My ASA Story: Jing Cao, Professor

When I was asked to contribute to the My ASA Story series, I was flattered. The first thing I did was read the previously published stories. Even as a veteran statistician, I was inspired. Compared to those wonderful journeys filled with memorable and hard-to-choose events to share, mine was a single-lane road.

I joined the ASA in the middle of my graduate program in 2003. I started my career as an assistant professor at Southern Methodist University in 2005. As an international researcher who was heavily influenced by a culture that promotes qualities such as being reflective, reserved, and unassertive, I was a good citizen but not longing to take on a more active role. (I did serve as chair of the ASA’s North Texas Chapter in 2010.)

The turning point was triggered by an accidental event in 2013, when my former colleague Alan Elliot, who was a member of the ASA Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE), asked me to help him make connections between the principles in the ASA Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice (ASA-EGSP) with those embedded in Confucianism. The goal was to make it more accessible to Asian students taking the consulting course. It was fun, and we collaborated on studying cross-cultural issues in teaching ethics in a statistics curriculum. He also asked me on behalf of COPE to translate ASA-EGSP into Chinese. I did, and by doing so, I built my connection to COPE and later became a member.

When I was asked to be the chair of COPE, I learned the committee was to undertake an important task—the first revision of ASA-EGSP, which takes place every five years. I was concerned about whether I was up to the task, and I had a good reason: English is not my native language. Rochelle Tractenberg, the chair at that time, convinced me I could lead the project and I would have plenty of help. I am glad I accepted the challenge, which turned out to be one of the best experiences of my career.

We had a work group of five people who met every Tuesday for two hours from January to October in 2021, each spending more than 100 hours on the project. Other COPE members also attended the meeting regularly. We had three goals: update; clarify; and make ASA-EGSP as inclusive as possible. During this process, we discussed, we argued, we fought (good fights). It was all worth it! We finished the revision, which we are all proud to share with the ASA community. After getting approval from the ASA Board, the revised ASA-EGSP will be available on the ASA website this year.

Throughout this journey, I discovered something about myself, which is that I enjoy being a leader who can coordinate a collective effort to accomplish something. By stepping out of my comfort zone, I had the opportunity to work with enthusiastic and talented people from different backgrounds. Being an ASA member and participating in this committee work has nurtured me and allowed me to give back. Without being too modest, I think I have made my own contribution to the ASA community, to COPE, and to this meaningful project. It was a rewarding and fulfilling experience. My advice is to follow your own pace while being open to new things. The ASA has got your back!

This series features ASA members who share their ASA stories. Our mission is to collect authentic and meaningful accounts of member experiences. If you have a story you would like to share, email the ASA’s marketing project manager, Kim Gilliam.