A Letter from the President:
Being elected president was an honor as well as an enormous task; past members read like a”Who’s Who in Statistics”. CASA is built on a foundation of leaders within their field. Members demand and deserve the best. My experience this past year has fostered a deep respect for the officers who donate their time to make sure that we are the premier organization for statisticians in Chicago. They are truly the best. As president, I have implemented strategies congruent with member expectations.
During the past year I reached out to our community through social media in an effort to let all the quant folks in cyberspace know “this is who we are.” We have a growing LinkedIn group and our discussions are visible and open to all on the Internet. I have shared our events with related analytical groups, creating an extended family of market researchers, psychologists, and teachers can join us to hone their skills or have fun learning something new. We have not let anyone down. Our board came up with great speakers and memorable events this past year.
In fact, it was quite a year for CASA! We began with our sage of analytical careers, Linda Burtch, telling a packed room what it takes to land that first job or keep the one you have. For the first time in CASA history, we hosted a town hall meeting. We must give Kudos to Linda Clark for allowing members to tell the editors of the Encyclopedia of Statistical Science what they would like to see in the sixteen volumes to help them navigate their statistical seas. Another memorable event was the WBBM Radio Newsmakers Frekonomics lunch at Navy Pier. Statistical Advocate Award recipient Steven Levitt and his coauthor Stephen Dubner provided an entertaining discussion of the counterintuitive side of life that has thrust statistics onto the best seller list and silver screen. Another first was our joint INFORMS (the operations research organization) / CCASA lunch. After Veena Mendiratta’s talk, we not only learned quite a bit about software failure but also realized that our groups are siblings, not distant relatives. We made many new friends and connected to our community in important ways.
Connecting is what any professional organization must do. You have to connect with current members, making sure that you continue to meet their expectations and fulfill their needs. You must also serve the larger community. Through the year, we provided valuable networking opportunities for both new graduates and experienced statisticians to mingle and exchange ideas. Roosevelt University’s Ed Wygonik led a team of organizational industrial psychology graduate students in creating a member survey. This will answer questions needed to make CASA even better.
As my term as president draws to a close, I must thank all the board members for their support. I look forward to working with the new board as past president. Introducing a mentoring program and establishing a “young professionals” group are on my agenda. I look forward to seeing all of you next year.
Michael Wise
President
Chicago Chapter ASA