Katherine Ensor

A world that relies on data and statistical thinking to drive discovery and inform decisions is the vision of the American Statistical Association. Building on the work of past ASA presidents, I have focused on adding “with statisticians leading the way” to that vision and am thrilled the ASA Leadership Institute has a new website and initiatives. The goals of the institute are to inspire new ideas, innovations, and collaborations; promote statistical leaders by providing education and coaching; and advise entrepreneurs and leaders in all sectors.

During the board of directors meeting on November 18, we will launch the first Influencing Discovery Exploration and Action (IDEA) Forum. The annual IDEA Forum will bring together scientists, leaders, and policymakers to advance solutions to global challenges and identify opportunities in which statistics plays a critical role. The 2022 forum will focus on managing and mitigating the impact of climate change—identifying the challenges and introducing important areas of statistical research and application. A special issue of CHANCE, to be published in early 2023, will highlight the outcomes of the forum and provide an opportunity to extend the discussion. Moving forward, the IDEA Forum will continue to be sponsored by the ASA Leadership Institute and hosted by the ASA Board of Directors.

November 18 is also ASA Giving Day. The theme of ASA Giving Day 2022 is Leading the Way for Innovation Through Statistics and Data Science and Empowering Through Education, Advocacy, and Community. The board will kick off the day with a live-streamed message, and the popular Early Bird, Afternoon Energizer, and Donate and Share prize drawing contests will return this year, as will the Chapter and University challenges.

An essential membership benefit is the extensive professional development provided through the chapters and sections. Many courses are offered during JSM and other meetings, but also independently by sections and chapters. The Leadership Institute website will serve as an additional location to learn about these numerous opportunities.

Further, a primary goal of the Leadership Institute is to create and offer additional professional development opportunities that do not naturally fall to sections or chapters. We will build on existing opportunities such as StatXW: Preparing to Be an Expert Witness. With the growth of data-driven decisions throughout society comes the parallel need for the statistical expert witness. StatXW is designed to assist mid- to late-career professional statisticians with the basics of sharing their expertise through this venue. ASA Director of Strategic Initiatives and Outreach Donna LaLonde and I will offer the course October 19, 20, 26, and 27 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.

The StatXW framework we are using to organize the course contains four modules: preliminaries; plan; prepare; and perform. During these modules, participants will develop an approach for serving as a statistical expert witness, which will include composing a statement of expertise. Participants will gain knowledge of the challenges and opportunities encountered by the statistical expert witness. Further, we invite experts from our community to share their experiences with course participants, thereby enriching the experience.

The ASA Leadership Challenge is an example of an offering for students and early-career members. The current challenge requires submitting a short video highlighting the benefits of ASA membership. Submissions are due by December 31.

In last month’s column, I introduced the newly formed Caucus of Industry Representatives, which will complement the existing Caucus of Academic Representatives. The Leadership Institute will work with both groups to support the career advancement of their members. To start, an early November workshop is planned for members of the Caucus of Academic Representatives interested in pursuing academic leadership positions beyond their current roles.

The Leadership Institute will highlight another new group, the University Leadership Council, whose primary goal is to provide a forum for biostatisticians and statisticians serving in academic leadership positions at the dean’s level or higher. This group will serve as primary mentors for members of the Caucus of Academic Representatives and others interested in advancing in university leadership positions.

The ASA Leadership Institute will also support the efforts of the External Nominations and Awards Committee. The charge of this committee speaks directly to the goals of the Leadership Institute, namely:

Thank you to current and past committee members for their diligence in assisting our profession in this capacity. The nominations in which I have been involved as president have proven highly successful, thanks to the nominees’ efforts and the efforts of ASA staff. I encourage members to share ideas and opportunities for promoting our members with this committee.

The ASA Leadership Institute will also focus on telling the stories of our impact and success. Our contributions to science and society are significant. In my JSM 2022 address, I highlighted some of these stories and know there are many more. I asked for your help as I prepared for JSM and am asking again. Please continue to help us acknowledge our impact. Not only will we be able to celebrate our success through the ASA Leadership Institute, but we will also be able to better support the work of the External Nominations and Awards Committee.

I will end this column as I did last month’s with this important message: What you do matters! I am excited that the ASA Leadership Institute will be able to support your work and professional development.