By Alison Munsch
Associate Professor & Business 100 Coordinator, La Penta School of Business
My journey with the International Information Management Association (IIMA) began in 2017, when I attended my first IIMA conference—the 28th Annual Conference in Paisley, Scotland.
I could not have known then how important this organization would become to my academic journey.
Since that first conference, IIMA has given me opportunities to present and publish research, exchange ideas with scholars and professionals from around the world, mentor others and be mentored, and ultimately serve in leadership. I have learned enormously from this community and, I hope, contributed something meaningful in return.
But some of the most important things IIMA has given me cannot be captured on a CV.
They are the friendships formed over meals and conversations, the colleagues who became collaborators, the people from across the globe whom I now simply call friends, and the unexpected exchanges that have influenced how I think about research, teaching, technology, and our increasingly interconnected world. That combination of scholarship and genuine human connection is what has always made IIMA distinctive. It reflects a culture in which the conversation after a presentation can be every bit as meaningful as the presentation itself.
Now, nearly a decade after my first IIMA conference in Scotland, the community gathers again—this time in Sarajevo for its 37th Annual Conference, “Rebuilding Bridges: Sustainable Cyber-Physical Integration in the AI Era.” The theme feels particularly timely. As AI transforms our universities, workplaces, and society, we need bridges between technology and humanity, innovation and ethics, disciplines and cultures.
Although I won’t be able to travel to Sarajevo this year, I will be participating virtually. I would not want to miss the opportunity to learn, contribute, reconnect with longtime colleagues, and welcome new voices into the IIMA community.
When I walked into that conference in Paisley in 2017, I was attending an academic conference. I didn’t yet know I was also joining a community that would become an important part of my academic trajectory.
That, to me, is the enduring value of IIMA: scholarship brings us together, but the relationships keep us connected.
Alison Munsch, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor & Business 100 Coordinator, La Penta School of Business
Immediate Past President, IIMA
Fellow, IIMA
Board Vice President for the Connecticut Chapter of the AMA
https://amact.org/board-members
Provost Fellow, Gabelli Center for Teaching and Learning in AI
Hugh McCabe Award Winner for Social Justice
Hynes Faculty Fellow
Moderator, Women in Business