Edward Jian Chen, P.Stat., is the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Service Award from the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC). This award honors an individual who has played an important and substantial role in fostering the growth and success of the Canadian Statistical Sciences community through service and leadership in the SSC.
 

Edward grew up in Shantou, China and immigrated to Ottawa in 1981. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science (1987) and Master of Science (1992) in Mathematics and Statistics from Carleton University in Ottawa. He was a student of Professor Doug Dale who introduced Edward to the world of Statistics. After two summer jobs at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Edward started full-time employment at Statistics Canada before graduating university. Edward contributed to the success of the Statistical Sciences in Canada through his over 35 years of methodological achievements at Statistics Canada, and during his almost 20 years of exemplary service with the Statistical Society of Canada, improving the financial soundness of the Society through his role as Treasurer.
 

Contributions to the Statistical Society of Canada: Edward’s involvement with the SSC began as Treasurer for two terms (1999 to 2003) with the Statistical Society of Ottawa (SSO). He actively participated in the SSO events to organize some of the symposia by inviting well known speakers. The successes of the SSO symposia led to the financial growth of the SSO. Edward is currently an elected SSC Board member, Chair of the SSC Fundraising Committee, and a member of the Accreditation Service Committee. Edward was elected as the SSC Treasurer and Executive member for two terms from 2005 to 2009 and has continuously been a member of the Finance Committee for well over 15 years. He served again as the SSC Treasurer and Executive member for two more terms from 2014 to 2019. Edward contributed to the SSC success in management and financial wealth building over 15 years. During his first 4 years as the SSC Treasurer, he determined that building the SSC financial assets was a priority for the Society. He set up financial procedures to ensure that SSC investments and monies spent were well managed and documented. Among Edward’s involvements, he actively managed the SSC Student Travel Award program, contributed towards selecting a suitable SSC journal publisher, and closed the costly internal journal production. In 2009, the SSC President wrote a thank-you letter to Edward that read “thank you for your outstanding contributions over the past five years as Treasurer of the Society and Chair of the Finance Committee. Your professionalism and integrity in handling our finances have rendered clean books and healthy revenues for the SSC!“.  Over many years, Edward chaired the SSC Finance Committee, Investment subcommittee, and contributed in active roles to many other SSC committees. Among them, he was an Associate Editor of Liaison for 12 years, a member and current chair of the SSC Fundraising Committee, and also an elected member of the SSC Accreditation Appeals Committee. Under Edward’s leadership, the SSC made sound financial decisions, leading to financial success, which the Society enjoys for years to come. 
 

Contributions to Statistics Canada: Edward devoted his talents, passion, and energy to the excellence of Statistics Canada’s mission critical surveys: Canadian Census of Population, Labour Force Survey (LFS), and Census of Agriculture through innovative statistical developments. Edward became a Chief of Methodology in 2006 after 20 years of experience in different job occupations at Statistics Canada. Edward retired in 2021 as a Chief of Methodology in the Statistical Integration Methods Division after managing some of the ‘Best Census Ever’ methodological projects. Before that, he was a Chief of Methodology responsible for the Canadian Labour Force Survey and other household surveys’ sample selection and maintenance programs. Under his leadership and involvement, the Census of Population and Labour Force Survey introduced innovative methodological developments and some of the LFS practices became internationally accepted practices. He is a prolific writer and published many articles including more than ten comprehensive interview-type articles for @STATCAN, a Statistics Canada newsletter e-publication, as well as for the SSC Liaison.
 

Jack Gambino, who made the nomination, assisted with the preparation of this material.