Rob Gould has spent his career encouraging, influencing, and inspiring statistics students and educators. Learn more about the ASA Founder in this interview.
Harvey Mudd College
JEDI Leaders on Leadership: A Conversation with Kimberly Sellers and Talithia Williams
The Conference on Statistical Practice in February included a panel session on data-driven leadership featuring Kimberly Sellers from North Carolina State University and Talithia Williams from Harvey Mudd College, two outstanding African American female leaders in statistical science.
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.