Writer, reporter, editor (currently @MITSloan), covering tech, fintech, leadership, disruption, future of work. Tweets r mine. Personal = @mommyprayers
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Tracy Mayor
Remembering Robert McKersie, who reshaped how we understand negotiation
McKersie's 1965 framework for labor bargaining became one of negotiation theory’s most enduring ideas — and helped guide a life of activism, mentorship, and academic leadership. 8 minute read Robert B. McKersie, a professor emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management whose pioneering research on collective bargaining and negotiations is widely credited with shaping the field of industrial relations, died July 11 at the age of 96.
Meet the new faculty members joining MIT Sloan in 2026
Debiased machine learning, the currency of invoicing, and training good models with bad data: Meet the seven new experts bringing their knowledge and skill sets to the MIT Sloan School of Management. Clem Aeppli, Assistant Professor of Work and Organization Studies Comes from: Harvard, where he received a PhD in sociology in 2026. Research: Aeppli uses quantitative approaches to understand how broad transformations in the organization of work shape inequality and instability.
MIT Sloan’s 2026 summer book collection
New books from MIT Sloan School of Management experts examine Disciplined Entrepreneurship for climate startups, the economics of the second Trump administration, and the need to understand the cultural evolution of artificial intelligence. Here are six suggestions for your summertime reading list. The Art of Monetary Policy: Lessons From Sun Tzu for Central Banks MIT Sloan School of Management professorKristin J.
MIT Sloan’s 2026 summer book collection
8 hours ago Ferrari shares fell as much as 7 per cent in Milan trading on Monday, dropping to €290.55 and wiping roughly £3 billion from the company’s market cap. The sell-off came one day after the Italian carmaker unveiled the Luce, its first fully electric vehicle, at the Città dello Sport in Rome. The Luce …
The Fed, AI, and economic uncertainty: What investors need to know
Between them, and have worked in public service for decades, having collectively held senior roles at the U.S. Treasury, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. They’ve also had private-sector stints at Goldman Sachs (Gensler) and BlackRock (Fisher).
MIT Sloan’s top 5 ‘Working Definitions’ of 2025
MIT Executive MBA The 20-month program teaches the science of management to mid-career leaders who want to move from success to significance. MIT Sloan Fellows MBA A full-time MBA program for mid-career leaders eager to dedicate one year of discovery for a lifetime of impact. System Design & Management A joint program for mid-career professionals that integrates engineering and systems thinking. Earn your master’s degree in engineering and management.
10 quotes from MIT Sloan for business and management in 2025
MIT Executive MBA The 20-month program teaches the science of management to mid-career leaders who want to move from success to significance. MIT Sloan Fellows MBA A full-time MBA program for mid-career leaders eager to dedicate one year of discovery for a lifetime of impact. System Design & Management A joint program for mid-career professionals that integrates engineering and systems thinking. Earn your master’s degree in engineering and management.
MIT Sloan reading list: 8 books from 2025
facebook X linkedin email print In their new books, MIT Sloan experts answer these questions and more: Why do talent management strategies go wrong in so many organizations? What are the economic limits of a moral life? How can we get rid of the stuff that gets in the way of real work?
New MIT Sloan courses focus on deep learning, generative AI, and financial technology
facebook X linkedin email print Here are details on eight new courses added to MIT Sloan’s curriculum this year — and reflections on why their topics matter to business leaders. Advertising and Promotions The field of advertising and promotions is constantly evolving, and success requires understanding how all of the elements of the marketing mix work together to create an integrated communications program.
Meet the new faculty members joining MIT Sloan in 2025
facebook X linkedin email print Supply chain labor standards, the economics of privacy, front-line decision-making, and consumer attention: Meet the four new experts, including one newly minted dean, bringing their knowledge and skill sets to the MIT Sloan faculty.
Our top 5 ‘Working Definitions‘ of 2024
MBA Through intellectual rigor and experiential learning, this full-time, two-year MBA program develops leaders who make a difference in the world. Leaders for Global Operations Earn your MBA and SM in engineering with this transformative two-year program. Master of Finance A rigorous, hands-on program that prepares adaptive problem solvers for premier finance careers.
Insights from MIT’s newest Nobel laureates on AI, labor, and more
facebook X linkedin email print The 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded Monday to MIT Institute professor and MIT Sloan professor PhD ’89, along with University of Chicago professor James A. Robinson, for “studies about how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.” “Societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better.
MIT Sloan’s new courses focus on AI, analytics, climate
Here are details on four new courses added to MIT Sloan’s curriculum this year — and reflections on why those topics matter to business leaders. AI Foundations for MBAs Whether they’re workplace coworkers or members of a student cohort, people have responded unevenly to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence in business. For every enthusiast, there’s a colleague who’s stayed warily on the sidelines.
New MIT Sloan courses prioritize AI, analytics, and climate
facebook X linkedin email print Here are details on four new courses added to MIT Sloan’s curriculum this year — and reflections on why those topics matter to business leaders. AI Foundations for MBAs Whether they’re workplace coworkers or members of a student cohort, people have responded unevenly to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence in business. For every enthusiast, there’s a colleague who’s stayed warily on the sidelines.
Economist Claudia Sahm has a better way to handle recessions
By A veteran of the Federal Reserve talks about her dedication to data, the costs of speaking up, and how her “Sahm rule” could improve the impact of stimulus checks. facebook X linkedin email print Claudia Sahm has lived several lives in the field of economics, and she’s only getting started. She logged 12 years at the Federal Reserve, where she developed what has come to be known as the “Sahm rule,” a simple, quick, real-time indicator of a recession based on labor market conditions.
12 quotes for business and management from 2023
MBA Through intellectual rigor and experiential learning, this full-time, two-year MBA program develops leaders who make a difference in the world. Master of Finance A rigorous, hands-on program that prepares adaptive problem solvers for premier finance careers. Master of Business Analytics A 12-month program focused on applying the tools of modern data science, optimization and machine learning to solve real-world business problems.
These 5 new courses track emerging business trends and skills
New additions to the MIT Sloan course list include classes on narrative leadership, tough tech ventures, the science of leadership, exaptation, and conducting behavioral science. Here's more on each - and why those topics matter to business leaders. Behavioral Science 2.0: Taking on the Crises and Emerging Victorious Behavioral and social science research contributes to the understanding of why we act, think, and feel the way we do.
Film producer Scott Budnick: Hone your talent, then use it to make change
Scott Budnick got his start in the movie industry as a production assistant on the set of the 2000 sex comedy "Road Trip," went on to produce blockbusters such as "Old School," "Starsky & Hutch," and "The Hangover" - and then left the business. The reason? While Budnick was working on "Old School," a friend asked him to speak at a creative writing class in a Los Angeles juvenile detention center.
How to build an effective analytics practice: 7 insights from MIT experts
Faculty members in MIT Sloan's Master of Business Analytics program don't just teach courses like Hands-On Deep Learning and Econometrics for Managers. They also have deep experience applying the tools of modern data science, optimization, and machine learning to solve real-world business problems for organizations like Facebook, Salesforce, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the intelligence wing of the Israeli Defense Forces.
22 quotes for business and management from 2022
"People want to work for a place that is incredibly purpose-driven, where they feel respected and valued, and where they can do their best work." That observation, from Tiffany Stevenson, chief people officer at Patreon, strikes an optimistic note at the end of a year when employees were top of mind for business leaders -whether it was luring them back to the office, training them up for digital transformation and AI, or trying to retain them in the era of quiet quitting vs.
MIT Sloan students to study alphanomics, Web3, and happiness
Like organizational leaders themselves, business school course offerings need a constant refresh to keep up with turbulent times. Which is why, in the year of worker empowerment and “quiet quitting,” MIT Sloan students have an opportunity to study happiness alongside artificial intelligence, venture creation, and the metaverse.
The ‘Disasterology’ author wants us to rethink emergency management
Samantha Montano’s research may be academic, but it’s informed by her relief work on the front lines of major disasters. She volunteered in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, on the Gulf Coast after the BP oil spill, and in Alabama and Missouri following devastating tornado strikes.
CoinDesk’s Michael Casey: We’re building ‘a new crypto civilization’
Some people hear the word “blockchain” and think of Bitcoin, the wildly fluctuating digital currency that’s built on top of the blockchain digital ledger. Work smart with our Thinking Forward newsletterInsights from MIT experts, delivered every Tuesday morning. Email Address Leave this field blank Michael Casey envisions a world of “DeFi” — decentralized finance — an ecosystem of financial applications built upon blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies.
These new courses feature emerging topics for enterprise business
facebook X linkedin email print New additions to the MIT Sloan course list are often a barometer of what innovative business leaders will soon be confronting in their organizations. From global strategy and multi-asset investing to entrepreneurship and mobility ventures, here are seven new courses MIT Sloan faculty are teaching this academic year — and why those topics matter to business leaders.
To truly 'build back better,' invest in R&D, researchers say
When Simon Johnson and Jonathan Gruber published “Jump-Starting America” in 2019, they were responding to the slowdown in U.S. productivity and loss of access to well-paying jobs that began in the 1970s and accelerated through the 2000s. Work smart with our Thinking Forward newsletterInsights from MIT experts, delivered every Tuesday morning.
2 CEOs on how to lead a socially responsible organization
Corporate leadership is undergoing substantial change as advocates for racial, social, and economic justice hold CEOs, and the organizations they lead, to new and different levels of accountability. Work smart with our Thinking Forward newsletterInsights from MIT experts, delivered every Tuesday morning. Email Address Concentrating efforts on a narrow cohort of stakeholders is no longer sufficient.
8 financial technology startups to watch
Credit: Kudryashova Vera / Shutterstock Ideas Made to Matter Fintech By Tracy Mayor Apr 12, 2021 With venture capital flowing and new financial regulators in Washington, the startup climate is looking good for financial technology ventures right now. Work smart with our Thinking Forward newsletterInsights from MIT experts, delivered every Tuesday morning.
Countering violent extremism with data and dedication
Humera Khan does not do things by halves. Following her grandfather’s advice that “education can never be taken away,” she earned four degrees from MIT: a bachelor’s degree in art and design, a bachelor’s and a master’s in nuclear engineering, and a master’s in technology and policy. Work smart with our Thinking Forward newsletterInsights from MIT experts, delivered every Tuesday morning.
15 quotes and stats to help boost your data and analytics savvy
Ideas Made to Matter Data By Tracy Mayor Mar 9, 2021 Unstructured data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are fast becoming business requirements. Here is insight from data scientists and practitioners. “Everybody needs data literacy, because data is everywhere. It’s the new currency, it's the language of the business. We need to be able to speak that.” 20% Only 20% of analytics insights will deliver business outcomes through 2022, according to Gartner research.
Fintech, explained
facebook X linkedin email print Hear the word “fintech” and you’re apt to conjure up visions of young professionals day trading stocks, splitting the check with a payment app, and closing on a mortgage without setting foot in a bank. Fintech — a portmanteau of “financial services” and “technology” — has certainly earned that stereotype: those applications are mobile-first, customer-centric, and disruptive to risk-averse industries, all hallmarks of modern fintech.
18 quotes for business and management from 2020
MIT Executive MBA The 20-month program teaches the science of management to mid-career leaders who want to move from success to significance. MIT Sloan Fellows MBA A full-time MBA program for mid-career leaders eager to dedicate one year of discovery for a lifetime of impact. System Design & Management A joint program for mid-career professionals that integrates engineering and systems thinking. Earn your master’s degree in engineering and management.
Why finance is deploying natural language processing
Three years into his stint teaching machine learning at MIT Sloan, finance lecturer has just one complaint: It’s hard to keep up. “It's such a fast-moving field, a lot of what’s state-of-the-art now wasn't invented when I taught the course a year ago,” he said. Work smart with our Thinking Forward newsletterInsights from MIT experts, delivered every Tuesday morning.
This former federal housing chief wants us to think differently about risk
built a national reputation for visionary leadership in housing finance policy one gig at a time, working his way up to head the Federal Housing Administration from 2015 to 2017. These days he is executive director at MIT’s Golub Center for Finance and Policy. Work smart with our Thinking Forward newsletterInsights from MIT experts, delivered every Tuesday morning. Email Address Golding’s particular passion is affordable housing.
MIT expert recaps 30-plus years of enterprise architecture
Over the course of three decades, Jeanne Ross built a reputation as a leading organizational theorist who connects viscerally with senior technology executives and the challenges they face. Work smart with our Thinking Forward newsletterInsights from MIT experts, delivered every Tuesday morning.
MIT expert recaps 30+ years of enterprise architecture
Over the course of three decades, Jeanne Ross built a reputation as a leading organizational theorist who connects viscerally with senior technology executives and the challenges they face. Work smart with our Thinking Forward newsletterInsights from MIT experts, delivered every Tuesday morning.
New policy alliance releases 3 achievable actions to reduce deaths from COVID-19
The United States is in immediate danger of being overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but there’s still time to launch concrete initiatives to save lives. That’s the message from two MIT Sloan professors who have convened an alliance to rapidly develop, vet, and deliver policy proposals for use by state and federal governments.
What keeps supply chain execs up at night? Lots of things
Managing supply chains in 2020 is hard. It means always questioning what will happen next, as the globalized economy puts forth an overlapping series of new opportunities and critical disruptions. We asked leaders in industries enmeshed in global supply chains – apparel, venture capital, computing hardware, and international theaters – about their greatest challenges, the technology changing everything, and supply chain visibility.
18 quotes for business and management from 2019
“The next 10 years could be the best 10 years we've ever seen or the worst decade, and that depends less on the technology and more on the choices we make.” That observation, from Erik Brynjolfsson, director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, feels particularly prescient as we take stock of the 2010s and prepare for a new decade of technological, economic, and social change.
Navigating the 3 stages of your career with intention
Chi-Won Yoon Chi-Won Yoon is that rare thing, a financier willing to play a long game. He spent 22 years at UBS AG, ultimately serving as Asia Pacific president overseeing 13 countries and nearly 8,000 employees. Before that, Yoon honed his skills in program trading and index arbitrage on Wall Street, working at SBC Warburg, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch. Through it all, he took the long-term view.
3 challenges for chief data officers in finance
There are financial services executives who care about data quality, and then there is Veda Bawo, who self-identifies as a “data evangelist.” “I am an accountant by training — I have booked the journal entries, closed the books, done the regulatory reporting. So I know what it feels like to have to deal with dirty data every single month, every single quarter,” Bawo said.
3 qualities (and 2 bonus traits) of top banking and finance execs
Chi-Won Yoon is a leader in an industry that faces dramatic change. Over 30 years, he focused on developing skills to navigate those changes. Yoon’s career took him from program trading and index arbitrage on Wall Street to serving as Asia Pacific President of UBS AG, overseeing wealth management, investment banking, and global asset management across 13 countries and nearly 8,000 employees. Before his 22-year tenure at UBS, Yoon worked at SBC Warburg, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch.
A business checklist for work of the future
If you’re a business leader, you’d be remiss if you hadn’t at least explored how artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation can increase efficiency, productivity, and profitability for your company. Now, a new report from MIT is asking the private sector — alongside policymakers, labor organizations, and educational institutions — to consider with equal seriousness how these technologies will affect the American workforce.
Impact investing is hot right now. Here’s why
Last month, leaders at some of the world’s largest companies took the notable step of redefining the purpose of a corporation, adopting a “modern standard” for corporate responsibility that promotes “an economy that serves all Americans.” The 181 CEOs who signed the statement from Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers headed by JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, pledged to run their companies “for the benefit of all stakeholders — customers, employees, suppliers,...
Why ESG ratings vary so widely (and what you can do about it)
Environmental. Social. Governance. In recent years, ESG, also known as sustainability or corporate social responsibility, has moved from the feel-good fringes to the center of business decision making. Consumers want to purchase products from companies that reflect their values — environmental protection, the empowerment of women, or the absence of child labor, for example. Investors, meanwhile, want to know if they are financing activities that might pose a reputational risk.
Looking to stay relevant, big enterprises embrace the platform
How hot are digital platforms? Very: The five most valuable companies on the planet right now — Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, and Facebook — are platform companies, and “myriad startups and smaller companies are thriving as well,” according to Erik Brynjolfsson, director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy.
Ethics and automation: What to do when workers are displaced
As companies embrace automation and artificial intelligence, some jobs will be created or enhanced, but many more are likely to go away. What obligation do organizations have to displaced workers in such situations? Is there an ethical way for business leaders to usher their workforces through digital disruption? Researchers wrestled with those questions recently at MIT Technology Review’s EmTech Next conference.
5 building blocks of digital transformation
Pressured by disruptive startups on one side and tech behemoths on the other, established companies in nearly every market segment are feeling pressure to transform themselves into digital organizations. Businesses are scrambling to leverage an ever-evolving array of digital technologies — social, mobile, analytics, cloud, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the “internet of things” — to develop new value propositions for their customers.
Trophies, ‘Chambongs,’ and food, of course
Brian Landry is the owner of Jack Rose restaurant in New Orleans’ Garden District. Who is Jack Rose, and why name a restaurant after him? Jack Rose is a Tennessee Williams reference. The name comes from two of the main characters’ names in The Rose Tattoo. Jack Rose recently replaced the Caribbean Room in the Pontchartrain Hotel, which is where Williams stayed when he wrote A Streetcar Named Desire. Our bar, Tin House, which is on the hotel’s roof deck, is a nod to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Quant pioneer James Simons on math, money, and philanthropy
To borrow a line from poetry, James Simons knows several lives worth living. As a world-renowned mathematician, Simons co-developed the influential Chern-Simons theory and worked as a Cold War codebreaker. As a pioneering quantitative investor, Simons founded Renaissance Technologies, known for its secretive and wildly profitable Medallion Fund.
Touched by a stranger: The rise of professional cuddling
Ideas Cuddling parties. Spooning-for-hire. It's all pitched as “wellness” — but can it fill the void? By Alix Strauss Shanna, a professional cuddler, is sitting on my couch in my New York apartment, ready to hold me for an hour. She’s in her mid-30s, with loose, long, dark hair and an open, eager face. She and I are both dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt, as required by her employer, the cuddling service Cuddlist.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Tracy
Contact Tracy, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack