RESUME

George Schussel  was the founder and CEO of Digital Consulting Institute (DCI), a major American conference and expo company in the field of computer software during the 80’s, 90’s and until 2004 when the DCI company was sold. He’s also founder and President of Jellicle Investors, Inc., a real estate management company with investments in Florida, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

An expert on database, computing architectures, the Internet and information management issues, Schussel’s lectures on software futures  were held all over the world.  He was the inventor and chairperson of computer industry trade shows such as Database World, Client/Server World, and Creating the Real Time Enterprise. His lectures were noted for explaining technical issues, while focusing on the business benefits and uses of technology.

Schussel’s consulting work focused on computing architectures, data base management systems and marketing related to those technologies. At various times he was hired by Digital Equipment Corp. Cullinet Software, Ernst & Young, Ashton Tate, Computer Associates, AT&T, NCR, Borland, Revelation Technologies, Hewlett Packard, Sybase, IBM and Relevant Data among others.

In 2003 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA, Schussel moderated a panel of database pioneers receiving honors for their work in advancing the field. DBMS stars in attendance included Chris Date, Herb Edelstein, Bob Epstein, and Michael Stonebraker. Schussel’s opening presentation was entitled “How Databases Changed the World”.

Schussel has authored or co-authored several books and over 150 articles or columns in leading computer industry journals such as Computerworld, Datamation, Client Server Today and Data Based Advisor. Much of this library is available for viewing on the Library page at this site. In addition, he authored the 1985 book, Data Management: Past, Present and Future, as well as co-authoring the 1994 book Rightsizing Information Systems.

In 1998, Schussel was a recipient of the IEEE Computer Society’s Computer Entrepreneur Award for his important contributions to the computing industry and profession as an entrepreneurial leader, advisor, and member. Other recipients of the Computer Entrepreneur award that year were Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Steve Jobs, and Steve Wozniak. Schussel has also been the recipient of an Outstanding Industrial Engineer of the Year award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

Schussel’s academic background includes a Doctorate from the Harvard Business School (Marketing & Computer Science); Master’s Degree from Harvard University (Applied Mathematics & Computer Science) and Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California (Physics & Mathematics).  He has lectured or held faculty appointments at the University of Southern California, Harvard University, MIT, and the University of Alabama.

At various times, Schussel was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and had CDP certification from the Data Processing Management Association.

In 2025 Schussel and his wife of 60 years, Sandra, provided the funding for a perpetual research chair in infectious diseases at Harvard Medical School. On June 25, 2025, Harvard Medical School announced the appointment of Dr. Benjamin E. Gewurz as the George and Sandra K. Schussel Professor of Medicine in the Field of Infectious Diseases. The Gewurz lab is unraveling the mysteries of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) which is implicated in many cancers including lymphomas and nearly 10% of all stomach cancers. EBV is also a strong suspect in autoimmune diseases—most notably multiple sclerosis (MS). Through eventual success the lab could pave the way for breakthroughs in prevention, treatment, and cures. Such progress would not only relieve suffering for millions worldwide but also represent one of the most significant advances in modern medicine—transforming our understanding of viral infection, immune regulation, and human health itself.

In 1999, Schussel and his wife, Sandra, established The Schussel Family Professor of Management Science at MIT. Currently this chair is held by Hazhir Rahmandad, who is the Schussel Family Professor of Management Science and System Dynamics. Schussel has also served on the Dean’s Advisory Council at the MIT Sloan School.

Beginning in 2016, the Schussel’s created the Schussel Family Fund which has provided research funds to the Weinstock Laboratory of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston whose primary goal is additional understanding and developing clinical treatments for T-cell lymphomas. 

Beginning in 2017 the Schussel Family Fund provided funding to support educational efforts at Massachusetts schools, including the Beacon Academy of Boston and the Governor’s Academy of Byfield.

For more information on George Schussel, see Wikipedia.