Lester Mackey’s interest in statistics unfolded when he was a student immersed in the Ross Mathematics Program, an intense eight-week summer curriculum in number theory designed to expose teenagers to proof-based mathematics. His interest in machine learning was piqued, however, when he competed for the million-dollar Netflix Prize during his senior year in college. His team lost by twenty minutes, but the experience opened the door to his future. “Every day,” Mackey noted, “I reflect on my good fortune at finding a field (machine learning) and a job (researcher) that I truly love. My work scarcely seems like work, as it’s exactly what I would be doing even if no one was paying me.”
Celebrating Black History Month
Sean Simpson
Sean Simpson grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and attended majority Black public schools throughout his childhood. Simpson’s parents supplemented his education through programs such as the Richmond Area Program for Minorities in Engineering and Center for Talented Youth. However, it was when he watched a presentation about biostatistics during his junior year at Harvard University that his career path became clear to him. He is now a biostatistics professor at Wake Forest University and was elected an ASA Fellow in 2022—an honor that served as a culmination of his contributions to the field.
Talithia Williams
Growing up in a small town in Georgia, Talithia Williams loved playing pretend, but in all her imagining, she never saw herself as a statistician. She knew those people existed, but no one who looked like her did those things, so it never occurred to her it was something to aspire to. Fortunately, her high-school AP Calculus teacher, Mr. Dorman, told her she should major in math in college. His affirmation planted a seed that changed her trajectory. She was accepted to Spelman College and awarded a NASA Women in Science and Engineering scholarship. There, she was exposed to African American women with PhDs in STEM and consequently went on to earn her PhD in statistics from Rice University. Today, she is an associate professor of mathematics and mathematics clinic program director at Harvey Mudd College.
Celebrating Black History Month 2023
In celebration of Black History Month, we recognize 12 individuals from the Black/African American collective who have made tremendous contributions to the statistics field as mentors, professors, and entrepreneurs.
Sharina D. Person
Although neither Sharina D. Person’s parents went to college, they strongly encouraged her to attend. She majored in math, but realized she wanted a career that allowed her to help society. Fortunately, she was introduced to biostatistics and found her passion. For the last 20 years, Sharina has enjoyed a research career that directly affects the lives and well-being of society, in particular population health and health equity. Another of her passions is seeing the light bulb come on in a student, mentee, or colleague’s eyes when she has explained a difficult statistical concept in a way they can comprehend.
Sydeaka Watson
Sydeaka Watson began her college education as a mathematics major at Dillard University and University of New Orleans in her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. The introductory statistics course she took as an elective became one of her favorite courses and she eventually earned her PhD in the field. Since then, she has had such professional experiences as professor, biostatistician, data scientist, and consultant. Watson has supported and led STEM diversity efforts as chair of the ASA Committee on Minorities in Statistics, co-organizer of the Dallas chapter of Blacks in Technology, and organizer of the Dallas chapter of R-Ladies Global.
Briana Joy Stephenson
Briana Joy Stephenson’s older brother unknowingly motivated her, as she challenged herself to master everything he learned so she would be competitive during their family Jeopardy games. This competitive spirit transcended to school, where she excelled in the classroom and eventually received the Top Flight Senior award at her tech magnet high school and a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Stephenson reflects on her circuitous yet intentional professional journey and is most proud of the influence she has had on the young women who follow her and have the confidence and encouragement to pursue the road less traveled.
Alisa Stephens-Shields
Through various games and activities, Alisa Stephens-Shields learned she enjoys problem-solving and finding patterns. And a summer job in the lab of a theoretical ecologist gave her the thrill of contributing to knowledge through research. Therefore, after a gap year that included a 6-month community service immersion in Costa Rica, she enrolled in the doctoral program in biostatistics at Harvard University and is now an assistant professor in the department of biostatistics, epidemiology, and informatics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Adrian Coles
Math and science were always Adrian Coles’s favorite subjects growing up in a socioeconomically disadvantaged community in southern Virginia. After serving nine years in the US Marine Corps, he attended The University of North Carolina to become a high-school math teacher. However, he fell in love with statistics after he took a course his senior year and saw the wide range of real-world problems the discipline helped solve. Eventually, he earned his PhD in statistics from North Carolina State University and became the first African American male to earn the degree from the time-honored department.
Reneé H. Moore
Reneé Moore attended Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina—a small, historically Black, women’s college. She loved teaching and declared three majors: mathematics; secondary mathematics education; and psychology. One summer, she participated in the Harvard Summer Program in Biostatistics and the United Negro College Fund Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, which set her on the path to becoming a biostatistician. Moore is currently a research professor at Drexel University; director of the Biostatistics Scientific Collaboration Center; and director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the department of epidemiology and biostatistics.