BIOGRAPHY OF DR. DEAN G. "GORDY" FAIRCHILD

    Dean G. “Gordy” Fairchild, Ph.D. is founder and CEO of Synergy Data Science, an Arizona-based full-service data science and analytics consulting and R&D shop. Gordy’s enthusiasm for data science, finance analytics, and econometrics is motivated by his zest for discovering increasing returns to clients from “synergistic data science”.  Synergistic data science is based on combining state-of-the art “new school” AI and data science techniques with centuries of “old school” analytics and statistical techniques. Gordy has found that the most important way to promote synergy is by recruiting, motivating, and listening to diverse team. Crucial to this approach is a mix of employee, contract, and freelance pros each empowered to contribute independently to the whole effort.

    The combination has yielded exponentially powerful, insightful solutions for clients. The firm has a commitment to give 10% of company time to provide non-profit orgs with data science. The R&D focus is on empowering local smaller businesses to harness increasingly affordable data science techniques to compete better against larger competitors. In many cases, suppliers, POS partners, and manufacturers do not allow such smaller businesses to use their own data ---the data produced by farmers and small retail chains is simply taken. Gordy is a vocal advocate of the right for small businesses to use the data they produce.

    Prior to founding Synergy Data Science in 2018, Gordy spent almost a decade with Silicon Valley data science consulting start-up, Cognilytics as it grew exponentially and was then sold to telecom giant Century Link. In 9 years as a Senior Director, Gordy managed or worked on 101 separate projects for 33 international clients ranging from 7 of the largest US banks to insurance, agribusiness, transportation, government, telecom, and other sectors. Fairchild spearheaded quality control and validation efforts at Cognilytics to ensure deliverables met extremely tight standards. Many clients required pre-regulatory review, SEC compliance standards, validation of submissions to Federal Reserve and Comptroller of the Currency, actuarial review, and strict audits. Gordy was instrumental in consulting on many high visibility projects including the Visa black card launch, interbank research that concluded debit cards should stay fee free, numerous anti-money laundering and anti-fraud models, cutting Social Security fraud, improving US Army medical care, and correcting failing Federal Reserve regulatory reviews at 3 banks.

    Gordy spent 10 years at American Express HQ Finance and risk from 2000 into 2010 where he led the HQ Finance international MR (Membership Rewards) analytics team. The team’s chief focus was on using data science to analyze rewards valuation, balance sheet reserves for MR points, rolling forecasts, and internal investment valuation. A $692M SEC/Fed-required reserve increase on the international balance sheet was based on Gordy’s technical leadership to install data-driven methodologies for 26 countries. In the role, he instituted early warning systems, rapid-response dashboard reports, international points valuation forecasts and executed an average of $63M of re-engineering saves annually. Gordy communicated methodology updates and financial impacts to high-level audiences (CFOs and Board of Directors). At American Express Gordy learned his most important data science lesson: how to map scientific findings to tangible financial results. Gordy’s thought leadership helped him collaborate on model audits and data risk reduction with internal and external auditors and consulting actuaries. Gordy maintained perfect regulatory compliance and fulfilled AmEx’ high internal audit standards.

    American Express brought Gordy aboard after he finished his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at the University of Florida. The ag econ specialty gave Gordy an enormous amount of practical (rather than only theoretical) experience. At Florida,  Gordy worked with Big Data in the 1990’s with futures market transactions, supermarket scanner data, and options pricing. He funded his doctoral dissertation by consulting for Internet, telecom, and agribusinesses on access to and use of the web and advanced networking for farmers, ranchers, nurseries, processors, and rural Florida.

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