Vice President-elect 2011

Mary H. Mulry

Mulry

The ASA strategic plan motivated a reorganization of the structure of committees. Now, the three vice presidents have the responsibility of fostering communication between the committees and the board, as well as among committees with related interests. Chairs of committees and some sections are assigned to one of the three new councils, each chaired by one of the vice presidents. The councils are the Council for Education, Council for Membership, and Council for Professional Issues and Visibility. The vice presidents are not expected to be experts in the council areas, but representatives of the ASA Board to the committees. They are to stimulate committees to work together in areas of common interest and to deliver recommendations from the committees to the ASA Board.

Each of the councils represents a vital area for the ASA, and the topics provide a structure for discussing issues facing the profession. Meeting the needs of the membership is a challenge for the ASA. We must investigate why the ASA membership is declining when the use of statistics is expanding. Finding new ways to aid statisticians in their careers will build the organization and the profession.

The ASA provides a peer group to members outside their places of employment and the universities in which they studied. The ASA must continue to increase opportunities for members to expand their networks and produce dialogue that facilitates professional and methodological advancement.

While chair of the Survey Research Methods Section (SRMS), I suggested starting an educational webinar program as a service and source of revenue. The SRMS Executive Committee agreed and recently formed a partnership with the American Association for Public Opinion Research for offering educational webinars. The two organizations have enough overlap in topics of interest that joining forces made more sense that potentially competing for the same audience. This is an example of how cooperation with other professional organizations on mutually beneficial joint ventures is a way to leverage the ASA’s resources and provide more opportunities for members.

The focus on professional issues and visibility will promote statistics as a profession and elevate awareness of what statisticians do. We must find better ways to convince nonstatisticians who are managers and policymakers that collaborating with statisticians brings better solutions, leading to improvements in business and public policy. Having an ASA director of science policy has been a boost in raising the awareness of statistics.

Statisticians offer myriad techniques that are more sophisticated than presented in introductory courses. These techniques provide ways to deal with uncertainty and variability present in many endeavors. One example of needed outreach was the one-day meeting the Section on Defense and National Security held for policymakers during JSM 2009 to demonstrate how statistics can result in better decisions. The resources on the ASA web site regarding auditing elections are another example of the influence statisticians can have on important aspects of public policy.

Education is both the way we gain new professionals in our field and a way others gain an understanding of what our field provides. We must ensure that educators are aware of the ASA’s Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report: A Pre-K–12 Curriculum Framework. I say this because a newly retired teacher recently told me about a coordinator for mathematics in a rural elementary school who decided students did not need to learn division because they would always have calculators to do it for them.

Lately, Amstat News has carried a discussion about AP Statistics that is the type of dialogue we all need to see and ponder. However, we cannot forget that some problems with mathematical literacy start in grades pre-K through 4 and impede even basic statistics education.

As we move forward, improving communication between members of the ASA, groups within the ASA, and statisticians and nonstatisticians is essential to growing the ASA and expanding the reach of our profession. The ASA can provide a vehicle to leverage the creativity and energy of the ASA membership through working together. The result will be a strong organization with contributions to the common good beyond our individual careers.

Present Position: Principal Researcher, Statistical Research Division, U.S. Census Bureau; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Biostatistics Department, School of Public Health, University of North Texas

Former Positions: Independent Consultant (2000–2001); Director, M/A/R/C Research (1997–2000); Supervisory Mathematical Statistician, U.S. Census Bureau (1984–1997); Research Engineer, Lockheed Austin Division (1983–1984); Mathematical Statistician, U.S. Census Bureau (1980–1983); Research Staff, System Planning Corporation (1978–1980)

Degrees: PhD in mathematics, Indiana University, 1978; MA in statistics, Indiana University, 1977; MA in mathematics, Indiana University, 1975; BS in mathematics, Texas Christian University, 1972

Fields of Major Statistical Activity: Sampling, nonsampling error modeling and measurement, variance estimation, survey research methods

Publications: “Summary of Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation for Census 2000,” (pdf) Journal of Official Statistics (2007); “Estimating Heterogeneity in the Probabilities of Enumeration for Dual System Estimation,” Journal of the American Statistical Association (1993); “Total Error in PES Estimates of Population,” Journal of the American Statistical Association (1991); others in Survey Methodology, Statistics in Transition, Encyclopedia of the U.S. Census, and Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods

ASA Activities and Offices Held: Fellow (1994); Survey Research Methods Section Chair (2008) and Program Chair (1997); Council of Sections Secretary (2008); North Texas Chapter Chair (2006–2009); Council of Chapters Representative, North Texas Chapter (1998–2003); Council of Sections Representative, Survey Research Methods Section (1993); Caucus for Women in Statistics Representative-at-Large (1986–1988); Washington Statistical Society Methodology Program Chair (1985–1986)

Related Professional Activities: Journal of Official Statistics Associate Editor (2001–present); The American Statistician Associate Editor (2000–2008); JASA Applications invited paper (1991); 2008 International Total Survey Error Workshop

Vice President-elect 2011

Linda Gage

Gage

The ASA provides a professional ‘home’ for thousands of statisticians and nonstatisticians. The ASA offers something to each of us, whether academic or applied, domestic or international, student or teacher—wherever we are on our career continuum. It may be a publication, the annual Joint Statistical Meetings, an opportunity to join with colleagues in a section, the satisfaction of working on a committee, and/or membership in a local chapter. The reach of the ASA is vast. We support and publish numerous high-quality journals and magazines and participate by the thousands in the annual meeting. Many of us join one or more of the ASA’s sections, serve on one of the numerous ASA committees, or represent the association on one of the outside organization committees.

The 79 ASA chapters in the United States and Canada have thousands of members. As in the ASA, members are affiliated with academic, industry, and government organizations. Many chapter members are not ASA members. The ASA mission to promote the proper application of statistics and improve statistical education is enhanced through workshops, short courses, lectures, conferences, speakers, videotapes, and our web site.

To support endeavors of this magnitude and activities of this diversity, we depend on a dedicated core of paid professional staff and the continuous commitment of a legion of active volunteers. Volunteers, who reflect the diversity of the membership and interests of the association, are a critical element in identifying the interests of today’s members and anticipating the needs of future members. As we move forward to realize our vision of being a world leader in promoting statistical practice, applications, and research; publishing statistical journals; improving statistical education; and advancing the statistical profession, it is crucial that we continue to promote statistical excellence—the hallmark of our association—while advancing outreach efforts to our chapters, mathematics and statistics students and faculty, statisticians in applied and government settings, and professionals in related disciplines.

I support our current, thoughtful, and well-articulated set of strategic goals and would like to apply my chapter, section, and committee membership experiences to help them materialize. A strong personal interest is to increase the involvement of our members and strengthen feelings of affiliation with the ASA. Of course, opportunities for involvement enhance recruitment and promote retention. And, selfishly, my deep respect for our professional staff and volunteers makes an opportunity to work with them for our mutual benefit most welcome.

After serving on the Committee on Committees and a task force and workgroup on committees within the ASA, I find it ironic that this vice presidential position will have new responsibilities for direct contact and communication between committees and the Board of Directors. This is a positive change—long overdue—and I would very much enjoy serving you in this role.

Present Position: Senior Demographer, California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit

Former Positions: Liaison to Demographic Programs, California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit (2001–2003); Chief, Demographic Research Unit, California Department of Finance (1981–2001); various positions in the California Demographic Research Unit (1975–1980); research and teaching assistant positions at the University of California (1973–1975)

Degrees: MA in sociology, University of California, Davis, 1975; BA, University of California, Davis, 1974

Fields of Major Statistical Activity: Data analysis, applications and methodology, state and federal statistics, statistical demography, applied statistics

Publications: “Thoughts on Using Multi-Year ACS Estimates for San Francisco and Tulare Counties, California,” U.S. Census Bureau web site (2008); “Comparison of Census 2000 and American Community Survey 1999–2001 Estimates—San Francisco and Tulare Counties, California,” (pdf) U.S. Census Bureau web site (2005); Preface to Methods and Materials of Demography Condensed, 2nd ed. (2004); “Encyclopedia of the U.S. Census,” State of California web site

ASA Activities and Offices Held: Workgroup on Organizational Efficiency of Committees (2008–2009); Council of Sections Governing Board Chair (2008); Appointments Advisory Committee (2007–2008); Fellow (2007); Presidential Task Force on Organization and Management of ASA Committees (2006); Founders Award (2006); Presidential Task Force on ASA Membership Teams Coordinator (2005); Committee on Committees Chair (2001–2004); Council of Chapters Chapter Representative (1996–2004); Chapter Service Recognition Award (2003); Executive Director Search Committee (2000 and 2006); ASA Representative to COPAFS (1999–2000); Committee on Committees (1999–2000); Section on Government Statistics Chair (1997); Curriculum Development, Continuing Education Workshop, “Improving Presentations” (1996); Constitutional Review Committee (1996); Committee on Meetings (1995–1997); JSM Program Chair (1995); JSM Program Committee (1994); 1993 Winter Conference Program Committee; Social Statistics Section Program Chair (1990); American Statistical Association and Statistics in the Public Sector Workshop Organizing Committee (1989); Committee on Small-Area Estimates (1985–1989); Sacramento Chapter Representative (1996–2008 and 2010–2012), President (1981–1982), Vice President (1980–1981), and Secretary (1979–1980); Annual Institute on Research and Statistics Cofounder (1979); Councilor (1976–1979)

Related Professional Activities: National Academy of Sciences, Committee on National Statistics Panel on the Design of the 2010 Census Program of Evaluations and Experiments; U.S. Census Bureau Census Advisory Committee of Professional Associations; U.S. Department of Commerce Decennial Census Advisory Committee; Population Association of America Public Affairs Committee; Population Association of America Committee on Population Statistics Chair; Federal-State Cooperative for Population Estimates Chair; National Summit on the Tabulation of Race and Multi-Race Health Data; Congressional Testimony, United States House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on the Census hearing on “Oversight of the Census Bureau’s Proposed American Community Survey”; National Academy of Sciences, Committee on National Statistics Panel on Formula Allocations