Highlights from the August ASA Board Meeting

Actions

• Approved the appointment of Feng Guo of Virginia Tech as the editor of Statistics and Public Policy for a three-year term beginning in 2025, with a transition beginning in fall 2024.
• Formally adopted the 2025 ASA budget reviewed in June. The board also revised its budget planning schedule to add an additional review of the next year’s budget each October once financials for the first three-quarters of the current year are in.
• Approved in principle revisions to the “visibility and impact” and “education” portions of the ASA strategic plan, with final modifications based on board feedback to be approved by members of the executive committee.
• Approved in principle a set of guidelines for data science accreditation by the ASA, with final modifications based on board feedback to be approved by members of the executive committee. Details about this new accreditation program will be made publicly available soon.
• Approved revisions to the ASA’s policy for renaming awards.
• Approved in principle a draft statement on ethical principles in AI for practitioners brought forward by the Committee on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and the Committee on Professional Ethics. The board delegated to the executive committee final approval after the committees proposing the statement have considered the board’s feedback and made revisions accordingly.
• Approved renaming the Advisory Committee on Continuing Education to the JSM Continuing Education Committee.
• Approved the creation of a professional development committee to be housed within the leadership institute. The professional development committee will liaise with the JSM Continuing Education Committee, conference program committees, sections, chapters, and committees to ensure the ASA’s professional development enterprise can effectively and efficiently meet the current and future needs of the communities served by the ASA.
• Delegated to the executive committee review and approval of changes to the charter of Statistics Without Borders.

Reports and Discussions

• Derek Curtis II, ASA director of finance and administration, updated the board on the status of the ASA’s finances as of mid-year. Expenses and revenues are tracking on schedule.
• Curtis presented a draft of the 2023 audit. (The final audit report was received and accepted by the board in late August.)
• ASA Treasurer Jean Opsomer updated the board on the status of the ASA investment portfolio, particularly regarding the forecasting Opsomer previously reported. He noted we are in the first year of the 10-year modeling done by the Investment Committee. Opsomer and Curtis noted cash flow is on track with the investment model.
• The presidents updated the board on their strategic initiatives. 2024 President Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar outlined her focus on AI and data science, community, and mentoring. 2025 President Ji-Hyun Lee’s work will center on “building strong bridges,” which she hopes to do by fostering opportunities, growing visibility, and diversifying membership.
• Amanda Malloy, ASA director of development, reported on fundraising results for the first half of 2024, noting we are well ahead of last year at this time. She updated the board on the ASA Partner Program and activities of the Development Committee. She said the “honor a colleague” program is underway. Malloy and Donna LaLonde, ASA associate executive director, announced the fundraising plans for the Dionne Price Lecture series.
• The board reviewed input provided by several committees to a request from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau is updating its Standard Occupational Classifications of “statistician” and “data scientist.” The ASA will submit comments to the bureau.
• ASA Director of Science Policy Steve Pierson updated the board on the follow-up to the report on the status of the federal statistics data infrastructure and plans for the second report. He also noted the Data Science and Literacy Act is still making progress toward a bipartisan introduction of the bill.

• ASA Executive Director Ron Wasserstein updated the board on the rollout of a policy on section-hosted conferences and noted the policy is a strategy for increasing the number and effectiveness of section-hosted conferences while mitigating risks.
• Kendra Schmid, third-year Council of Chapters representative, reported on the activities of the Council of Chapters since the April board meeting and noted planned activities during JSM. She emphasized the importance of better connecting student chapters to the ASA’s geographic chapters.
• Michelle Shardell, third-year Council of Sections representative, reported on the activities of the Council of Sections since the April board meeting and noted planned activities during JSM. She expressed the need to review the allocation of JSM invited sessions to chapters.
• Ghosh-Dastidar and Lee updated the board on the status of their strategic initiatives. Ghosh-Dastidar reviewed the ongoing initiatives in mentoring for both early and mid-career statisticians and data scientists, a planned webinar series on demystifying AI, and the New Member Meetup, planned for September. Lee is advancing initiatives on enhancing visibility of statisticians, increasing opportunity, diversifying and growing membership, and thriving in the AI era.
• Sarah Cumbers, CEO of the Royal Statistical Society, updated the board on the society’s activities, including the rollout of its new strategic plan. Cumbers participated in the entire board meeting, bringing valuable perspective to the board on numerous matters.
• LaLonde updated the board on the suite of activities the ASA engages in to support K–12 education.
• LaLonde updated the board on the status of the survey of ASA membership, noting plans to roll it out in early fall.
• Kathy Ensor and Dave Hunter, the ASA’s representatives to CSAB, updated the board on that organization’s activities. CSAB is the arm of ABET that, among other things, accredits undergraduate data science programs.
• David Goldberg, director of the National Alliances for Doctoral Studies in the Mathematical Sciences (the “National Math Sciences Alliance”) updated the board on the alliance’s activities, emphasizing the importance of the ASA’s support.
• David Matteson, director of the National Institute of Statistical Sciences, updated the board on the institute’s activities. Regular reports on NISS are important because the ASA is one of the founding partners of the organization and has been actively engaged in it.