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The American Statistical Association Fast Facts
The American Statistical Association, a scientific and educational society founded in Boston in 1839, is the second-oldest, continuously operating professional society in the United States. For 169 years, the ASA has provided its members and the public with up-to-date, useful information about statistics. The ASA has a proud tradition of service to statisticians, quantitative scientists, and users of statistics across a wealth of academic areas and applications.
The ASA's mission is to promote excellence in the application of statistical science across the wealth of human endeavor, specifically to:
- Support excellence in statistical practice, research, journals, and meetings
- Work for the improvement of statistical education at all levels
- Promote the proper application of statistics
- Anticipate and meet member needs
- Use the discipline of statistics to enhance human welfare
- Seek opportunities to advance the statistics profession
Membership
Today, the ASA serves 18,000 members in the United States, Canada, and overseas. In government, academia, and the private sector, ASA members apply their expertise to diverse and vital areas that include the following:
- Research in medical areas such as AIDS
- Environmental risk assessment
- Development of therapeutic drugs
- Exploration of space
- Quality assurance in industry
- Examination of social issues such as the homeless and poor
- Analytic research on current business problems and economic forecasting
- Setting of standards for statistics used at all levels of government
- Promotion and development of statistical education for the public and profession
- Expansion of methods and the use of computers and graphics to advance the science of statistics
Organizational Structure
The ASA is organized into sections, chapters, and committees. Chapters are arranged geographically, representing 78 areas across the United States and Canada. Sections are subject-area and industry-area interest groups covering 22 subdisciplines. The ASA has more than 60 committees coordinating meetings, publications, education, careers, and special-interest topics involving statisticians.
Key Activities
Meetings - The ASA sponsors meetings and workshops across the United States, including the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) and many smaller, more specialized regional meetings. Publications - The ASA publishes scholarly journals, general interest magazines, statistical research guides, informational brochures, membership information, and books of interest to statisticians. Education - The ASA sponsors educational programs and meetings to enrich statistical knowledge and is an active participant in K-12 education initiatives involving statistics and mathematics. Career Services - The ASA provides assistance in all aspects of career planning, placement, and enhancement through information, salary surveys, online job ads, and career development tools. Awards, Scholarships, and other Honors - The ASA acknowledges and recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to statistics or the association by sponsoring awards, honors, and fellowships.
Contact Information
732 North Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-1943
Phone: (703) 684-1221
Fax: (703) 684-6456
www.amstat.org
publicaffairs@amstat.org
www.amstat.org/about/newsroom.cfm
Key Personnel:
President: Sally Morton
President-elect: Sastry G. Pantula
Past President: Tony Lachenbruch
Executive Director: Ron Wasserstein
Director of Operations: Stephen Porzio
Director of Science Policy: Stephen Pierson
Director of Programs: Martha Aliaga
Public Affairs Specialist: Rosanne Desmone
Communications Manager: Megan Murphy