Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm ET
COPSS & NISS hosted a webinar on leadership and professional societies featuring speakers Dr. Paul Albert, Senior Investigator and Director, Biostatistics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics at NIH National Cancer Institute and Dr. Tanya P. Garcia, PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics in the Gillings School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina. We had two moderators / discussants during this session Dr. Lucy D'Agostino McGowan, Associate Professor, Department of Statistical Sciences, Wake Forest University and Dr. Ana Ortega-Villa, PhD, Associate Director of Biostatistics at Biogen and an Adjunct Professor for the Department of Statistics at Virginia Tech.
Tanya shared her journey to leadership, emphasizing the importance of self-development and team-building skills she gained through professional training. Paul discussed his 38-year career at NIH, highlighting his focus on creating supportive and intellectually stimulating environments for his teams. Both speakers stressed the value of recognizing and leveraging individual strengths in leadership roles and encouraged younger professionals to remain open to opportunities in their field.
The discussion covered strategies for transitioning from membership to leadership roles, including the value of sponsorship, reliability through committee work, and early engagement opportunities. The panelists explored various aspects of leadership, including balancing different perspectives, managing volunteers, and developing strengths through self-awareness, while addressing challenges in securing funding and maintaining core values under pressure.
Leadership Transition Strategies in Societies
The discussion focused on strategies for transitioning from being a member to a leader in professional societies. Tanya emphasized the importance of sponsorship, highlighting how Dr. Amy Herring's support helped her gain leadership opportunities. Paul shared his experience of demonstrating reliability through committee work, which led to leadership roles. Lucy asked about impactful early opportunities for engagement, and Tanya recommended proposing sessions for conferences as a way to build connections and expand networks.
Encouraging Leadership and Networking
Paul encouraged junior statisticians to organize sessions, noting that program committees appreciate this initiative and it helps in networking and career development. He highlighted the success of the ENAR SENS Committee in fostering early career involvement and suggested joining ASA chapters or sections for local engagement. Tanya discussed leadership skills, emphasizing the importance of leveraging one's unique strengths and organizing effectively. She also stressed the value of detachment in leadership, advising not to get frustrated by others' lack of follow-through but to find alternative solutions.
Paul discussed his experience as ENAR president, emphasizing the importance of appointing talented individuals and learning to listen to others. He highlighted the value of leadership within an executive committee and the importance of leading in one's own style. Paul also mentioned learning from his predecessor, Renee Moore, and the need to balance different voices and perspectives in professional societies. Lucy encouraged attendees to submit questions for further discussion.
Leadership Award Selection Challenges
Lucy and Paul discussed the challenges of balancing different criteria for selecting leadership award winners across various statistical societies. Paul shared his experience chairing the Emerging Leadership Award Committee, highlighting the difficulty of reconciling diverse perspectives on leadership qualities. Tanya provided advice for graduate students interested in leadership roles, suggesting they could propose sessions, partner with supervisors, or join local chapters and social media committees. She also mentioned the importance of forming or joining statistics graduate clubs if they don't already exist.
Lucy discussed the benefits of establishing an ASA student chapter, including funding for events and free memberships for chapter leaders. Paul emphasized the importance of professional activities like reviewing papers and suggested that these can lead to leadership opportunities in academic journals. Tanya shared that she was surprised by the challenges of securing funding as chair of the biometrics section and highlighted the need for developing marketing skills to attract donors and showcase member benefits.
Leadership Strategies and Personal Growth
The panelists discussed leadership experiences and strategies, with Tanya sharing insights about balancing transparency with strategic information sharing, while Paul described his journey from being a research member to managing up at NIH. The discussion explored how leaders can identify and develop their strengths through self-awareness and personality assessments, with Tanya recommending a specific free personality test that helped her understand her organizational and harmony strengths. The panelists also addressed challenges in managing volunteers and staying true to core values under pressure, with Tanya introducing a body compass tool for making intuitive decisions based on physical responses.
Thank You & Acknowledgements
We extend our sincere appreciation to all who contributed to the success of the webinar “COPSS–NISS Leadership Insights from Professional Societies Journeys.” We are grateful to COPSS for its partnership and continued commitment to fostering leadership development and service within the statistical sciences community. We warmly thank our distinguished panelists, Dr. Paul Albert (NIH National Cancer Institute) and Dr. Tanya P. Garcia (University of North Carolina), for generously sharing their leadership journeys, reflections, and incredible advice. Their insights—grounded in decades of experience across academia, government, and professional societies—offered valuable guidance on cultivating inclusive leadership, leveraging individual strengths, and navigating service and governance roles.
We also extend our deep thanks to our moderators and discussants, Dr. Lucy D’Agostino McGowan (Wake Forest University) and Dr. Ana Ortega-Villa (Biogen and Virginia Tech), whose thoughtful questions and facilitation enriched the discussion and created space for meaningful engagement from attendees.
Finally, we thank all participants for joining the conversation and contributing their questions and perspectives. The collective enthusiasm and shared commitment to service underscore the vital role professional societies play in mentoring, leadership development, and the advancement of the statistical sciences.
About the COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series
COPSS (Committee of the Presidents of Statistical Societies) and NISS have come together to organize and host a new webinar series focusing on leadership in statistics and data science. Plan to attend these webinars every month during the academic year! Visit the COPSS-NISS Leadership Series Page for previous webinars.
The COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series is co-organized by the Committee of the Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) Emerging Leaders in Statistics and the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS). The purpose of the webinar series is to promote leadership skills for members of the statistical societies at any stage in their careers. The series features conversations with leaders throughout the discipline, including leaders from major academic and government institutions, and companies. Invited speakers share their leadership stories and answer questions about their experiences. Each webinar is moderated by a member of the COPSS Emerging Leaders in Statistics program.
Access the Full COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series YouTube Playlist | COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoRtupvDJTjvFukMcO6NfDr0GvxDsIj81