We are excited to announce that the joint WSS/GSS mentoring program is now recruiting both mentors and mentees for the 2025-2026 term!
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 encourage the transfer of valuable experience among members of the Washington Statistical Society (WSS) and the Government Statistical Section (GSS) of the American Statistical Association, the WSS and GSS have teamed up to offer this joint mentoring program to our members. (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.
What are the benefits of joining the program?
The potential benefits of participating in the program as a mentee are described well by the Do-It-Yourself Mentorship handout from 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 guide 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 professional development and career insight; 2) a source of perspective, encouragement, and motivation leading to greater self-confidence and esteem; 3) help in establishing professional development plans, career goals and acceleration of their achievement; and 4) 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 previous mentoring workshop 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), simply complete an application and information form, which can be found on the WSS website, WashStat.org/mentoring/, and select your desired role (mentor, mentee, or both) during registration. The information will be used to match you to a mentor or mentee, taking into account each stage of your career, area of statistical expertise, and goals. After matching, emails will be sent out to mentors and mentees 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 mentors 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 2026. Those in the program will meet at least monthly, either on the phone, on video chat, or face-to-face. Participants will be asked to complete a short evaluation survey at the end of that period to learn and improve the program. We encourage mentors and mentees to continue to meet after the formal program period ends if it is mutually productive.
The direct signup link is:
WSS/GSS Mentoring Program 2025-2026 (google.com)
You can find more information from the following resources:
The WSS website: http://washstat.org/mentoring/;
The GSS mentoring website: https://community.amstat.org/governmentstatisticssection/professionaldevelopmentmentoring/mentoring;
If you are interested but have questions about the program, please contact:
· Amy Lin (amylin@westat.com)
· Pushpal Mukhopadhyay (pushpalm@gmail.com)
· Adele Fu (adelejiafu@gmail.com)
· Jaki McCarthy (jaki.don@gmail.com)
· Mark Otto (mark.ot2o@gmail.com)
· Mandi Yu (yu.mandi@gmail.com)
-------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Pushpal Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D.
Office of Statistical Methods and Research
Office of Energy Statistics
U.S. Energy Information Administration
pushpal.mukhopadhyay@eia.gov------------------------------