Abstract
In this article we remember Katherine Wallman who blended her passion and aptitude for statistics with public service. She had a remarkable career in federal statistics including serving as the Chief Statistician from 1992 to her retirement in 2017. Wallman's impact extended far beyond her official title. She possessed a rare ability to bridge divides, bringing together government agencies, academic institutions, and international bodies to collaborate on complex statistical challenges. Katherine Wallman's legacy lives on in the countless individuals she inspired with her dedication and leadership. Colleagues celebrate this legacy with their personal remembrances.
In this article, we remember Katherine Wallman, who blended her passion and aptitude for statistics with public service. She had a remarkable career in federal statistics, including serving as the chief statistician from 1992 to her retirement in 2017. Throughout her career, she was a tireless advocate for the importance of accurate and impartial statistics in policymaking.
After spending her entire childhood in the same northern New Jersey house and attending public schools, Wallman attended Wellesley College, where she considered majors in mathematics and French, ultimately majoring in sociology. She began her professional career working for New England Telephone, even becoming a programmer/systems analyst, learning assembly language and COBOL. In 1967, she moved to Washington, DC, with her husband-to-be. Realizing that she did not enjoy the work she was doing at the telephone company, she took the civil service exam and began her federal career. Throughout her time in Washington, friends and colleagues remember her as a gracious host who loved to cook. Her lunches and dinners drew people together.
Over her long career, she received many awards, including the Presidential Rank Meritorious Executive Award, the Office of Management and Budget Robert G. Damus Award, the Population Association of America Excellence in Public Service Award, and the ASA Founders Award. She was an elected fellow of the ASA and American Association for the Advancement of Science and a founding member of the International Association for Official Statistics. She also served as the 1992 president of the ASA. During her term, she was committed to enhancing children’s statistical literacy. In an interview in Amstat News, she shared that her JSM president’s invited speaker focused on quantitative literacy, so she always remembered a ballroom full of learned statisticians counting—and prohibited from eating—their M&Ms!
But Wallman’s impact extended far beyond her official title. She possessed a rare ability to bridge divides, bringing together government agencies, academic institutions, and international bodies to collaborate on complex statistical challenges. Wallman’s legacy lives on in the countless individuals she inspired with her dedication and leadership. We celebrate this legacy with the following remembrances.
Jennifer Parker, US National Academy of Sciences
Katherine served as chair of the Conference of European Statisticians, the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and the UN Statistical Commission and vice-chair of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Statistics Committee. Katherine was not the first American nor the first woman to hold these positions. However, she may have been the best. During her tenure, the international statistical system faced perhaps the greatest challenges of the era. Katherine met those challenges with integrity, grace, and wit.
Katherine Wallman
She championed the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, which first emerged to assist national statistical offices in forming their missions as they transitioned from centrally planned to market economies, later becoming a unifier of official statistics across all UN-recognized countries and endorsed by the highest body of the UN. In doing so, Katherine placed the role and responsibilities of official statistics squarely within policymaking.
Katherine promoted the international statistical community’s response to providing indicators and statistics for the UN Millennium Development Goals and their successor, the Sustainable Development Goals. These enormous challenges to the organization, volume, complexity, sensitivity, and harmonization of international statistics to inform global policy were unparalleled. It was Katherine’s call for unity that calmed, encouraged, and fortified as all national statistical offices faced these challenges together.
But these positions of responsibility, even during exceptional times in our history, cannot explain the respect, admiration, and friendship many of her peers held for Katherine. Long after her tenure, she remained a thought leader, a wise adviser, and a trusted colleague. She served when few women led statistical policy, representing one of the most powerful countries in the world, which could be challenging. She was eager to travel and learn about other cultures but was not multilingual.
The secret of Katherine’s magic is both simple and extraordinary. As in all our work, our efforts rest in our personal relationships with others. Katherine met people where they were. She found shared values and goals. She believed the best about everyone—and expected it of herself and others. In this belief, she found—and shared—delight, pride, strength, and courage. Katherine would not let you down. Shown that respect, one could not let her down, either. And together, a way was found.
Dennis Trewin, Australian statistician (2000-2007) and International Statistical Institute president (2001-2003)
Although I had met her a few times previously, I first got to know Kathy when we had adjacent rooms at a Geneva hotel in June 1993. We were both there for a UN Economic Commission for Europe meeting. Kathy had recently been appointed chief statistician (a post she held for 25 years) and was representing the United States. I was working for Statistics New Zealand at the time and representing New Zealand. Kathy let me know it was her 50th birthday, so I thought there had to be a celebration. We organized an impromptu party. Unfortunately for Kathy, there were only Australians and Irish meeting participants staying at the hotel, including Bill McLennan, who was representing the United Kingdom.
Katherine Wallman, Barbara Bailar, and John Bailar at the ASA Longtime Member Reception during the 2001 Joint Statistical Meetings.
From left: Hal Stern, Fritz Scheuren, and Katherine Wallman.
We had a great time (and some headaches on the following day), but I had to act as translator for Kathy. She was not familiar with Australian or Irish accents or the many colloquialisms that were being thrown around. She confessed that at the ECE meeting she often listened to the French translator when an Australian was speaking!
Katherine Wallman with Ron Wasserstein, executive director of the ASA, at the 2015 Joint Statistical Meetings in Seattle, Washington.
Subsequently, it was “I must visit Kathy,” whenever I was in Washington. It wasn’t hard. She was a great host and often hosted a function at her house for all the visitors in Washington. Unfortunately, I couldn’t return the hospitality as she didn’t visit Australia.
I could observe Kathy at work at subsequent UNECE meetings (where we both served on the bureau at the same time) and the UN Statistical Commission, where she was a very effective chair for two years.
I had great respect for Kathy. Her knowledge of official statistics was very broad. She was a great listener and very willing to seek the opinions of others. Her contributions to discussions were always thoughtful, and she didn’t intervene unless she had something useful to say. She was very willing to take on leadership roles. I also loved her sense of humor.
She had a stroke at a relatively young age but was old enough to retire if she wished. She didn’t retire but continued to serve the US government statistical service. My respect for her increased even further.
The field of international official statistics is so much better because of Kathy’s many contributions. I feel privileged to have gotten to know her, and I am saddened that our paths have not crossed much in recent years.
Vale to a special person.
Brian Pink, Australian statistician, (2007-2014) and New Zealand government statistician (2000-2007)
Kathy was a lovely lady, and I’m sure many others who knew her for much longer than I did will have lots of stories and reflections. I would make three key observations about Kathy. The first is that if Ivan Fellegi was the elder statesman of the UN statistical system in the 1990s and 2000s, then Kathy was undoubtedly the elder stateswoman.
The second is the caring nature that she brought to her personal and professional interactions with the broad community of official statisticians and the wonderful role model she provided to younger generations of statisticians.
The last—and perhaps the least recognized—is the obvious diplomatic and networking skills she brought to her role in the US statistical system and the remarkable record she established of working for a range of administrations of varying political hues.
She was a good friend and colleague during our shared time at the UN Statistical Commission, the CES, and the OECD Statistical Committee, and I’m sure she will be greatly missed by all those who were privileged to have worked (and socialized) with her over her long and distinguished career.
Walter J. Radermacher, former president of the German Federal Statistical Office and former director general of Eurostat
For me, Katherine was one of the few outstanding personalities in the international (official) statistics community. In her long professional career, she initiated and promoted many improvements and developments, both nationally and internationally. She achieved all this with her very special personality: collegiality; curiosity; profound knowledge of the subject; humor; and closeness to the people around her. I miss her.
Gabriella Vukovich, former chair of the UN Statistical Commission and retired chief statistician of Hungary
We lost a great woman and a good friend—a pillar of official statistics, steadily promoting our principles, always there to help and give sound advice. I will miss her wisdom, her kindness, and her humor.
Pali Lehohla, former chair of the UN Statistical Commission and retired chief statistician of South Africa
When she joined the UN Statistical Commission, Wallman would have been the only woman chief statistician, or at the very least one of a very few. Kathy narrated how the chief statisticians referred to her: “When I first attended the commission in 1993, the then-chair referred to me as the lady statistician—a distinction that has disappeared as more women have become chief statisticians in their respective countries.” She never failed to remind the commission how far it came and how far it has yet to go.
Kathy had a heart and mind for change, and she led and observed change as it progressed. On that score, she said, “I must admit that when I first attended the commission in 1993—literally some six weeks after taking on the US chief statistician role—I was struck by the fact that the commission felt like it was two separate events. One event for the developed economies, whose chief statisticians were more focused on creating more complex methods such as for national accounting, and the other for the developing economies, who were most focused on building core statistical capabilities in their respective nations. But through the commission itself, and particularly through the regional commissions, these gaps were substantially bridged.”
The commission has always been run on consensus and persuasion through fact and logic. This remained Kathy’s hallmark. Despite the inconvenient invasion of the commission by the diplomats, Kathy kept her composure, and soon the storm in the teacup would subside, and the business of the commission would need interruption no more.
Go well, Wallman, a heart and mind that calmed any storm.
Pieter Everaers, former director of international cooperation, Eurostat
Her open mind and wide interest in the European approach to official statistics made her […] a great partner to work with. In her approach, she also pointed to the need to learn and listen to the experiences of countries and regions in the rest of the world.
At the formal UN Statistical Commission meeting, she functioned as an anchor point not only for her US colleagues but for the global official statistics community, sharing not only official statistics opinions and statements but also being interested and open to listening to personal stories and experiences. Her interventions in the discussions were always clear and concise; the tone was always pleasant and often humorous. In her different roles as chair or ordinary member of the meeting, she was striving and almost always succeeded in bridging several viewpoints into acceptable compromises for everyone.
Katherine Wallman (seated) surrounded by former ASA presidents. From left: David Morganstein, (2015), Jessica Utts (2016), Miron Straf (2002), Sally C. Morton (2009), Sastry Pantula (2010), and Nat Schenker (2014) in the back.
Lidia Bratanova, retired director of the Conference on European Statisticians, UNECE
For me, Katherine was one of the best examples of a highly professional career statistician who contributed enormously to the international statistical community. She should be an example for future generations in official statistics to follow, with her knowledge and experience, sense of diplomacy, and, most importantly, humanity. She taught many of us the importance of the human touch, even in an area like statistics. I value her support of CES and her friendship to the very end.
Martine Durand, independent international expert; member of the European Statistics Governance Advisory Board; member of the French Statistics Authority; retired OECD chief statistician
[Katherine] was convinced that no matter how big or small a country, a well-functioning, independent, and trustworthy national statistical system was essential to fulfill its mission of delivering truthful evidence needed by users to make well-informed decisions. And she believed it was through the sharing of knowledge, experiences, and resources that this goal could best be achieved and progress be made everywhere, at all levels and in all domains.
Katherine really cared about people. With her unforgettable smile and unique style, she would point to solutions when problems arose without imposing her own views. Although she might have strong opinions, she would always listen to others’ concerns and help find compromises.
As she has left us, I realize how much I owe her and how much she will be missed. Her legacy will live on among official statisticians from all parts of the world.
Misha Belkindas, founder and managing director of Open Data Watch; former director, Development Data Group, World Bank
Our interactions during UNSC, UNECE CES and OECD Statistical Committee […] were always friendly and productive. We worked together well within the bureau of the CES. Meetings were held from time to time in the United States, hosted by the World Bank, IMF, or the US government. Katherine always hosted memorable receptions at her house for the members of the bureau and a group of US statisticians.
Ron Wasserstein, American Statistical Association
I have many wonderful memories of Katherine. Two that regularly come to mind involve her leading a group. Occasionally, I was invited to attend the meeting of the Interagency Council on Statistical Practice, which comprises the heads of the principal federal statistical agencies. As chief statistician of the United States, Katherine chaired that meeting for decades. The heads came and went, but Katherine was the bedrock, not only the chair but also the person with deep knowledge of the entire system. What was clear to me from the moment I first walked into one of those meetings was the respect she had earned from all the members. The folks in this meeting are all “big deals.” Some are appointed by the president of the United States. But Katherine was the clear leader. When she spoke, people listened.
When Katherine was about to retire as chief statistician, the ASA hosted a gathering for her with members of the ASA Board of Directors and the ICSP membership. I asked her to “say a few words,” and handed her the microphone. She quickly got everyone’s attention, generating laughter, evoking memories, sharing wisdom, and expressing gratitude for the opportunities she had and the people she worked with. She spoke with no notes and with incredible sincerity. It was moving.
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Notes on contributors
Ron Wasserstein
Ronald L. Wasserstein is the executive director of the American Statistical Association. Prior to joining the ASA, Wasserstein was a mathematics and statistics department faculty member and administrator at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, from 1984–2007. During his last seven years at the school, he served as the university’s vice president for academic affairs. He is a fellow of the ASA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has won numerous awards including the Manning Distinguished Service Award from the North American Association of Summer Schools and the George Mach Distinguished Service Award from Kappa Mu Epsilon National Mathematics Honor Society.