Dr. Priestley is a Professor of Statistics and Data Science. Since 2004, she has served as the Associate Dean of the Graduate College and as the Executive Director of the Analytics and Data Science Institute at Kennesaw State University. In 2012, the SAS Institute recognized Dr. Priestley as the 2012 Distinguished Statistics Professor of the Year. She served as the 2012 and 2015 Co-Chair of the National Analytics Conference. Datanami recognized Dr. Priestley as one of the top 12 "Data Scientists to Watch in 2016."
She architected the first Ph.D. Program in Data Science, which launched in February 2015.
Dr. Priestley has been a featured international speaker at The World Statistical Congress, The South African Statistical Association, SAS Global Forum, Big Data Week, Technology Association of Georgia, Data Science ATL, The Atlanta CEO Council, Predictive Analytics World, INFORMS and dozens of academic and corporate conferences addressing issues related to the evolution of data science.
She has authored dozens of articles on Binary Classification, Risk Modeling, Sampling, Statistical Methodologies for Problem Solving and Applications of Big Data Analytics.
Prior to receiving a Ph.D. in Statistics, Dr. Priestley worked in the Financial Services industry for 11 years. Her positions included Vice President of Business Development for VISA EU in London, as well as for MasterCard US and an analytical consultant with Accenture's strategic services group.
Dr. Priestley received a Ph.D. from Georgia State University, an MBA from The Pennsylvania State University, and a BS from Georgia Institute of Technology.
