Incoming Leadership Sets Mission to Build Strong Bridges for a Diverse Statistics Workforce Prepared for Technological Advances Impacting the Field

The ASA recently announced the election of Ji-Hyun Lee as its 120th president. Her term begins January 1, 2025, with a one-year term as president-elect beginning January 1, 2024.

As ASA president, Lee will focus on increasing the statistical community’s visibility and impact, enhancing opportunities to support the evolving needs of the statistical profession, and diversifying membership. Her priority will be to build strong bridges—both within and outside the ASA community—to strengthen the association and seize opportunities in this data-driven era. She noted, “Collaboration with others has always been the most fulfilling aspect of my career and personal life.”

“Understanding basic statistical and data literacy is not only just important for students but is becoming increasingly crucial for everyone in the workforce,” Lee said. “With the rapid growth of data-driven jobs and widespread use of data in the various sectors, data science and statistics education are vital for building a strong American workforce and maintaining competitiveness.”

Lee is a professor of biostatistics at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions and the University of Florida College of Medicine. She also serves as the director of the UF Health Cancer Center Division of Quantitative Sciences, where she focuses on improving the lives of people affected by cancer. Her research interests include clinical trial designs, health disparity, cancer prevention interventions (including smoking cessation), and the application of AI in cancer research. Throughout her career, she has advocated for the statistics field and its vital role in society.

Lee began her service to the ASA as a volunteer for the ASA Florida Chapter. She served as a district representative to the Council of Chapters Governing Board and represented the Council of Chapters on the ASA Board of Directors. Lee is also a member of the Caucus for Women in Statistics and served as its president in 2017, as well as the Korean International Statistical Association, for which she served on the board of directors from 2017–2022.

Susan Paddock has been elected to serve as ASA vice president. Her term will begin January 1, 2024. During her tenure, Paddock’s top three priorities are to advance statistical leadership in data science and AI; support the association’s ongoing diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility work; and amplify the ASA’s voice for sound statistical practice in society.

“Ensuring an equitable, accessible, and high-quality data science education is vital to elevate American students’ data literacy skills,” Paddock said. “This will improve students’ engagement in a data-rich society and help develop a modern STEM workforce and its future leaders.”

Paddock is the chief statistician and executive vice president at NORC at the University of Chicago. She leads a division of statisticians, data scientists, and methodologists who advance NORC’s capabilities through research; efficient statistical operations; and cross-functional collaboration on projects for government, corporate, and nonprofit clients on topics including education, health, and public affairs. Paddock has published research on health policy topics and Bayesian methods, causal inference, hierarchical modeling, longitudinal data analysis, and missing data methods.

Paddock has been active in the association for more than 20 years, starting with her entry into the Section on Bayesian Statistical Sciences as a graduate student. She is the 2023 chair of the Council of Sections Governing Board and a member of the Committee on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. She is an ASA Fellow and was the recipient of the Health Policy Statistics Section’s 2013 Mid-Career Award.

The ASA membership also elected the following board members and section officers:

Treasurer 2024–2026
Jean Opsomer, Westat
Council of Chapters Representative to the Board 2024–2026
Motomi Mori, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Council of Sections Representative to the Board 2024–2026
Jennifer Parker, National Center for Health Statistics
Publications Representative to the Board 2024–2026
Antje Hoering, Cancer Research and Biostatistics

Bayesian Statistical Science (est. 1992) SBSS

Chair-elect 2024
Lester Mackey,Stanford University
Program Chair-elect 2024
Anindya Bhadra, Purdue University
Publications Officer 2024–2026
Christine Peterson, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Biometrics (est. 1938) BIOM

Chair-elect 2024
Tanya Garcia, The University of North Carolina
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Carmen Tekwe-Zoh, University of Indiana

Biopharmaceutical (est. 1981) BIOP

Chair-elect 2024
Erik Bloomquist, US Food and Drug Administration
Program Chair-elect 2024
Jianchang Lin, Takeda
Secretary 2024–2026
Shuyan Wen, Merck
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Freda Cooner, Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc.

Business and Economic Statistics (est. 1950) BE

Chair-elect 2024
Rebecca Sela, JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Program Chair-elect 2024
Mariana Saenz-Ayala, Georgia Southern University

Statistical Computing (est. 1972) COMP/CPGH

Chair-elect 2024
Tim Hesterberg, Google
Program Chair-elect 2024
Allison Theobold, California Polytechnic State University
Secretary/Treasurer 2024–2025
Giles Hooker, University of California, Berkeley
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Lydia Gibson, California State University, East Bay

Statistical Consulting (est. 1991) CNSL

Chair-elect 2024
Terrie Vasilopoulous, University of Florida
Secretary/Treasurer 2024–2026
Andrea Mack, Idaho National Laboratories
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
David Agboola, Procter & Gamble
Executive Committee at Large 2024–2026
Emily Leary, University of Missouri
Maria Montez-Rath, Stanford University

Statistics and Data Science Education (est. 1948) EDUC

Chair-elect 2024
Lisa Kay, Eastern Kentucky University
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Ming-Wen An, Vassar College
Executive Committee at Large 2024–2026
Felicia Simpson, Winston-Salem State University
Anarina Murillo, Brown University

Statistics in Defense and National Security (est. 2004) SDNS

Chair-elect 2024
Joseph Warfield, Johns Hopkins University
Program Chair-elect 2024
Ana Kupresanin, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Secretary/Treasurer 2024–2026
Victoria Sieck, US Air Force

Statistics and the Environment (est. 1990) ENVR

Chair-elect 2024
Mikyoung Jun, University of Houston
Program Chair-elect 2024
Abhirup Datta, Johns Hopkins University
Treasurer 2024
(Rotates to Secretary in 2025)
Toryn Schafer, Texas A&M University
Publications Chair-elect 2024–2025
Ander Wilson, Colorado State University
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Ali Arab, Georgetown University

Statistics in Epidemiology (est. 1992) EPI

Chair-elect 2024
Veronica Berrocal, University of California, Irvine
Program Chair-elect 2024
Molin Wang, Harvard University
Publications Officer 2024–2026
Hong Li, University of California, Davis
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Elizabeth Handorf, Fox Chase Cancer Center

Statistics in Genomics and Genetics (est. 2015) SGG

Chair-elect 2024
Zhijin Wu, Brown University
Program Chair-elect 2024
Peng Wei, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Li-Xuan Qin, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Government Statistics (est. 1988) GOVT/GTSO

Chair-elect 2024
Deliverance Bougie, US Census Bureau
Program Chair-elect 2024
Darcy Steeg Morris, US Census Bureau

Statistical Graphics (est. 1985) GRPH/CPGH

Chair-elect 2024
Heike Hofmann, Iowa State University
Program Chair-elect 2024
Emily Zabor, Cleveland Clinic

Health Policy Statistics (est. 1994) HPSS

Chair-elect 2024
Mousumi Banerjee, University of Michigan

Statistics in Imaging (est. 2012) SI

Chair-elect 2024
Michele Guindani, University of California, Los Angeles
Program Chair-elect 2024
Dehan Kong, University of Toronto
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Yize Zhao, Yale University

Statistical Learning and Data Science (est. 2009) SLDM

Chair-elect 2024
Jing Lei, Carnegie Mellon University
Program Chair-elect 2024
Irina Gaynanova, Texas A&M University
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Mladen Kolar, The University of Chicago

Lifetime Data Science (2018) LIDS

Chair-elect 2024
Zhezhen Jin, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Program Chair-elect 2024
Mengling Liu, New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Treasurer 2024–2025
Yifei Sun, Columbia University

Statistics in Marketing (est. 1991) MKTG

Chair-elect 2024
Shibo Li, Indiana University
Program Chair-elect 2024
Hortense Fong, Columbia University
Treasurer 2024–2025
Tatiana Dyachenko, University of Georgia

Medical Devices and Diagnostics (est. 2014) MDD

Chair-elect 2024
Hope Knuckles, Abbott
Program Chair-elect 2024
Ken Guangxing Wang, US Food and Drug Administration

Mental Health Statistics (est. 2013) MHS

Chair-elect 2024
Alessandro De Nadai, Harvard Medical School
Program Chair-elect 2024
Chong Wu, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Nonparametric (est. 1999) NPAR

Chair-elect 2024
Gerda Claeskens, KU Leuven
Program Chair-elect 2024
Ana Maria Staicu, North Carolina State University
Treasurer 2024 (Rotates to Secretary in 2025)
Anru Zhang, Duke University
Publications Officer 2024–2026
Hongyuan Cao, Florida State University
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Limin Peng, Emory University

Physical and Engineering Sciences (est. 1954) SPES/SPQP

Chair-elect 2024
Devon Lin, Queen’s University
Program Chair-elect 2024
Oksana Chkrebtii, The Ohio State University
Secretary/Treasurer 2024–2025
Youngdeok Hwang, City University of New York

Statistical Programmers and Analysts (est. 2009) SSPA

Chair-elect 2024
William Coar, Axio
Program Chair-elect 2024
Zaihra Rizvi, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
Secretary 2024–2025
Vipin Arora, Eli Lilly and Company
Treasurer 2024–2025
WenXian Zhou, Eli Lilly and Company
Publications Officer 2024–2025
Jiping Wang, Yale University

Quality and Productivity (est. 1989) QP/SPQP

Chair-elect 2024
John Szarka, W.L. Gore & Associates
Program Chair-elect 2024
Lauren Wilson, Sandia National Laboratory
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Caleb King, JMP

Risk Analysis (est. 1994) RISK

Chair-elect 2024
Alexander Alekseyenko, Medical University of South Carolina
Program Chair-elect 2024
Jing Zhang, Miami University
Secretary/Treasurer 2024–2025
Parichoy Pal Choudhury, American Cancer Society
Publications Officer 2024–2025
Kristin Lennox, Exponent
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Meredith Ray, University of Memphis

Social Statistics (est. 1953) SOC/GTSO

Chair-elect 2024
Elizabeth Tipton, Northwestern University
Program Chair-Elect 2024
Maria Cuellar, University of Pennsylvania
Secretary/Treasurer 2024–2026
Tyler McCormick, University of Washington

Statistics in Sports (est. 1992) SIS

Chair-elect 2024
Ron Yurko, Carnegie Mellon University
Program Chair-elect 2024
Monnie McGee, Southern Methodist University
Communications Officer 2024–2026
Denise Bradford
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Michael Schuckers, St. Lawrence University

Survey Research Methods (est. 1978) SRMS

Chair-elect 2024
Eric Rancourt, Statistics Canada
Program Chair-elect 2024
Chris Moriarity, National Center for Health Statistics
Secretary 2024–2025
Martha McRoy, Abt Associates
Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
Andreea Erciulescu, Westat

Teaching of Statistics in the Health Sciences (est. 1991) TSHS

Chair-elect 2024
Jaya Satagopan, Rutgers University

Text Analysis (est. 2022) STA

Chair-elect 2024
Michelle Dunn, US Department of Defense
Council of Sections
Representative 2024–2026
Tommy Jones, In-Q-Tel