Jae-Kwang Kim and Susan Paddock, ASA Professional Issues and Visibility Council
The American Statistical Association is dedicated to increasing external visibility and support for the statistics profession and promoting the use of statistics in other fields. The committees of the ASA’s Professional Issues and Visibility Council are critical to making that happen.
Volunteers lead and serve on these committees. New members are typically appointed for three-year terms and serve no more than two consecutive terms, so the council is always looking for volunteers. For those who would like to get involved, fill out the Committee Interest Form or reach out to the committees directly. Committee chairs are listed on each committee’s roster.
Advisory Committee on Climate Change Policy
The Advisory Committee on Climate Change Policy was established in 2008 to address growing concerns about climate change and promote the role of statisticians in this area. Since then, the committee has worked to integrate statistical expertise into climate science and policy through congressional engagement, influential publications, and support for interdisciplinary research.
More recently, the ACCCP shifted its focus to impact-driven initiatives. In its 2025 meetings, the committee reaffirmed its mission to advise policymakers, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and promote statistical literacy in climate research. Current priorities include monitoring congressional activity; hosting webinars and data challenges; developing educational content; and building partnerships with organizations such as the Royal Statistical Society, American Meteorological Society, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and American Geophysical Union.
Advisory Committee on Forensic Science
The Advisory Committee on Forensic Science advises the ASA on forensic science reform issues and ensures statistics and statisticians maintain a visible profile in the forensic sciences and forensic science reform initiative.
LGBTQ+ Advocacy Committee
Part of the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Committee’s charge is to support research on statistical issues associated with sexual orientation and gender identity. For the past three years, the committee members have organized and hosted webinars that are open to the public and touch upon the intersection of LGBTQ+ issues and statistics. They hosted their third annual webinar in June, which was free, open to the public, and titled “Current and Historical Trends in SOGISC Data Collection and Its Consequences.” The webinar featured Kevin Guyan, a fellow at the University of Edinburgh, and D’Lane Compton, a full professor at the University of New Orleans, as panelists. Additionally, committee members continue to work to promote equal opportunity in employment and education for all statisticians, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, through the ASA Pride Scholarship.
Committee of Representatives to AAAS
The Committee of Representatives to the American Association for the Advancement of Science is charged with the following:
- Promoting, developing, and recommending cosponsoring programs and participation in the AAAS activities consistent with ASA objectives
- Promoting and developing ASA programs that strengthen the role of statisticians in scientific research and the development of scientific policy
- Encouraging ASA members to join AAAS and participate in AAAS activities
The committee consists of eight ASA representatives to the sections of the AAAS that deal with statistical matters (Section G, Biological Sciences; Section K, Social, Economic and Political Sciences; Section L, History and Philosophy of Science; Section N, Medicine; Section P, Industrial Science and Technology; Section Q, Education; Section T, Information, Computing, and Communications; and Section U, Statistics). Committee membership carries the responsibility of attending meetings of the ASA and AAAS and maintaining membership in AAAS while serving on the committee. Committee members are expected to attend a section business meeting of their representative section at the AAAS meeting and encouraged to organize an invited session and submit the session proposal to AAAS and the ASA to facilitate AAAS fellow nomination of ASA members.
Committee on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
The Committee on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence serves as a proactive voice for the ASA on matters of data science and artificial intelligence and advises the ASA Board of Directors. This year, the committee coauthored the ASA Board Statement on Ethical AI Principles for Statistical Practitioners, organized webinars for ASA membership (e.g., one in May given by Tyler McCormick on statistical issues in AI), and conducted a survey of ASA members on generative AI use, publishing the results in CHANCE magazine.
Committee on Energy Statistics
The Committee on Energy Statistics works with and is sponsored by the US Energy Information Administration, a principal statistical agency within the US Department of Energy. The committee’s activities include the following areas:
- Periodic reviews of elements of EIA’s data collection and analysis programs and the provision of recommendations
- Advice on priorities of technical and methodological issues in the planning, operation, and review of EIA’s statistical programs
- Advice on matters concerning improving EIA’s energy modeling and forecasting capabilities
Typically, the committee and EIA hold an introductory hybrid meeting during the Joint Statistical Meetings. However, the primary event has typically been a three-day virtual meeting in September, featuring presentations on selected topics by EIA staff, which are followed by discussions led by one or two committee members and an open general discussion. Topics are generally proposed by the EIA with consultation by the committee and focus on approaches to producing or disseminating energy statistics and analyses.
Committee on Funded Research
The mission of the ASA Committee on Funded Research centers on the following objectives:
- Facilitating communication and collaboration between the statistical community and funding organizations that support statistical research, including federal agencies, nonprofit foundations, and data-intensive industries
- Promoting and disseminating information about funding opportunities for statisticians, with particular attention paid to supporting early-career researchers
- Recommending qualified statistical scientists to serve on national science advisory committees of federal research agencies
The committee is composed of nine members, with the ASA director of science policy serving as an ex-officio member. CFR meets monthly to strategize around these objectives. Members maintain ongoing dialogue with funding agencies to identify opportunities to increase support for statisticians; explore emerging funding initiatives from government, private foundations, and industry; and disseminate funding-related information by hosting webinars and in-person sessions at the Joint Statistical Meetings and through ASA communication channels. They also assist in identifying highly qualified candidates for advisory roles in federal research agencies. Considering the especially challenging funding landscape this year, the committee organized an in-person event at JSM to share the most up-to-date insights on funding opportunities and agency priorities.
Committee on Law and Justice Statistics
The Committee on Law and Justice Statistics was recently re-started and is working to engage ASA members in this important area. The committee holds quarterly meetings and maintains a dedicated website to share resources and updates. Over the past year, the committee hosted two well-attended webinars (with a goal of four per year), provided guidance to the Bureau of Justice Statistics on survey and statistical questions, and advised BJS on submitting a session proposal to JSM. The committee also added new members and held an interest meeting at last year’s JSM, with another planned for this year. They welcome nominations of statisticians interested in law, justice, and statistics.
Committee on Privacy and Confidentiality
The Committee on Privacy and Confidentiality monitors and informs the statistical community on evolving legal, policy, and technical developments in data privacy. Serving as a bridge between statisticians and broader privacy-focused communities, the committee promotes awareness and education through events and resources, as well as contributes to public policy through comments and engagement with policymakers, such as responding to Senator Trahan’s request for information on the Privacy Act of 1974.
One of the committee’s main events was hosting the annual Privacy Day webinar. In 2025, the webinar featured discussions about large language models and the role of statisticians in safeguarding privacy. Looking ahead, the committee is supporting a range of events, including virtual and in-person gatherings in the fall of 2025 with the Privacy and Confidentiality Interest Group and the second Privacy and Public Policy Conference in February 2026.
Committee on Professional Ethics
The Committee on Professional Ethics was established in 1986 with the following charges from the ASA Board:
- Provide a point of contact with other societies and associations in professional ethics
- Develop and implement a program of education sensitizing members of the ASA to the ethical issues in statistical practice and other fields in which statistics is used
- Maintain and promulgate, subject to board review and approval, the set of ASA Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice and develop and maintain supplements to the ethical guidelines for areas of application that give an understanding of ethical statistical practice as it applies to that area (e.g., law or medicine)
Most recently, CoPE partnered with the ASA Committee on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence to develop a board statement on ethical AI principles for statistical practitioners and hosted a webinar discussion on the topic with Andrew Gelman from Columbia University and Jana Eggers, CEO of the AI company Nara Logics. The committee is also gearing up for the next update of the ASA Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice.
Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights
The American Statistical Association Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights was established in 1979 to defend the scientific freedom of statisticians worldwide and advance the rigorous use of statistics to protect human rights. The committee has led high-impact advocacy campaigns—from petitions that aided Soviet refuseniks and letters that helped spare colleagues in Liberia and highlight disappearances in Argentina to ongoing efforts exposing state suppression of price statistics in Buenos Aires—while keeping ASA members informed through Amstat News alerts and JSM sessions.
Beyond advocacy, the committee equips the global human rights community. Members authored the widely translated Data Analysis for Monitoring Human Rights manual and coedited Human Rights & Statistics: Getting the Record Straight. Also, the committee’s analytics underpinned landmark initiatives such as the International Campaign to Ban Landmines’ Nobel-winning evidence base.
Today, ASACSFHR continues to mobilize volunteers via the Amstat News Stats4Good column, offering rapid expert support whenever data—or the people who produce them—come under threat.
External Nominations and Awards Committee
The External Nominations and Awards Committee works to identify opportunities for ASA members to be considered for various awards and boards external to the statistics discipline to expand statisticians’ reach in society. To learn more about the committee, its accomplishments, and how you can collaborate with them, see their November 2024 Amstat News article, “Committee Works to Recognize Excellence Beyond Statistics, Data Science Communities.”
Scientific and Public Affairs Advisory Committee
The ASA’s Scientific and Public Affairs Advisory Committee was created in 1995 with a broad charge: to contribute to policy discussions that impact statisticians or where statistics is pertinent. SPAAC was involved in the Data Science and Literacy Act, which was introduced into the House of Representatives in 2023. As part of this effort, the committee authored an article in Significance and presented its work on the issue at JSM. The committee also responds to federal calls on a wide range of issues. Recent letters the committee led or contributed to discussed AI in government, privacy laws, classification of federal workers, and updating race and ethnicity categories. Furthermore, the SPAAC runs the Statistical Significance poster competition at JSM each year, which helps highlight how statistics research benefits society.
Statistics Without Borders
Founded in 2008, Statistics Without Borders provides pro bono statistical and data science expertise to under-resourced, socially conscious organizations around the world. For ASA members, it’s a unique opportunity to apply their skills in service of humanity—advancing global wellbeing through advising, educating, and building data capacity where it’s needed most. In 2024, the committee contributed to 67 projects across 26 countries, supporting initiatives ranging from clean water access to education and public health.
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