MWSUG 2026 Special Events

Steve First

Fifty years ago, using processing data meant mainframes, Job Control Language, punch cards, second-generation computer languages, with repetitive and fussy syntax. Steve is one of the few people who has spent fifty years coding, implementing, training, and leading in the SAS sphere.

In this keynote address, Steve bridges the past, present, and future of data science. The presentation explores the design and critical events from the early days of SAS until today that has made SAS so popular for so long.

Beyond syntax, Steve highlights the industries, applications, users, and developers within the SAS community. Whether you are a novice coder or a veteran systems architect, this talk will leave you smarter, inspired, and ready for the next innovation.

Steven First is president of Systems Seminar Consultants, a full service SAS training and consulting firm in Madison Wisconsin. Steve has trained thousands of SAS users and has developed hundreds of SAS systems and has been a SAS user since 1976.

Midway through your breakfast hour we will be getting our first day of breakout sessions going with a panel discussion on how SAS programmers are leveraging AI tools. Listen up to hear what tools are being used, how they are being helpful, and what parts of a programmers position can be greatly sped up by these great tools.

Meet the Panelists

	Arpita Deb Biostatistician Medical College of Wisconsin Arpita Deb is a biostatistician specializing in clinical trials and collaborative health research. In her daily practice, she uses SAS to prepare Data and Safety Monitoring Committee reports, conduct interim and final trial analyses, and produce rigorous, reproducible statistical results. She also partners with researchers on retrospective studies, providing statistical consultation from study design through analysis and interpretation. A 2023 SAS Hackathon winner, Arpita is passionate about applying data-driven methods to advance clinical research and healthcare decision-making.
	Joe Madden Senior Product Manager SAS® Joe Madden is a Sr. Product Manager for SAS supporting Viya Analytics Pro and Workbench. He joined SAS in February 2022 with a primary focus on enabling customers with open-source solutions. Joe received an MBA from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business in 2017. He resides in Middletown, RI with his wife and spends his free time running along the Newport Cliff Walk.
	Ryan Paul Lafler Founder, CEO SAS® Ryan Paul Lafler is the Founder, CEO, and Lead Consultant of Premier Analytics Consulting, LLC, a California-certified small business based in San Diego specializing in localized AI and machine learning systems, data engineering, enterprise GIS, clinical and statistical analysis, and full-stack analytics platform development. Through project-based assignments and consulting roles, Ryan provides advisory, development, and training support for custom AI/ML systems, full-stack platforms, data engineering infrastructure, GIS solutions, and statistical and clinical workflows for businesses, public-sector agencies, and research institutions. Leading a small specialized consulting team, Ryan’s cross-industry expertise includes systems architecture, integration, and enterprise platform development using Python, R, SAS®, SQL/NoSQL, and modern JavaScript frameworks. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Big Data Analytics Graduate Program and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at San Diego State University. He earned his Master of Science in Big Data Analytics following the publication of his thesis, and his Bachelor of Science in Statistics with a Minor in Quantitative Economics, from San Diego State University.

This event will focus on all the different Job Descriptions that a SAS programmer can have and play a little match maker. Meant to be an informational event that helps individuals understand the opportunities that might speak best to them, allows those in jobs they love to pay homage to the best employers out there, and helps students understand what they can attain with the new skills they gain from the conference. This is a great way for students to connect with those already in industry

Paired with this panel discussion will be a series of tables in the Hive for each job description where individuals can ask questions about that job. Available positions can be posted at the tables, but no interviews or job offers will be allowed at the conference, as this is meant to be informational only.

Love your job and want to be on the panel? Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Meet the Panelists

	Melinda MacDougall, MS Senior Data Programmer Cincinnati Children's - Division of General and Community Pediatrics Melinda MacDougall, MS is a Senior Data Programmer at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in the Division of General and Community Pediatrics. She has been using SAS® software for 15+ years as both a biostatistician and data programmer. She has worked on both NIH-funded clinical research studies as well as contracts for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
	Jack N. Shoemaker Self-Employed Business Transformation and Integration Leader Jack N. Shoemaker is currently the business operations delivery lead at Medical Home Network (MHN), a health management company in Chicago. Before MHN, Jack built out business intelligence environments at health plans in Indianapolis, IN, and Greenville, SC. Before that, Jack established the Healthcare Practice at d-Wise, an RTP-based technology consultancy serving the Life Sciences and Healthcare industries. Before d-Wise, Jack had a long run at WellCare Health Plans, where he held several leadership roles in the information technology and operations departments using SAS technologies to build a robust business intelligence platform in support of WellCare’s merger, acquisition, and integration initiatives
	Richann Jean Watson Statistical Programmer and CDISC Consultant DataRich Consulting, LLC Richann Jean Watson is an independent statistical programmer and CDISC consultant based in Ohio who loves to code and is very active in the SAS User Group community. When Richann is not busy coding or volunteering in the SAS User Group community, she is spending time with her family and cute but psycho puppy, Loki, or doing some of her favorite crafts such as crocheting or sewing.

Miss Remy Bell

During the conference open sessions and walking around the venue will be Miss Remy Bell, Therapy Poodle. She is there to help attendees relax, reset, and smile! Pet her as often as you see her, YES - PET ME will be present on her gear.

See her Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/missremybell_therapypoodle/