On receiving the Roger Herriot Award in June 2001, Jeanne Griffith said: "One of the most rewarding aspects (of Federal statistics) for me was the opportunity to promote creative activities and energies among my staff."

Dr. Griffith died in August 2001 after working for more than 25 years in the Federal statistical system. Throughout her career, and especially in her senior management positions at the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Science Foundation, one of Jeanne's highest priorities was to mentor and encourage junior staff to learn, to grow, and to recognize and seize career opportunities as they came along.

The purpose of the award is to encourage the mentoring of younger staff in the Federal statistical system. The Government Statistics Section (GSS) of the American Statistical Assocation manages the award. This award is co-sponsored by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS), American Institutes for Research (AIR), American Educational Research Association (AERA), and Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP) It is presented annually to a supervisor, technical director, team coordinator, or other member of the government statistical staff who is nominated by a supervisor and co-workers, and chosen by the Award Selection Committee. Nominations must be submitted no later than April 2, 2012.

Nominations for the 2012 award will be accepted beginning in January 2012. The last date for submission of nominations is April 2, 2012, and the Award Committee will make its determination of the award winner by April 30, 2012. The award will consist of a $1,000 honorarium (to be split if there is more than one awardee), a citation, and a plaque, which will be presented at a ceremony arranged by the co-sponsors in June 2012.

The winning mentor(s) will be selected for his or her efforts in supporting the work and developing the careers of junior staff. Such efforts would include the following types of activities:

• Advising junior staff to help them create career opportunities, networking skills, and contacts for growth and development;
• Counseling junior staff and providing resources to help develop their technical writing, analysis, presentation and organizational skills and knowledge;
• Encouraging junior staff growth and career development through attendance and oral presentations at meetings with higher level officials, staffs of other agencies, professional associations, training courses, and conferences;
• Motivating junior staff and building self confidence through feedback on their efforts, being a listener when that is needed, and creating a caring and supportive environment;
• Serving as a role model for junior staff through professional expertise, information and insights, balancing collegial and personal roles, and including everyone across rank, race, ethnicity, and seniority.

Past Award Recipients:

2003 - Richard D. Allen (National Agricultural Statistics Service)
2004 - Beth A Kilss (Internal Revenue Service)
2005 - Renee Miller (Energy Information Adminitration)
2006 - Martin O'Connell (U.S. Census Bureau)
2007 - Stephanie Shipp (National Institute for Standards and Technology)
2008 - Rosemary Marcuss (Bureau of Economic Analysis)
2009 - Kevin Cecco (Internal Revenue Service)
and Lillian Lin (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
2010 - Deborah H. Griffin (U.S. Census Bureau)
2011 - Jenise L. Swall (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

If you have questions about the award, please contact Rick Peterson at rick@amstat.org (703) 684-1221 and/or Clyde Tucker at nctucker@cox.net. .

Nominations should be prepared in the form of a letter or memorandum for the Award Selection Committee:

• The letter or memorandum should summarize the nominee's actions that support and encourage junior staff in the Federal, State, or Local statistical community in developing their careers.
• Nominations may be accompanied by up to six supporting letters. These should be attached to, and submitted with, the nomination.
• The Award Selection Committee finds that descriptions of what nominees actually do are the strongest demonstration of candidate mentoring. Here are some examples: the mentor is a source of advice...counsels with long-term goals in mind...thought I was well qualified even though I had some doubts...encourages staff to seek out positions that will increase their visibility and stretch their professional capabilities. These are more explicit and unique to the mentor than generic statements such as: the mentor is a coach...a teacher.
• Photo copies and email copies of support letters are acceptable.

A nomination form can be obtained by downloading it in MS Word format or Adobe pdf format.

All nomination forms should be returned, by no later than April 2, 2012 to:

The Jeanne E. Griffith Mentoring Award Committee
c/o The American Statistical Association
732 N. Washington St.
Alexandria, VA 22314-1943

rick@amstat.org