Q: How many analysts does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One... once the problem of darkness is clearly defined. (Real answer: Five.)
Q: How many analysts does it take to make a Board of Directors of the Digital Analytics Association?
A: 50
And that's no joke
As of June 1, 2016 when Jeff (#24) and Charlotte (#14) became the newest members of this august fellowship, fifty individuals have committed to make our industry a little better, a little smarter and a lot more supportive.
What does it take to be a member of the Board of Directors of the DAA? Time, energy and passion.
Many of us have the passion and energy and frankly, we're all smarter than the average bear. But using that energy and passion to find the time to make a solid commitment is tough. It means sacrifice. It means taking time away from the Big Project, the boss's current demands, that client's critical problem and/or the family that never gets enough time.
It means stepping up and facing strategic issues of prioritization, pedestrian issues of budget management and the need to roll up one's sleeves to do some of the hands-on volunteer work that won't happen unless you do it.
It means dialing into Board meetings from airports, cars, spare conference rooms. It means sporting a positive attitude, bringing a can-do approach to the table and thinking critically about a brand new subject: running a non-profit association.
Being a DAA BoD member means legally taking financial responsibility. It means participating in the discussion about why one program should be brought forward and another phased out. It means being a cheerleader for the organization and evangelizing the value of the association at every opportunity.
It also means that you get the feeling that you are truly, actively helping your fellow professionals do better work, get more recognition and become more valuable to their organizations.
So, without further ado, here is the list of those who with courage, determination and selflessness have guided the Digital Analytics Association since 2004:
1. Adam Greco
2. Alex Langshur
3. Alex Yoder
4. Amy Sample
5. Andrea Hadley
6. Andrew Edwards
7. Anil Batra
8. April Wilson
9. Avinash Kaushik
10. Bob Page
11. Brooks Bell
12. Bryan Eisenberg
13. Casey Carey
14. Charlotte Whitmore
15. Chris D’Alessandro
16. Clint Ivy
17. Colin Coleman
18. Deanna Pagano
19. Dennis Mortensen
20. Ed Wu
21. Eric Feinberg
22. Greg Drew
23. Isabelle Mouli-Castillo
24. Jeff Allen
25. Jim Sterne
26. Jodi McDermott
27. Joe Megibow
28. John Lovett
29. June Dershewitz
30. Laura Paxia
31. Marshall Sponder
32. Matthew Langie
33. Michael Rappa
34. Neil Mason
35. Ned Kumar
36. Oliver Schiffers
37. Pete Fader
38. Peter Sanborn
39. Rachel Scotto
40. Rand Schulman
41. Richard Foley
42. Robin Chiang
43. Robbin Steif
44. Seth Romanow
45. Shari Cleary
46. Shubhra Srivastava
47. Stephane Hamel
48. Steve Petitpas
49. Terry Cohen
50. Vicky Brock
My personal thanks to one and all, with whom I have been honored to serve.
Q: How many analysts does it take to keep a Digital Analytics Association going strong?
A: About 3,000 or so ... plus you.