Jill Talley, ASA Public Relations Manager

The ASA has chosen Fritz Scheuren, senior fellow and vice president in the Center for Excellence in Survey Research at NORC, as the recipient of its 2017 Deming Lecture Award.

Fritz Scheuren (center) with Arthur Kennickell (left) and Ivan Fellegi (right) at a conference in the 1990s. Scheuren, who is senior fellow and vice president in the Center for Excellence in Survey Research at NORC, has been honored with the 2017 Deming Lecture Award.

Established in 1995 and named after famed statistician and “quality management guru” W. Edwards Deming, the award not only seeks to recognize the recipient’s accomplishments, but also enhances awareness among the statistical community of the scope and importance of Deming’s contributions.

“From working on complex, multi-disciplinary projects related to sampling and the analysis of data from government agencies and private sector institutions, to his role as mentor and adviser to countless graduate students and young professionals, Scheuren has built an unparalleled legacy in the statistics profession,” said Ron Wasserstein, executive director of the ASA. “His proven ability to solve hard, nonstandard problems along with a theoretical background and diligence in making sound statistical arguments, reflect the characteristics and spirit of the Deming Lecture, and we are thrilled to recognize him with this honor.”   

At NORC, Scheuren works on complex buy ativan 2mg online substantive tasks related to sampling and the analysis of data from government agencies and private-sector institutions. He has been involved with numerous high-profile and landmark projects such as resolving issues with Indian Trust Fund accounts at the U.S. Department of the Interior and work with the Federal Reserve—particularly the Survey of Consumer Finances—and the U.S. Census Bureau. He is currently leading impact evaluations of programs in Georgia and Lesotho and formerly advised on impact evaluations in Armenia and Vanuatu.

Prior to joining NORC, Scheuren held several positions as a senior statistical officer for a range of public and private-sector organizations, including as chief mathematical statistician at the Social Security Administration. Scheuren also serves on the statistics faculty at The George Washington University. An accomplished author, he has penned more than 450 applied and theoretical papers, presentations, monographs, and books on sampling aspects of data collection, primarily in a survey context, with an emphasis on sample design and estimation, process quality, and the handling of missing data. 

A fellow of the ASA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Scheuren served as the ASA’s 100th president and chaired the ASA Section on Survey Research Methods and Social Statistics Section.

The Deming Lecture will take place at the Joint Statistical Meetings August 1 in Baltimore, Maryland.