ABSTRACT
Women leaders in the field of statistics have made important contributions over the past 50 years by encouraging new professional connections, by challenging the status quo, by promoting new technologies, by applying modern concepts in project management and organizational structure, and by addressing policy and legislation around critical topics such as confidentiality and data sharing. This chapter on the role of women statisticians as leaders in the federal government will look at how statisticians, especially women statisticians, can best position themselves to help solve our nation’s challenges. The goals and organization of the federal statistical system, the role of the US chief statistician, issues in leadership of federal statistical agencies and that of women especially, and the journeys of five women leaders will be recounted in this chapter. The chapter concludes with my own career path and the ways these women role models contributed to my success and the success of the initiatives that I have promoted through my work as chief statistician at the National Center for Education Statistics. It is my hope that women who are contemplating a career in statistics, those who may be wrestling with the question of when to step up and when and where to gain support, those women who are currently in federal service, and women generally interested in the challenges of organizational leadership will gain something from this reading.
