personal operating system. As an assistant professor of information systems, it’s a perspective that she shares with all of her students – whether they are discussing strategic management or how to look at current IT topics through a lens of social justice and responsibility.

“I am fortunate to teach all levels of MBA students and love the challenge of sharing a global perspective with them, all the while learning to see things through their eyes, too,” she says.

Prior to teaching at Loyola, Phillips-Wren worked in engineering for the defense industry and estimates that she has probably held every position that her students hold now – from project development to management, traveling internationally and always juggling the demands of work, family and school. This experience gives her a unique understanding of what Loyola’s graduate students are trying to achieve, the challenges they face, and what they can ultimately accomplish.

“I was a Loyola MBA Fellow. I can appreciate the sacrifices they are making,” Phillips-Wren explains. “As a result, I am especially aware of bringing value and enrichment to each classroom experience.”

Phillips-Wren’s research, as well, is one of international perspective. She actively collaborates with a group whose members hail from such countries as Australia, Chile, France, Mexico, and the UK. In particular, her research on intelligent decision technologies frequently taps into a global community that is collectively looking at the most contemporary issues of this multi-disciplinary field.

As important is the community she finds at Loyola. “With its concern for each person, Loyola creates an environment in which faculty encourage students and each other to reach higher and go further. Loyola students know that they can find help during and after their degree from alumni, faculty, administration, and other students.”