Darcy Pickard recently took over the mentorship facilitator role from Judy-Anne Chapman who has been a driving force and champion for accreditation and the mentorship program since its inception. At the 2024 annual conference the SSC celebrates 20 years of accreditation in Canada!  Accreditation of Professional Statisticians in Canada/Accréditation des statisticien(ne)s par la Société statistique du Canada. Look for more updates about the pending celebration in the months to come.

Mentorship handoff!

Judy-Anne (left) offers profuse thanks to Darcy (right) for taking on the role of mentorship facilitator. Many thanks to Judy-Anne for her years of dedication to the mentorship program. Darcy hopes to be able to continue Judy-Anne's good work in facilitating this important initiative.

Darcy received her BSc and MSc in statistics from Simon Fraser University and has been working as an applied statistician in the field of ecology ever since. She is the president and founder of Pickard Environmental Consulting Inc., based in Kingston, Ontario. She has over 20 years of experience developing and applying statistical methods to environmental management problems. Her areas of expertise include design of monitoring and evaluation programs, restoration planning and implementation, development of indicators and thresholds, impact assessment, cumulative effects assessment, adaptive management, fisheries sciences, simulation modelling, and technical facilitation. Darcy brings a statistical mindset to projects, using systematic and transparent approaches to explicitly address uncertainty thus helping decision makers grapple with complex environmental and social problems. She has successfully applied her analytical and facilitation skills to over 200 projects throughout Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean.

Mentorship is more important than ever with new and emerging challenges and opportunities in the workforce, including remote work and artificial intelligence. Having a trusted colleague that one can ask about anything from “seems too obvious” to “workplace challenges” and a safe space to share experiences and knowledge can be very valuable to one’s career development. The mentorship program is one of many benefits of accreditation for newly accredited A.Stat. mentees and is also a rewarding experience for P.Stat. mentors as was shared during the 2023 SSC Annual Conference “Early Career Mentoring Through the SSC Accreditation Program”.

Kevonn Morgan (A.Stat., mentee) and May Rad (P.Stat., mentor) share their mentorship experiences

Kevonn Morgan (left), May Rad (right)

Kevonn Morgan was accredited during the COVID-19 pandemic and found mentorship particularly valuable during this uncertain time, ultimately helping him decide to pursue graduate studies. Kevonn’s mentor is May Rad (P.Stat.), a principal statistician with HDR Inc., an engineering and architectural consulting company. May is a highly successful individual who believes strongly in the value of mentorship programs. She is a mentor within her own company as well as participating in the SSC mentorship program. May’s energy was infectious as she shared her insights regarding the benefits of mentorship from her perspective, including:

• Rewarding to share career knowledge with those beginning careers.
• Contribute to growth of young professionals.
• Contribute to growth of profession.
• Learn new skills and perspectives.
• Learn how to attract new talent for employer.

Become an accredited statistician

We strongly encourage new graduates to consider applying for accreditation as an Associate Statistician (A.Stat.), so they can benefit from this initiative. Likewise, we encourage P.Stat. members to consider volunteering for the mentorship program. More information about the roles and responsibilities of both mentors and mentees can be found here: Guidelines for SSC Mentorship Program for Accredited Statisticians. We look forward to working with the new A.Stat. members over the coming years to support you in your mentorship journey.