GSS Mentoring program feedback from 2020-2021 participants.
In the GSS mentoring program, the mentee-to-mentor relationship can be flexible to suit the needs of both the mentor and the mentee. The relationship may be short-term to address a short-term need (like help finding opportunities on USAJobs.gov) or long-term (monthly check-in calls as the mentee navigates the first year of a new career). GSS encourages mentees and mentors at all stages of their careers and will support partnerships throughout the year, providing guidance and tips, as well as suggestions and questions to get mentee-mentor conversations started.
CURRENT PROGRAM (2023-2024)
This year we are joining up again with WSS! More information to come.
Past Years
2022-2023
We are excited to announce that the WSS and the GSS mentoring programs are joining this year! The joined WSS/GSS mentoring program is now recruiting for 2022-2023.
Meeting others in our profession can help us quickly learn the ropes, advance our careers, and contribute to the statistical profession. To facilitate engagement and to encourage the transfer of valuable experience among the members of the Washington Statistical Society (WSS) and the Government Statistical Section (GSS) of the American Statistical Association, the WSS and GSS have started a joint mentoring program in fall 2022. (The program is also open to nonmembers, but they will need to join WSS or GSS). Matching mentors and mentees offers a great opportunity for mentees to develop as statisticians, mentors to "give back" to newer members of our profession, and for everyone to stay connected to the WSS and GSS. We are currently looking for mentors and mentees for the 2022-23 term.
What are the benefits of a mentoring program?
The WSS Mentorship Program was inspired by the ASA initiative. The potential benefits of participating in the program are described well by the Do-It-Yourself Mentorship handout by the ASA Committee on Applied Statisticians:
For mentors: (1) A connection with skills and perspectives of recently trained professionals, (2) development and enhancement of communication and leadership skills, and (3) satisfaction of passing on skills and knowledge that can enhance the career and personal growth of the mentee and contribute to the maturity of the profession. The program may answer important questions including: How do you identify and introduce opportunities to others? How do you describe your own experiences to others to encourage them to take more strategic risks? How do you teach others to network effectively? Mentors usually get more from their relationships by learning something along the way about the new challenges of their mentees.
For mentees: 1) a role model, but more accurately a sounding board, for questions about methods of analysis and communication of results, 2) a source of perspective, encouragement, and motivation leading to greater self-confidence and esteem. Help in establishing professional development plans, career goals and acceleration of their achievement; and 3) a source of professional/social contacts with other applied statisticians in the field – "plugs you into the power network". The mentoring program may answer important questions including: How do you create opportunities for yourself? How do you promote yourself? How do you network with others? How did you get to where you want to be? What are the next steps?
The WSS Mentoring Program committee hosted a mentoring workshop in November 2021 to introduce the program and encourage people to participate in the program. The recording of the workshop can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyE-eKjaBCU.
How does the WSS/GSS Mentoring Program work?
If you are an interested WSS or GSS member (or potential member), first simply complete a simple application and information form which can be found on the WSS website (below). The information will be used to match a mentor to a mentee, taking into account each stage of career, area of statistical expertise, and goals for mentoring. Mentees and mentors will be matched and emails sent out to introduce them to each other. Program materials will be provided to help guide the mentors and mentees through potential conversations, although the topics discussed are up to the mentor and mentees themselves. The program will continue through the correspondence between the mentor and mentee for at least six months into the late Spring of 2023. Those in the program will meet at least monthly either on the phone, on video chat, or face-to-face with their mentees. Participants will be asked to complete a short evaluation survey at the end of that period to learn and improve on the program. We encourage mentors and mentees to continue to meet after the formal program period ends if it is mutually productive.
I want to do this, how do I get started?
Please complete the simple application and information form at the WSS website, WashStat.org/mentoring/. The direct signup link is:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJuNnl6luDGlwrN5y8uprjeNGeiG6enDnFnaFA-6bqXeB5Rg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
If you are interested but have questions about the program, contact:
PAST GSS EVENTS
The program was active from October 2021 through June 2022, with seven mentor/mentee pairs.
GSS JSM Mentors 2020
David Morganstein, Westat and ASA Past-President
Jeri Mulrow, Bureau of Justice Statistics and ASA Past-Vice President
Darcy Miller, USDA and Past GSS Secretary/Treasurer
Students and young professionals within 5 years of their degree are eligible to apply. Mentees must be registered to attend JSM and be GSS members at the time of acceptance (Join GSS). The GSS Mentoring session will take place TBD at the breakfast round table session.
To apply: please provide a one paragraph description of your career and/or research interests, and one paragraph on why you are interested in participating in the GSS Mentoring session at JSM. Send materials to GSS 2020 JSM Program Chair-Elect Will Cecere WilliamCecere@westat.com by June 1st 2020. Space is limited - submissions may close early as capacity is reached.
GSS JSM Mentors 2020 Bios
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David Morganstein, currently retired, was a Vice President at Westat, Inc. where he worked since 1976. For 35 years, he served as the Director of Westat’s Statistical Staff of 70 M.S. and Ph.D. statisticians and survey methodologists. A senior statistician with more than 50 years of experience, his areas of expertise include the design and application of sample surveys and systems of evaluation, quality control, statistical analysis, and estimation and quantification. He is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and was ASA President in 2015. Previously he served on ASA's Board of Directors as ASA Treasurer, and as Vice President. He is a recipient of the ASA's Founders Award. He is an elected member of the International Statistics Institute and previously chaired its Ethics Committee when it revised the ISI Declaration on Professional Ethics. Since its inception, he has instructed in the Joint Program in Survey Methodology, sponsored by the University of Maryland and is currently a Special Faculty. Mr. Morganstein obtained a B.S.E.E. degree in Electrical Engineering at Purdue University and an M.A. in Statistics from the University of Michigan.
He is keenly interested in mentoring and has helped create mentoring programs at the ASA JSM and its conference on statistical practice. He encouraged chapters and sections to create mentoring programs and offer mentoring awards. He worked with ASA to establish its annual Mentoring Award for an ASA member who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to mentoring. |
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Jeri Metzger Mulrow is currently a Vice President and Director of Statistics and Evaluation at Westat. She is retired from the Federal Government where she served in the Senior Executive Service for the last five years of her Federal career. Jeri served as the Principal Deputy Director at the Bureua of Justice Statistics at the Department of Justice from January 2016 through January 2019. Prior to that, she was the Deputy Division Director at the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), National Science Foundation. She spent nearly 15 years at NCSES starting out as a mathematical statistician, moving to supervisory statistician, and finally as the Deputy Division Director. Her Federal career also includes working at the Statistics of Income Division of the Internal Revenue Service for eight years as a mathematical statistician and at the National Institute for Standards and Technology in the Statistical Engineering Division. Additionally, Jeri worked at Ernst & Young, a large accounting firm, for almost five years where she helped build up a statistical consulting group named QUEST. She also spent some time at NORC at the University of Chicago. Early in her career, she was a lecturer at Southern Illinois University. Jeri has a Bachelor’s in Mathematics from Montana State University and a Master’s in Statistics from Colorado State University. She is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA) and past Vice-President of ASA. She has served in several leadership positions on committees and workgroups of the ASA, including the Council of Sections Governing Board and the Washington Statistical Society. |
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Darcy Miller is a Mathematical Statistician working in Survey Research at Methodology at the US Department of Agriculture and an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University. She is active in ASA and serves on the organizing committee for the International Conference on Establishment Statistics. Darcy was the Team Lead, Census 2017 Content Team, provided assistance to GEOSTAT in Republic of Georgia (2011, 2012, 2013) through International Programs Office, and serves as Associate Editor the Journal of Official Statistics. Her research interests include Imputation Methodology, Simulation and Other Applications of Copulas, Methods to Handle Outliers
Darcy has served as GSS Secretary/Treasurer. Darcy attended the University of Maryland and has an MS in Actuarial Science from Iowa University and a BS in Mathematics from Southeastern Oklahoma University. |
ASA GUIDED NETWORKING AT JSM
Also look for the ASA Committee on Career Development Guided Networking Session at JSM, featuring ASA President-Elect Rob Santos. Guided Networking 2019 was a big success!
Oct 11 - 1pm: Imposter Syndrome: Navigating Professional Success - presented by Elizabeth Mannshardt, hosted by GSS and the Washington Statistical Society.
Feel like a fraud with regards to your area of expertise, that others must know more than you do? Think your accomplishments must be due to “luck”, or don’t deserve the accolades that they’ve received? Expecting to be “found out”? The American Psychological Association says you are not alone.
Remote and in-person attendance are available. Full details and Registration:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/imposter-syndrome-navigating-professional-success-tickets-74410019371
JSM 2019 GSS Mentoring Round Table - a big success! Check out the GSS blog
GSS hosted a mentoring Round table at JSM 2019. TThe GSS mentoring session provided an opportunity for an informal "meet and greet" between GSS mentors and mentees, as well as organized mentor/mentee activities. Activities, based on a professional mentoring program, provided small group face-to-face time, opportunities for career discussions, and targeted coaching. Details for JSM 2020 GSS Mentoring Roundtable coming soon
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MENTORING
There are multiple opportunities for mentoring at JSM 2019 with ASA and GSS.
This includes The JSM Diversity Workshop and Mentoring Program (DWMP - info below) and a GSS Mentoring session. GSS members are encouraged to distribute this information to colleagues, students, and young professionals.
GSS MENTORING AT JSM
GSS hosted a mentoring Round table at JSM 2019. The mentoring session was designed to encourage diverse participation and engage young professionals and students who may not normally have access to or interaction with more senior, advanced-career members of the GSS community. The GSS mentoring session provided an opportunity for an informal "meet and greet" between GSS mentors and mentees, as well as organized mentor/mentee activities. Activities, based on a professional mentoring program, provided small group face-to-face time, opportunities for career discussions, and targeted coaching on “professional small talk”.
Mentee feedback:
-The mentors were very informative, particularly in regards to advice on finding careers and securing jobs in government.
-I walked away with advice for applying to government positions, a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of working in the government, and leadership tips
GSS Blog with full details and participant feedback from the GSS Mentoring Round Table at JSM 2019
2019 MENTEE SUBMISSIONS:
Students and young professionals within 5 years of their degree are eligible to apply. Mentees must be registered to attend JSM and be GSS members at the time of acceptance (Join GSS). The GSS Mentoring session will take place Tuesday, Jul 30 at the breakfast round table session. To apply, please provide a one paragraph description of your career and/or research interests, and one paragraph on why you are interested in participating in the GSS Mentoring session at JSM. Send materials to GSS 2019 Chair Elizabeth Mannshardt mannshardt@stat.ncsu.edu by June 30 2019. Space is limited - submissions may close early as capacity is reached.
GSS Mentors at JSM 2019:
Wendy Martinez, ASA President-Elect (BLS)
Wendy is the Director of the Mathematical Statistics Research Center at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and will serve as the 115th president of the American Statistical Association in 2020 and President-Elect 2019. Dr. Wendy Martinez was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. After high school, she served as an active duty member of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, where she had the opportunity to be stationed in Germany for several years. Wendy has been serving as the Director of the Mathematical Statistics Research Center at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for six years. Prior to this, she worked in several research positions throughout the Department of Defense. She held the position of Science and Technology Program Officer at the Office of Naval Research, where she established a research portfolio comprised of academia and industry performers developing data science products for the future Navy and Marine Corps. Her areas of interest include computational statistics, exploratory data analysis, and text data mining. She is the lead author of three books on MATLAB and statistics. These books cover topics ranging from classical approaches in statistics to computationally intensive methods and exploratory data analysis. She became interested in data science when pursuing her PhD under Dr. Edward Wegman (GMU), who had founded a new curriculum in computational statistics that included most of the courses in what is now considered data science.
Dr. Martinez was elected as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association in 2006 and is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. She was recently honored by the American Statistical Association when she received the ASA Founders Award at the JSM 2017 conference.
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Barry Nussbaum, ASA Past-President (retired EPA)
Barry was the Chief statistician at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and served as the President of the American Statistical Association in 2017. Nussbaum joined the EPA in 1975 and was named to Chief Statistician in 2007. At the agency, he founded and chairs the EPA Statistics Users Group. During his tenure, he achieved many successes using statistical analysis to promote health, determine environmental policy, and enforce regulations. For instance, he was the branch chief in charge of the successful drive to eliminate harmful lead from gasoline. Since 2011, he has chaired the association’s Statistical Partnerships Among Academe, Industry, and Government Committee. Nussbaum was awarded a bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s and doctorate from The George Washington University. He also has taught graduate statistics courses for The George Washington and Virginia Tech universities.
As an ASA member, Nussbaum served as chair of the Statistics and the Environment Section in 2000. In 2007, he was recognized for his contributions to statistics by being elected an ASA Fellow.
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Stephanie Shipp, Deputy Director and Professor (UVA)
Dr. Stephanie Shipp is the Deputy Director and Research Professor at the Social and Decision Analytics Division within the Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative at University of Virginia. Dr. Shipp’s work spans topics related to the use of all data to advance policy, the science of data science, and metropolitan analytics. She is leading and engaging in projects at the local, state, and federal level to assess data quality and use of new and traditional sources of data. Her research focuses on developing statistical methodology and tools for using administrative and other data to model the social condition. She conducts research on communities, innovation, and defense analytics. She previously served in the Senior Executive Service at the National Institute of Standards and Technology as the Director of the Economic Assessment Office in the Advanced Technology Program. Dr. Shipp also led economic and statistical programs at the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and began her career at the Federal Reserve Board. Dr. Shipp was a senior Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses, Science and Technology Policy, conducting research for the Office of Science and Technology Policy and other federal agencies. She was a member of the international advisory board for Verket För Innovationssystem (VINNOVA), Sweden’s innovation agency and continues to serve on grant selection committees. She led an expert panel to evaluate the Swedish Research Council’s Linnaeus Grants in 2012 and in 2014. She has a Ph.D. in economics from The George Washington University.
Dr. Shipp is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Statistical Association, and an elected member of the International Statistics Institute. |
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ASA MENTORING AT JSM
The Committee on Minority in Statistics welcomes applications and mentors* for the 2019 JSM Diversity Workshop and Mentoring Program (DWMP)!
When: The DWMP will take place during the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) July 28-July 31, 2019 in Denver, CO and will include a full-day workshop on Sunday followed by daily 2hr sessions Monday through Wednesday. Additionally, participants who are matched with a mentor will have 1-1 mentoring sessions during JSM.
What: The DWMP engages participants in development activities and mentoring to help statisticians achieve career success and motivate increased involvement and leadership in ASA and the profession at large. The theme for the 2019 DWMP is "Developing Leaders, Growing Community, and Ensuring a Diverse Profession." The agenda is here: community.amstat.org/cmis/events/dwmp/dwmp2019.
Who: The JSM Diversity Workshop and Mentoring Program brings together approximately 100 minority statisticians (graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, early career professionals and senior-level statisticians from academia, government, and the private sector) from underrepresented groups. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply by June 1st. community.amstat.org/cmis/events/dwmp/dwmp2019
*GSS Members interested in mentoring are encouraged to contact Dionne Swift (swift.dp.com) or Brian Millen (bmillen@lilly.com) to suggest potential mentors.