Pilot Program to Allow Exception to One Session Policy at JSM 2025

Elizabeth Mannshardt, ASA Membership Council Vice Chair

To increase diversity across both technical and professional development sessions, members of the ASA Membership Council and JSM Policy Committee created a pilot program that allows presenters to apply for an exception to the presentation guidelines. This pilot exception aims to increase participation across both types of sessions and evaluate the potential impact of speaker restriction on the success of both professional development and technical sessions.

The following topics are included in the definition of a professional development session:

• Process of making decisions for long-term learning to align personal needs of physical or psychological fulfillment with career advancement opportunities
• Decide on a career goal, then map out the experience, competencies, and connections
• Transferable skills: communication; problem-solving; self-control (emotional intelligence)
• Self-awareness, application, and reflection
• Networking, seeking out a mentor, and taking on new responsibilities
• Coaching, mentoring, skills development, networking, and career pathing
• Leadership, career path

Teaching sessions and continued education courses are covered under a different set of JSM participation guidelines and currently do not qualify for this pilot exception program.

To be considered for participation as a speaker in both a technical and professional development session, the exception form must be filled out. Speakers or session organizers can complete the form for the session. The exception is for JSM 2025 only.

Requests will be evaluated by the Professional Development Session Working Group on behalf of the JSM Policy Committee. Information from exception forms will be recorded for assessment by the JSM Policy Committee and working group. The assessment may be used to determine future JSM policy.

Working Group Members
The definition of a professional development session and the speaker exception policy were developed by working group members representing the following groups:

Membership Council (Elizabeth Mannshardt)
Committee on Career Development
Committee on Women in Statistics (Umut Ozbek)
Committee on Minorities in Statistics (Christina Nurse)
JEDI Outreach Group (Leslie McClure)
Caucus for Women in Statistics and Data Science (Jessica Kohlschmidt)