On Friday, November 17, 2023, ASA President Dionne Price brought to order the final Board of Directors meeting of the year. The board, including incoming members, met at the ASA headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Highlights of the meeting follow.

Actions

• The board conducted an evaluation of the Conference on Statistical Practice, Symposium on Data Science and Statistics, and Women in Statistics and Data Science Conference and approved changes to them. These will be announced in Amstat News and elsewhere once they are finalized.
• The board approved in principle a policy for determining when the ASA should enter conference partnerships with other entities, asking the executive committee members to finalize the policy once suggestions from the board are incorporated.
• The board approved in principle a policy for establishing levels of support from conferences organized by ASA sections, delegating to executive committee members the final details. The policy was developed in consultation with the leadership of the Council of Sections Governing Board.
• The board has given the go-ahead on launching a new journal, Statistics and Data Science in Imaging, subject to working out the final details with our publishing partner, Taylor & Francis.
• The board indicated its intention to create an online, open-access journal titled ASA Discoveries once the details are worked out to the satisfaction of the board. The envisioned journal will, like our other journals, publish high-quality, peer-reviewed research. It will have broad aims and scope to be able to consider a wide variety of papers, attracting new work from around the world and providing a home for excellent papers that do not fit into our existing journals.

Reports and Discussions

• The board heard and discussed the reports of the Education Council and Professional Issues and Visibility Council. These councils keep the board and its committees connected. The reports reflected tremendous activity across these committees over the last 12 months.
• Derek Curtis II, ASA director of finance and administration, updated the board on the status of the ASA’s finances as of September 30. He said we had an overall net loss of $101,000 for the first three quarters. The ASA’s assets totaled $19.2 million as of September 30. Curtis noted JSM attendance was fantastic and net revenue nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels. He also noted we have a low long-term debt level of $1.9 million on the building.
• ASA Treasurer Ruixiao Lu reported on the ASA’s investments. Members of the Investments Committee met last month to review the portfolio results for the first three quarters. They also modeled long-term results from various investment strategies based on current spending levels. The analysis suggested the ASA’s investment portfolio should retain sufficient funds to support its programs, members, and mission in the next 10 years. Therefore, Lu said, the committee concluded there is no need to change investment strategy at this point.
• Steve Pierson, ASA director of science policy, brought to the board’s attention a request by members of the Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights to make an ASA statement about probability and statistics books being rejected by a state because some of the examples contain data related to race or gender. The board asked the executive committee members to work on the proposed statement with the committee before the board acts.
• Lu and Ji-Hyun Lee reported on continued efforts to develop partnerships with associations such as the American Association for Cancer Research and American Society for Clinical Oncology. Lu and Lee proposed a model for developing additional partnerships. The board discussed various options and provided other feedback. The board will more fully develop and discuss the model in the spring.
• The presidents updated the board on their strategic initiatives. 2024 President Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar outlined her plans to date, characterized by three themes: community; collaboration; and opportunity. She continued to receive feedback from the board and many sectors within the ASA. 2023 President Dionne Price reviewed her mission-driven initiatives to promote the practice and profession of statistics. 2022 President Kathy Ensor reviewed her initiatives, noting and encouraging the continuity that has developed from president to president. All three thanked the board for its ongoing support.
• The second annual Influencing Discovery, Exploration, and Action (IDEA) Forum was held at the conclusion of the first day of the board meeting via Zoom and originating from the board meeting room in Alexandria. The topic was open science.
• Donna LaLonde, ASA associate executive director, and Pierson updated the board on the current review of the Education and Visibility and Impact in Policy Policymaking (V&I) components of the strategic plan. They have developed rough drafts for consideration by relevant constituencies over the next few months. The board will receive revised drafts for consideration at the April 2024 board meeting.

The board will meet next from April 19–20 at the ASA headquarters.

2023 ASA Board of Directors

Dionne Price, President
Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar, President-Elect
Kathy Ensor, Past President
Matilde Sanchez-Kam, Third-Year Vice President
Nick Horton, Second-Year Vice President
Jenny Thompson, First-Year Vice President
Alexandra Hanlon, Third-Year Council of Chapters Representative
Kendra Schmid, Second-Year Council of Chapters Representative
Melinda Holt, First-Year Council of Chapters Representative
Kate Calder, Third-Year Council of Sections Representative
Michelle Shardell, Second-Year Council of Sections Representative
Jana Asher, First-Year Council of Sections Representative
Ingrid Van Keilegom, International Representative
Bin Nan, Publications Representative
Ruixiao Lu, Treasurer
Ron Wasserstein, Executive Director and Board Secretary

2024 ASA Board of Directors

Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar, President
Ji-Hyun Lee, President-Elect
Dionne Price, Past President
Nick Horton, Third-Year Vice President
Jenny Thompson, Second-Year Vice President
Susan Paddock, First-Year Vice President
Kendra Schmid, Third-Year Council of Chapters Representative
Melinda Holt, Second-Year Council of Chapters Representative
Tomi Mori, First-Year Council of Chapters Representative
Michelle Shardell, Third-Year Council of Sections Representative
Jana Asher, Second-Year Council of Sections Representative
Jennifer Parker, First-Year Council of Sections Representative
Ingrid Van Keilegom, International Representative
Antje Hoering, Publications Representative
Jean Opsomer, Treasurer
Ron Wasserstein, Executive Director and Board Secretary