Accepting the role of SSC president is a responsibility I undertake with a high degree of commitment to our shared goals. As we begin this new cycle of leadership, I am eager to partner with you to navigate the significant milestones that await our community this year.

I want to first acknowledge the incredible work of our outgoing president, Rob Deardon. His steady leadership has been vital to our progress, and his past-president’s report details the tremendous successes. I have benefitted from his and Erica Moodie’s advice during the past years. The Society's strength is a direct result of the energy brought by our board and committee volunteers, coupled with the daily expertise of our office staff. Their collaborative work keeps our organization agile and focused on providing value to every member. I echo all of the thanks that Rob provided in his report. 

I have been working these past weeks to make appointments to our various committees. I want to express my gratitude to all of those who accepted appointments and who made suggestions for appointments. Time is precious and I am grateful to our community of dedicated volunteers who inspire me with their ideas and enthusiasm. 

As we look forward to 2026/2027, I want to share my areas of focus: community, communication, and celebration.

I. Community: A Welcoming Home for Our Profession

I am committed to ensuring the SSC remains the professional home in Canada for everyone in the statistical sciences and related fields. Our Society is a diverse mosaic of practitioners, researchers, and students from across the country. Despite being part of a large institution, my specific appointment in a clinical department has often made me feel like an isolated statistician; however, the SSC community has been a critical source of advice, support, and belonging throughout my membership of over 25 years.  Because this community is such a primary benefit of membership, and because our activities are so wide-ranging, it is essential that new members receive the information they need to navigate the Society and fully realize its advantages. To this end, I have been working with the committee on membership and other stakeholders to enhance our onboarding process by creating new welcome packages tailored specifically for student, institutional, and regular members. My goal is to ensure every new member feels a sense of belonging and understands the wealth of opportunities our community offers. I encourage all members to consider how they might invite colleagues to join and help further enhance the experience for those who are new to the SSC.

II. Communication: Sharing the Amazing Work of Our Members

Effective communication is the glue that binds our geographically vast community together. Our Liaison newsletter serves as a vital resource that informs members of Society activities and highlighting the remarkable achievements of our colleagues. To ensure this platform continues to flourish, I encourage you to contribute an article, share your experiences and professional journey in SSC Community Connections, provide news, and consider serving as an associate editor. Liaison is a significant undertaking, and I am deeply grateful for the leadership of editor Adam Kashlak. I also thank Tolu Sajobi, Luke Hagar, and Félix Camirand Lemyre for their dedication to the SSC Community Connections initiative. Furthermore, I also recognize that the absence of d-ssc has been felt by many members. Angelo Canty, electronic services manager—whose service has been especially exemplary this past year as he cochaired our 2026 annual meeting—will continue to explore options. In the meantime, I invite you all to stay connected and share information through our various social media channels.

III. Celebration: Honouring 50 Years of Excellence

Importantly, 2027 is a time for celebration as we mark the 50th anniversary of the Statistical Society of Canada. The excellent 1999 article by David Bellhouse and Christian Genest tells our origin story. We have a rich history and are a community of members known for their excellence in research, education, and practice. The ad hoc SSC 50th anniversary committee has been struck to plan ways to honour this milestone. I thank Lisa Lix (president-elect), Nathaniel Stevens (public relations officer), Gracia Dong, Christian Genest, and Qihang Zhang for joining me on this ad hoc committee. I welcome ideas from community members to make the 50th anniversary year extra special. 

These areas of focus and all of the activities of the SSC rely on exceptional teamwork. I am delighted to work with an excellent executive committee: Rob Deardon (past-president), Lisa Lix (president-elect), Lam Ho (treasurer), Henrik Stryhn (executive secretary), Nathaniel Stevens (public relations officer), and Mireille Schnitzer (meetings coordinator). I welcome the new and returning regional representatives to the board: Connie Stewart, Orla Murphy, Christian Léger, Archer Yang, Éric Marchand, Juliana Schulz, Martin Lysy, Catherine Njue, Liqun Diao, Pengfei Li, Juxin Liu, Kevin McGregor, Daniel J. McDonald, and Jiguo Cao. I look forward to working with you all along with Christian Léger (executive director), Larysa Valachko (associate executive director), Angelo Canty (electronic services manager), the office staff, and the appointed officers.

There are also great meetings to look forward to in 2027. The 2027 SSC Annual Meeting will take place at Université Laval from May 30 to June 2. I thank Cindy Feng (Dalhousie University) for being the program chair and Anne-Sophie Charest, Marie-Pier Côté, and Denis Talbot for serving as local arrangements cochairs. Thanks to Sébastien Garneau (McGill) and Jingwen (Alex) Ji (York University) who are the 2027 CSSC cochairs. Also, the 2027 JSM is in Chicago from August 8 to 12. I thank Joan Hu (SFU) for agreeing to represent the SSC on the JSM program committee. 

I am truly honoured by the trust you have placed in me, and I look forward to a productive year ahead, fuelled by the vibrant energy of our community and the tireless enthusiasm of our dedicated volunteers.

Rhonda J. Rosychuk, P.Stat.
SSC President