Dr. Alavi is a sought-after speaker at national and international forums and conferences and has taught in executive programs at some of the world’s most prestigious business schools. She has advised and taught executives on topics of IT and digital strategies and transformations in organizations including Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company, KIA Motors, Lockheed Martin, Marriott, Sodexo, Southern Company, and the World Bank.
In recognition of her professional achievements, Dr. Alavi received the prestigious Association of Information Systems Fellows Award; an award given by peers in recognition of the recipient as a role model and inspiration to colleagues and students within the discipline. She was also awarded the distinguished Marvin Bower Faculty Fellowship at Harvard Business School and has received a Citation of Excellence Award from Emerald Publishing for her highly-cited paper based on novelty, interdisciplinary interest, and relevancy in today’s world. Dr. Alavi was selected as the Woman of the Year for mid-size organizations by the Women in Technology of Georgia. This award celebrates women in their visionary efforts to transform the world of business and technology, and recognizes Dr. Alavi’s accomplishments as mentor, role model, and facilitator of women and men pursuing careers in STEM fields. She has been the recipient of the prestigious Georgia Tech Diversity Champion Faculty Award in recognition of her many contributions toward creating a diverse and inclusive community at Scheller College and Georgia Tech.
Dr. Alavi served on the advisory board of the Center for Knowledge-based Enterprise at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and was twice appointed by the Governor of the State of Georgia to the Georgia Technology Authority Board. She is a member of the Atlanta Rotary, and serves on the Board of Trustees of Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta and the International Advisory Board of the Politecnico di Milano School of Management in Italy.
Dr. Alavi holds a B.A. in mathematics and computer science from State University of New York at Buffalo, and both an M.S. in computer and information sciences and a Ph.D. in management information systems from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.