The 2013 Annual Business Meeting of the San Diego Chapter San Diego Chapter: Past, Present, & Future Presented by Robert L. Newcomb, PhD University of California, Irvine President, Orange County/Long Beach Chapter 10/19/2015 1

Prelude: Prior to 1970 Prior to 1970 the Los Angeles Chapter had served all of Southern California with a simple, but successful, series of monthly meetings featuring an invited speaker. At that time there were no academic departments of statistics (with competing seminars), so the Chapter filled an important role serving the community of statisticians in Los Angeles San Diego was a part of the Los Angeles Chapter’s geographic area. 10/19/20152

Prelude: In 1972, in response to the growing number of statisticians outside of Los Angeles, the Chapter was renamed the Southern California Chapter. By the late 1970s it had become clear that the San Diego statistical community was not well served by this arrangement. In 1978, the Joint Statistical Meetings were held here at the Town & Country Hotel and this provided an opportunity for beginning a serious discussion of the idea of establishing a San Diego Chapter. 10/19/20153

The Segue Following the 1978 JSM San Diego operated as if it were a Chapter. Under the leadership of John Chambers, the San Diego group held regular, well- attended dinner meetings at the University of San Diego. When John Chambers retired in 1992 the group lost its access to the USD faculty club and that led to a loss of group momentum. No immediate replacement activity was found, and by the late 1990s the group had become inactive. 10/19/20154

The Frane Infusion Jim Frane had worked with Wilfred Dixon on BMDP when it was a UCLA project and later moved with BMDP when it became a for-profit business. Jim had been an officer in the LA/SoCal Chapter. In 1998 Jim Frane came to San Diego when he took a position with ISIS Pharmaceuticals. Almost immediately Jim began organizing and hosting a series of meetings to establish a San Diego Chapter. Importantly, he established the practice of doing all Chapter business and publications via the internet. 10/19/20155

The Beginning of the San Diego Chapter In 1999 the San Diego Chapter was chartered by the ASA Council of Chapters Governing Board. In its first year the Chapter was quite active and staged several successful events: – Careers Day – Chapter Picnic – Business Meeting – Election of Officers 10/19/20156

Demographic shift in the San Diego Chapter In its early years, the majority of its members and leaders were academic statisticians and students of statistics. Most Chapter events were held at on- campus sites. As the years passed, the number Chapter members who were non-academic (off campus) statisticians grew. At present, the majority of officers and active members are off-campus statisticians. Most Chapter events are held at off-campus sites. 10/19/20157

The Challenge of the Future Unlike the pre-1970s where a Chapter’s role was more simply defined and stable, the Chapter of the future must anticipate or, at least, keep up with the changing needs and interests of its community. So, the future poses a challenge to the San Diego Chapter: Can this Chapter evolve so that it: – maintains the loyalty and active involvement of its current members – attracts non-members within the San Diego statistical community to become more involved in its activities 10/19/20158

Five Keys to a Successful Chapter Future Develop a widely-held Sense of Agreement about Chapter Purpose(s) Promote a Shared Vision about what it takes for the Chapter to fulfill its Purpose(s) Implement a Strategy for increasing and sustaining Current-Leadership Energy Publish a Plan for identifying the next generation of Chapter Leadership Foster a Chapter Culture that Embraces Change 10/19/20159

The End 10/19/201510