There are a few hours to go before the Super Bowl commercials start. I promised myself I wouldn’t turn on the TV until I finish this column, but my mind keeps wandering. What exciting commercials will be on this time? I can’t wait to see the commercial for the 2010 Census!

I am proud that our association has about 18,000 members from such diverse backgrounds, but I would love to see our membership be much higher. As I meet our members and many potential members at various conferences and chapter meetings, it is clear we can enhance mentoring of young statisticians. They are the future of our association and our profession.

It is Thanksgiving Day as I write this column, though by the time you read it, it will be the beginning of a very happy new year. I wish you all a peaceful, healthy, and prosperous year, and I look forward to working with you to make our association thrive.

One trip overseas; two conference invitations; three presidential initiatives; four American Statistical Association Board meetings; eight president’s columns; nine days at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Washington, DC; about 10 visits to federal agencies; numerous letters signed regarding federal appointments, funding, and policy issues; 32 presidential address minutes; 57 new ASA Fellows; approximately 170 committee appointments; 6,804 attendees at JSM (a new record); and lessons learned too many to count. Just a few statistics to sum up a year as president of the American Statistical Association.

In January, ASA President Sally Morton shared information about three initiatives undertaken this year to address issues raised in the ASA Strategic Plan and promised to provide updates to members over the course of the year. Here, Nat Schenker and Maura Stokes describe the third initiative.

The Obama Administration is committed to policy decisions driven by evidence, as emphasized by Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget. The time is now to promote the use of statistics and the role of statisticians in making good decisions based on objective evidence.

Committees have long been a vital component of the ASA organization, and many of our members serve on one or more committees. But you might be surprised to learn that the ASA has 70 committees—an extraordinary number compared to similar societies—and that the president-elect makes more than 160 committee appointments annually.

I venture to say that any American Statistical Association president preparing for his or her presidential address takes time to peruse the collected addresses of previous presidents. In my case, there are 103 previous presidents, spanning 169 years. This journey through the history of the association is always illuminating, but also, at times, daunting. It is “a wonderful walk through history through the eyes of our leadership,” as ASA Past-President Sallie Keller-McNulty said.