Lunch & Learn | A Practical Example of Collaboration and Use of AI to Better our Community
Schedule
Wed Aug 27 2025 at 11:30 am to 01:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
118 North Market Street - 1st Floor, Frederick, MD, United States, Maryland 21701 | Frederick, MD
Advertisement
Marcy Taylor, Coordinator of Hood College's Skill Accelerator program presents, "A Practical Example of Collaboration and Use of AI to Better our Community". Learn how the Frederick County Food Council (FCFC), a local non-profit organization, partnered with Hood College to collect critical data and produce a comprehensive report with the use of AI. Join us for this lunch and learn while we explore the path taken and how Hood College can help upskill professionals to further improve their business practices using AI. Marcy Taylor will be supported in this presentation by Dr. David Gurzick, lead Data Scientist and AI engineer, who provided technical expertise on the project.Learning Objectives:
How can professionals upskill and reskill to stay current in the competitive marketplace?
Meet the players involved in our case study.
What was the purpose of our case study?
The importance of knowing your local resources
The benefits of using AI on this project
Understanding the Four AI Effects in our case study - Through the CARAT project, we experienced firsthand how AI impacts organizations:
Augmentation Effects: How AI enhanced our analytical capabilities and extended what our team could accomplish
Replacement Effects: How AI automated routine data processing tasks that previously required significant manual effort
Transformation Effects: How AI fundamentally changed our approach to report generation and analysis
Acceleration Effects: How AI dramatically reduced our project timeline from months to weeks
Applying these lessons to your organization
Practical next steps for your workforce
Presenters:
Marcy Taylor is managing the launch of Hood College's new Skill Accelerator badge program, which is designed especially for working professionals seeking to boost their credentials by earning verifiable badges. Recently retired from a long career in aerospace, Marcy is applying her program management skills to launch this exciting program. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Taylor came to Frederick, Maryland, to attend Hood College. After earning a B.A. in chemistry (Class of 1981), she settled in Frederick to start her career in the aerospace industry, managing NASA, commercial and development projects that included designing, manufacturing and launching satellites, rocket motor development and the construction of a launch pad in Wallops, Virginia. She earned her MBA from Hood College (Class of 2000) and is also serving on the College's Board of Associates.
Dr. David Gurzick is the Founding Chair of the George B. Delaplaine Jr. School of Business and Professor of Management Science at Hood College. He directs The Michael S. and Marlene B. Grossnickle Young Data Driven Frederick Center, where he fosters data-driven decision-making across non-profits and the public sector. Dr. Gurzick teaches courses in management information systems, analytical methods, and artificial intelligence. With a B.S. in computer science from Frostburg State University, an M.S. in computer science from Hood College (Class of '03), a Ph.D. in information systems from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and as a graduate of Harvard's business analytics program, he brings extensive expertise to his role. Recently named a top five AI developer by CIOR magazine, Dr. Gurzick taught the Graduate School's first Skill Accelerator digital badge course on generative AI in summer 2024. His work focuses on the potential of AI to fundamentally reshape business processes across industries.
Agenda:
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Lunch (BYO) & Networking
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Interactive Presentation and Coaching
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
118 North Market Street - 1st Floor, Frederick, MD, United States, Maryland 21701Event Location & Nearby Stays:
