Dear Colleagues,

 I am posting here to both update and invite statisticians in the California Central Valley region and "nearby"  (outlined and defined below)  to please contact me  I (chris.barker@barkerstats.com) if you are interested in more details of the expansion I describe below. -----OR---- you are currently a statistician or know statisticians at one of more of the universities,  colleges or community colleges  named below.  Importantly if there is any university or statistics group I've missed or other stakeholders I should contact -please definitely let me know-

 I am -exploring- the possibility of expanding the Sacramento chapter to the California Central Valley. I've temporarily named this Yosemite/Fresno expansion. The official name would be decided by a vote of the chapter members. On a practical level, it is unlikely we would ever organize a chapter meeting in Yosemite Valley. attendees possibly would need to bring their own bear spray. :)  I have discussed, and am discussing, this -exploration- with the ASA council of chapters chair, and the Presidents of the "nearest neighbor"  District 6 chapters to Yosemite/Fresno and the current president of the Sacramento chapter (Coskun Cetin). I have attached an annotated map of the region to this email.  Helpful to know the inspiration -  that I lived in Fresno for about 2 years (and if the "ducks line up and quack in correct order" I hope to be moving to Napa Valley or nearby). Everyone should know that Fresno is the world headquarters of SunMaid raisins. :)

Briefly, and in part because I've been an active and enthusiastic Chapter president for the San Francisco and later the Sacramento chapters I have been inspired to ask the Sacramento Chapter President (Coskun Cetin) to have a regional expansion to include Yosemite/Fresno area. The Yosemite  South entrance  is about an hour one way drive from  Fresno. and about a one way two hours (on a weekday with no traffic) from Fresno to Yosemite Valley  The region is more formally called the California Central Valley. As I draw the map (attached) , approximately 500 miles from north to south (roughly Humboldt/Arcata to Bakersfield) and about 250 miles from west to east. This is largely an agricultural area. And the World Headquarters of Sun-Maid Raisins is in Fresno https://flic.kr/p/2pJE5jj  :). Tesla does have a battery manufacturing plant in the Turlock area.  Given geography, the driving distances present a  significant challenge, one I believe can be met.   The chapter expansion would need to utilize virtual/zoom meetings rather than regular in person meeting. This is not unprecedented at ASA and there are chapters that are the full state, such as Montana and Nevada

The  expansion I am considering would add nine  Cal State (CSU),  University of  California (UC) and Cal Poly universities and potentially one or more Community colleges (Napa Valley CC)  to the Chapter. to the best of my knowledge None of these have , so far, ever been officially included in the ASA chapters.  Expanding a chapter is logistically more convenient that starting a brand new chapter. And geographically some universities I mention below are not officially or geographically considered part of the central valley. also I am , at present , not considering high schools with AP statistics programs. that is something for later on - we started  regular  annual lectures on careers in statistics for AP statistics classes in the bay area, when I was chapter president.  and I'm gratified to find that the San Francisco chapter continues to today.

The   "California Central Valley" as measured by the USGS is about twenty thousand square miles. By ASA terms, this area is designated as District 6.

(scroll for the map https://www.amstat.org/membership/asa-communities/chapters- ) . There are active "nearest neighbor" existing chapters, Nevada and San Francisco, respectively to the East and West of Yosemite/Fresno. The ASA District 6 chapters to the north and south are more geographically distant from Yosemite/Fresno.  I have so far contacted the chapter presidents of the San Francisco, Sacramento and Nevada -about the expansion.

The current full list of Universities I plan to approach or have approached listed below.  I define approach . I am in the process of personally arranging a visit to the university and presenting a statistical seminar. AS an administrative matter, and not particularly surprising, most Statistics faculty and groups are part of a math department.

 ON a bit of humor I have learned that I can with nearly 100% accuracy distinguish the statisticians from the mathematicians or other stakeholders at a seminar by stating at the start that i am "97.5% upper one sided retired") which invariably 100% of statisticians will laugh.

I have perused the course catalogs at each of the universities etc. named here. Fresno and the various universities have are many statistics related courses  in departments other than math requiring statistics or requiring preparation of some statistical analysis or statistical project. An example and interesting to me,  Fresno there is a course in "data journalism"  https://catalog.fresnostate.edu/preview_course_nopop.php?catoid=5&coid=36261

 To date, I have given a statistical seminar at Fresno and have pending seminars to give at Merced and Bakersfield. Those are likely to happen in September . that aside  I have about seven more universities faculty to visit and as many seminars yet to present :)  As a courtesy, I will also approach the Naval Post Graduate College (NPGC -Monterey ) and CSU Monterey. In the past we have had a seminar speaker  from NPGC -Monterey for the  San Francisco chapter seminar.

There are very important logistical and geography issues. And given the geography, and up to 500 mile driving distances virtual /zoom meetings are most likely format for meetings with chapter members. 

Outreach Caucus of Industry Representatives

I am also an active member of the ASA CIR Executive Committee ( Caucus of Industry Representatives). the CIR has helped me recognize the importance of outreach to California Central VAlley and nearby , government, industry and academia.

This exploration is   timely and serendipitous for this reason .. This year several Northern California and Central Valley area universities held an ASA datafest - notably Fresno, Chico, Monterey and SLO. 

I have contacted the faculty representatives from the preceding about the datafest and the Yosemite/fresno expansion.