George Rodriguez
I wrote this piece in flight to Salt Lake City, Utah, to attend the 2025 Symposium on Data Science and Statistics. I was looking forward to the talks, catching up with friends, and meeting new ones, yet my thoughts lingered on the past 14 months. Specifically, to the uptake in my ability to make an impact on the profession, which came from higher involvement with various groups. Although I had chaired sessions and led roundtables at the Joint Statistical Meetings, a recent increase in my involvement with groups affiliated with the American Statistical Association has been transformational. It all began when I joined the Caucus of Industry Representatives in the spring of 2024.
After enjoying ASA Executive Director Ron Wasserstein’s Top Ten in Amstat News, my wife noticed an announcement by the newly formed CIR. They were looking for an industrial statistician to represent the manufacturing sector. The description was a good fit for me, so I applied. Two weeks later, I heard back from the inaugural CIR chair, Ginger Holt, who offered a warm welcome to the team and encouraged me to join a panel discussion at SDSS 2024 in Richmond, Virginia.
While attending SDSS 2024, I met up with David Matteson, who is the director of the National Institute of Statistical Science. This encounter led to an invitation to join NISS’s Industry Affiliate.
The Section on Physical & Engineering Sciences was mentioned during one of the affiliate’s meetings. Although I was a member of the Statistical Learning and Data Science Section at the time, SPES seemed like a slightly better option for me because it aligns well with my current job, so I switched. The large number of groups associated with the ASA facilitates an exploratory approach to professional involvement.
Soon after the switch, Liezhong Gong, Min Chen, and I were recognized with the 2024 SPES Award. While attending a reception for this award at JSM 2024 in Portland, Oregon, I met a few people with a wide range of interests. John Stallrich put me in contact with the SPES chair-elect, Devon Lin. In collaboration with the current CIR chair, Steven Sain, we are exploring opportunities for joint activities at JSM 2026 and beyond.
As the plane descended into Salt Lake City, we experienced a bit of turbulence, which is a natural part of flying. Those who travel often are not bothered by a few bumps in the air. Analogously, involvement with professional groups will naturally bring ups and downs. There are schedules to align, deadlines to meet, and even occasional disagreements to manage. Sometimes, you are working hard to convince friends to present at the next big conference. Other times, you are freaking out because a presenter dropped out after it’s too late to find a replacement. Yet, the excitement of the process makes the many bumps on the road worthwhile.
As we got ready to land into Salt Lake City, I took stock of how enjoyable and fulfilling the past 14 months have been. My involvement with CIR has created many professional connections, which resulted in a larger personal network and offered the opportunity to stand for and support industrial statisticians and data scientists through service leadership.
My advice to ASA members working in industry is to join sections, committees, and/or interest groups. In fact, CIR is welcoming new members. Joining the caucus will almost surely allow you to extend your network, meet more like-minded colleagues, and have a greater impact on the profession.
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