Author Nikos Kazantzakis once said, "Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own." If this is true, ASA Director of Education Martha Aliaga, who passed away October 15, 2011, was ideal. A world-renowned educator and statistician, Martha affected many both personally and professionally by seizing every opportunity to both teach and encourage others to teach. An example of her philosophy can be seen in the ASA's Educational Ambassadorship Program, which she and the Committee on International Relations in Statistics launched in 2005. Within the program, an ambassador attends continuing education courses during the Joint Statistical Meetings and then returns to his or her country to teach the new subject matter. This way of passing statistics education forward has allowed statisticians to reach students in every corner of the world.
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