American Statistical Association Elects 2025 President
Incoming Leadership Sets Mission to Build Strong Bridges for a Diverse Statistics Work Force Prepared for Technological Advances Impacting the Field
ALEXANDRIA, VA, May 15, 2023 – Today, the American Statistical Association announced the election of Ji-Hyun Lee as the 120th president. Her term begins January 1, 2025, with a one-year term as president-elect beginning January 1, 2024.
As ASA president, Lee will focus on increasing visibility of the statistical community and its impact, enhancing opportunities to support the evolving needs of the statistical profession, and diversifying membership. Her priority will be to build strong bridges—both
within and outside the ASA community—to strengthen the association and seize opportunities in this data-driven era. She noted, “Collaboration with others has always been the most fulfilling aspect of my career and personal life.”
“Understanding basic statistical and data literacy is not only just important for students but is becoming increasingly crucial for everyone in the workforce,” Lee said. “With the rapid growth of data-driven jobs and widespread use of
data in the various sectors, data science and statistics education are vital for building a strong American workforce and maintaining competitiveness.”
Lee is a professor of biostatistics at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions and University of Florida College of Medicine. She also serves as the director of the UF Health Cancer Center Division of Quantitative
Sciences, where she focuses on improving the lives of people affected by cancer. Her research interests include clinical trial designs, health disparity, cancer prevention interventions (including smoking cessation), and the application of AI in cancer
research. Throughout her career, she has advocated for the statistics field and its vital role in society.
Lee began her service to the ASA as a volunteer for the ASA Florida Chapter. She served as a district representative to the Council of Chapters Governing Board and represented the Council of Chapters on the ASA Board of Directors. Lee is also a member
of the Caucus for Women in Statistics and served as its president in 2017, as well as the Korean International Statistical Association, for which she served on the Board of Directors from 2017–2022.
Susan Paddock was elected to serve as ASA vice president. Her term will begin January 1, 2024. During her tenure, Paddock’s top three priorities are to advance statistical leadership in data science and AI; support the association’s ongoing
diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility work; and amplify the ASA voice for sound statistical practice in society.
“Ensuring an equitable, accessible, and high-quality data science education is vital to elevate American students’ data literacy skills,” said Paddock. “This will improve students’ engagement in a data-rich society and help
develop a modern STEM workforce and its future leaders.”
Paddock is the chief statistician and executive vice president at NORC at the University of Chicago. She leads a division of statisticians, data scientists, and methodologists who advance NORC’s capabilities through research; efficient statistical
operations; and cross-functional collaboration on projects for government, corporate, and nonprofit clients on topics including education, health, and public affairs. Paddock has published research on health policy topics and Bayesian methods, causal
inference, hierarchical modeling, longitudinal data analysis, and missing data methods.
Paddock has been active in the association for more than 20 years, starting with her entry into the Section on Bayesian Statistical Sciences as a graduate student. She is the 2023 chair of the Council of Sections Governing Board and a member of the Committee
on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. She is an ASA Fellow and was the recipient of the Health Policy Statistics Section’s 2013 Mid-Career Award.
The ASA membership also elected the following board members:
- Jean Opsomer, Westat, Board of Directors Treasurer 2024–2026
- Motomi Mori, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Board of Directors Council of Chapters Representative 2024–2026
- Jennifer Parker, National Center for Health Statistics, Board of Directors Council of Sections Representative 2024–2026
- Antje Hoering, Cancer Research and Biostatistics, Publications Representative to the Board 2024–2026
ASA members also elected officers for each of its 30 sections.
ASA members vote for candidates of their choice to the available positions on the board of directors two years before the beginning of their term. This process allows the newly elected officers to serve a year as a director or officer-elect before they
serve their elected term.