By meeting others in our profession, we can quickly learn the ropes, advance our careers, and contribute to the statistics profession. To facilitate engagement and encourage the transfer of valuable experience between Washington Statistical Society (WSS) members, the WSS is starting a mentoring program and looking for mentors and mentees. Matching mentors and mentees offers an opportunity for mentees to develop as statisticians, mentors to give back to newer members of our profession, and everyone to stay connected to the WSS.

What are the benefits of a mentoring program?

The WSS mentorship initiative was inspired by and draws on the mentoring initiative underway throughout the ASA that encourages chapters and sections to consider mentoring programs. It also suggests the initiation of a regular acknowledgement, such as the annual selection, of an outstanding mentor. The WSS is a leader in this regard, having started the Jeanne Griffith award program more than a decade ago. The potential benefits of participating in the program are described well by the ASA Committee on Applied Statisticians:

For mentors: (1) a connection with skills and perspectives of recently trained professionals, (2) development and enhancement of communication and leadership skills, and (3) satisfaction of passing on skills and knowledge that can enhance the career and personal growth of the mentee and contribute to maturity of the profession.

The program may answer important questions, including:

• How do you identify and introduce opportunity to others?
• How do you describe your own experiences to others to encourage them to take more strategic risks?
• How do you teach others to network effectively?
• Mentors usually get more from their relationships by learning about the new challenges of their mentees.

For mentees: 1) a role model, but more accurately a sounding board, for questions buy ativan in usa about methods of analysis and communication of results; 2) a source of perspective, encouragement, and motivation leading to greater self-confidence and esteem and help in establishing professional development plans, career goals, and acceleration of achievement; and 3) a source of professional/social contacts with other applied statisticians in the field.

The mentoring program may answer questions such as:

• How do you create opportunities for yourself?
• How do you promote yourself?
• How do you network with others?
• How do you get to where you want to be?
• What are next steps?

How does the WSS mentoring program work?

If you are an interested, first complete an application at http://WashingtonStatisticalSociety.org/mentoring. The information will be used to match mentors to mentees, taking into account their stage of career, area of statistical expertise, and goals.

The WSS mentoring program committee will host a kickoff meeting in the spring with guidance and suggestions about productive ways to interact. Program materials will be provided to help guide mentors and mentees through potential conversations, although the topics discussed are up to the mentors and mentees. The program will continue through correspondence between the mentor and mentee for at least six months. Those in the program will meet either on the phone, on Skype, or face-to-face.

Participants will be asked to complete a short evaluation at the end of that period to improve on the program. The main purpose of the evaluation will be to assess the mentor-mentee matching system, and the responses will be de-identified to ensure anonymity.

We encourage mentors and mentees to continue to meet after the formal program period if it is mutually productive.

Questions can be addressed to one of the committee members: Mark Otto, Jaki McCarthy, Dhuly Chowdhury, and Tom Krenzke.