Congratulations to Alok Gupta for being named an AIS LEO for a lifetime of career achievement! Alok's commendation cites many of his objective attributes - his leadership as an Associate Dean, his prowess as a scholar, and his contributions as Information Systems Research editor-in-chief. All of them are true. His record sparkles. Alok is more than the sum of his sparkling accomplishments. Alok is a steward, mentor, and role model who has positively changed the Information Systems field. I first recognized Alok as a steward when we negotiated a deal to keep MISQ available to all AIS members. His first words were: "I want to make sure the journal stays available to the community. How can we make that happen?" What followed was no negotiation, it was a collaboration, and we made sure MISQ stayed in the AIS e-library and was available to AIS members around the world. I've come to know Alok as a mentor. When Alok invited me to join the Information Systems Research editorial board, we had a long conversation about process and being open-minded. He described how he strived to make sure every topic had a place in his journal. Alok made sure that I understood that every paper deserved a fair shake. His open-minded approach shapes how I look at every paper that crosses my desk. I look to Alok as a role model. I've come to know that Alok's priority is his family. As he balances the disparate roles in his professional life, Alok makes time for his wife and children. Few, if any, senior faculty visibly demonstrate such a commitment to having a balanced life. By doing so, Alok lets the rest of us know it is ok to put family and our family's well-being first. Alok truly earned this recognition by serving the community, helping the people around him become better scholars, and showing them it's ok to invest in being people too! I tip my hat to him! and hope others will too!
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