Norman Phillip Ross, a longtime ASA member and fellow, passed away November 9, 2025.
Ross, born December 10, 1941, devoted his professional career to advancing the role of statistics in environmental protection and public health. As chief statistician of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the first person in that role, Ross consulted on statistical policy, monitoring design, and quantitative standard setting—helping shape how environmental data inform national decision-making.
Ross became widely recognized as a leader in establishing statistical reporting and analysis policy at the EPA and for coordinating statistical efforts across federal agencies. His work strengthened the agency’s capacity to safeguard the environment through rigorous, data-driven approaches. His government service was consistently honored with numerous exceptional performance awards, including the Award for Excellence in Management and multiple Bronze Medals.
Beyond his federal service, Ross extended his expertise internationally. He served as chief of the statistics department at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Japan, overseeing research on radiation exposure and its long-term health impacts. Following his tenure at the EPA, he continued applying his expertise in environmental metrics as a consultant with the National Academy of Sciences and through his own firm, StatLogic.
Ross has also made lasting contributions to the statistical profession. He was co-founder and chair of the American Statistical Association’s Section on Statistics and the Environment, helping formalize and advance the role of statistics in environmental science. His scholarship is widely cited, and he has published in numerous professional journals.
Committed to education, as well as practice, Ross started his career as a middle school science teacher and served as a visiting lecturer in public health at Cornell University Medical School. He also held lecturer positions at American University and The George Washington University, mentoring students at the intersection of statistics, policy, and public health.
A native of Washington, DC, Ross grew up in public assisted housing in Oxon Hill, Maryland. He earned his PhD in applied statistics from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1973, after completing master’s degrees in biology and chemistry and a bachelor’s in zoology and chemistry at the same institution. He had a lifelong love of classical music and played the clarinet.
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