American Statistical Association Announces Inaugural Katherine K. Wallman Award
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The American Statistical Association has announced the inaugural Katherine K. Wallman Award for Transformative Impact on Federal, State, or Local Statistics.
Wallman served for 25 years as the chief statistician of the United States, retiring in 2016. She provided policy oversight and set standards for a federal statistical system of over 100 agencies. Internationally, she represented the US in organizations like the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Wallman improved collaboration and the quality of US statistics while enhancing data accessibility and confidentiality. In 2017, she was elected to the ICPSR Governing Council, serving with dedication from 2018 to 2022, and was in her second term when she passed on January 17, 2024. Wallman was awarded the ICPSR Director’s Award (Posthumous) at the 2025 ICPSR Biennial Meeting.
“We are incredibly pleased that the American Statistical Association is honoring the late ICPSR Council member and long-time chief statistician of the United States, Katherine Wallman,” said ICPSR Director Maggie Levenstein. “She was a committed and inspirational public servant who understood the importance of data access and data literacy to the success of our democracy and country.”
The award recognizes the critical importance of seeking ways to transform the utility of official statistics to the users of those statistics, the ASA said in its announcement. It will honor individuals or small groups for their significant contributions that advance the relevance, credibility, utility, and objectivity of official statistics at the federal, state, or local level in a manner that provides for solutions to pressing public policy problems and promotes the public’s trust. The award includes a plaque and $2,500 honorarium. It will be announced annually at the Joint Statistical Meetings, and the awardee will present a virtual lecture at a date decided upon by the committee and the awardee in coordination with the ASA. Nominations are due by March 1, 2026. For more information, see the full announcement from the ASA.
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