| Albuquerque ChapterAmerican Statistical Association
Who We Are
The Albuquerque Chapter of the American Statistical Association (ACASA) serves statisticians working in industry, academia, and government across the state of New Mexico. The goals of the chapter are to:
- Build and maintain professional networks connecting statisticians and data scientists at all career levels, from student to emeritus.
- Facilitate professional development and outreach opportunities, particularly geared toward:
- Educating the broader community about statistics and data science, and
- Stimulating interest in statistics and data science careers.
The Chapter holds yearly meetings and other occasional events to provide networking and professional development opportunities for members. Chapter officers can also connect members of the public in need of statistical services with working statisticians and data scientists. If you are interested in joining the Chapter or would like to be connected with a statistician, please contact any of the Chapter officers or visit the American Statistical Association membership web site. We are part of District 6, which encompasses 15 chapters over 6 states. See the recently launched District 6 website for relevant opportunities, news, and accolades from across the district.
Soccer Social on Sep 11th, 7:25 PM
Please join us for a soccer social on Friday, September 11th at 7:25 PM! This is a family friendly event to socialize with chapter members and families at the United Soccer Club game at the Isotope Stadium. Free for student members, half price for student non-members, and $20-25 for professional members. Please RSVP by August 22nd using this form.
Other Upcoming Events and Announcements
- The chapter has been awarded a traveling course by the ASA. The course is “Random Effects and Recurrent Events in Survival Analysis" by Dr. Milind Phadnis with the University of Kansas Medical Center (course details here). The course will be a full day event held in person at a local venue in spring of 2027, as part of the annual chapter meeting. Additional details are forthcoming.
- The chapter launched a LinkedIn page! Please join us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/asaabqchapter/ to stay up to date on chapter events and announcements.
- The chapter is planning for a professional development event at UNM this fall. More details will be shared as they become available.
- A name change for the chapter will be proposed and voted on by chapter members at the 2027 annual meeting (online voting will also be made available).
- We are looking for replacements for three officer roles in the upcoming term, beginning April 2027: Chapter Representative, Secretary, and Treasurer. Please contact us if you are interested in any of these roles. The Chapter Representative role includes a shadowing opportunity at the CoC Workshop at JSM this summer, and the Treasurer and Secretary roles include a short shadowing period in February and March of 2027.
- The Chapter Representative is the official representative of the ASA ABQ chapter to the Council of Chapters (CoC) of the ASA. They serve as a crucial communication link between the Chapter, the Council, and ASA as a whole. Duties include (1) Encourage and serve as communications link between the local chapter and CoC, (2) Attend business meeting and workshop of the CoC at JSM, and (3) Participate in elections of chair-elect of CoC and vice chair of district 6.
- The secretary is responsible for managing correspondence between the chapter and its members, which includes maintaining the official chapter website and other chapter-affiliated digital platforms (e.g., LinkedIn, social media), sending and responding to chapter e-mails, which may include regular updates to members about relevant professional development opportunities in statistics. The secretary also records detailed minutes at regularly-scheduled officer meetings, distributing them to officers and maintaining a Google drive.
- The Treasurer is responsible for managing the financial affairs of the chapter. Core duties include maintaining custody of the chapter's debit card and checkbook, monitoring account balances to ensure the chapter remains in good financial standing, and managing the PayPal account used to collect meeting registration fees. The Treasurer maintains all banking records, coordinates with the chapter president to process and approve expenses, and handles tax related obligations including IRS filings and compliance. The role also includes periodic financial reporting to the board.
Annual Meeting
Our annual chapter meeting was held on Friday, April 17th, 2026 at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM. It was a success and highlighted by a chapter visioning session, where attendees discussed future goals, intentions, and focus for the chapter. The event included two sessions of talks, a keynote address by Dr. Tom Stockton, a student poster competition, and election of a new chapter Vice President. The final agenda is available here. Some of the items discussed at the visioning session were:
- The need for more frequent chapter communication and communication avenues (e.g., a chapter LinkedIn page)
- Additional social events and networking opportunities
- More student engagement and involvement, and reducing financial barriers for students
- More events throughout the state (outside of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Los Alamos)
The meeting also included short talks from the chapter secretary, chapter representative and treasurer regarding shadowing opportunities for their replacements. Please contact us if you are interested in serving in these roles starting in April of 2027!
Past Events
On October 16th the Chapter hosted a Fall Mentoring Panel for graduate and undergraduate students interested in a career in statistics and/or data science. Our panelists were Mark Montoya, MPH; Tom Stockton, PhD; and Carol A. Gotway Crawford, Ph.D, and the panel was moderated by Chapter President Audrey McCombs, PhD. Representing diverse career stages and career paths, the panelists discussed the current job market, what employers are looking for in job candidates, challenges and opportunities presented by developments in AI, and the type of work they do on a day-to-day basis. A thought-provoking question-and-answer session and a lively pizza social followed the moderated discussion.
On April 12 the Chapter sponsored a special award, “Excellent Use of Statistics,” at the New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair hosted by New Mexico Tech in Soccoro, NM. A four-person team of chapter officers and chapter members awarded first-, second-, and third-place prizes with monetary values of $100, $75, and $50 to high school students participating in the fair.
The Chapter hosted two social events in 2025: a hike near Santa Fe, NM in the Spring, and an evening at an Isotopes baseball game in Albuquerque in June. The events were attended by a small but enthusiastic mix of chapter officers and chapter members.
We thank everyone who supported us during 2025.
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