Meet Max Baskin, CAS Data Analyst

elcome to the CAS Staff Spotlight, a column featuring members of the CAS staff. For this spotlight, we are proud to introduce you to Max Baskin.

• What do you do at the CAS? How does your role support the Strategic Plan?

  I began my role as a data analyst in October 2025. My primary role this year is to support the transition to our new association management system and help ensure that the CAS candidate and member online experience is as smooth as possible. This involves supporting exam score releases, fixing data and system errors, liaising with our IT development partners, and more. I also help empower other CAS staff by creating dashboards, helping to set up mass emails, and providing general IT and data analysis support. This all allows me to help support the CAS Strategic Plan, especially regarding enhancing the candidate experience and advancing operational excellence.

• What inspires you in your job and what do you love most about it?

  Data analysis is not just a science; it is an art. At first glance, the work of data science and visualization might seem straightforward, but I’ve found that there are actually a lot of really interesting nuances regarding design choices, audiences, and emphasis. Whenever I work together with the IT team to create a complex Excel table or dashboard for our stakeholders, I always enjoy considering how others will view our products from their own perspectives and thinking about what I can do on my end to make the data even more beautiful.

• Describe your educational and professional background. What do you bring to the organization?

  Before graduating last year, I had internships in various fields, including IT support, victim/witness assistance, fraud analytics, and more. While all of these experiences were in different industries, they all involved data analysis and IT to at least some extent. This, combined with my academic background in statistics, has helped me contribute to the operations and long-term goals of the CAS.

• What is your favorite hobby outside of work?

  I play guitar and love to bike on Northern Virginia’s outdoor trails. My goal this year is to bike the entire length of the Washington and Old Dominion Trail, from Alexandria to Purcellville (almost 45 miles).

• If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go and why?

  When I get the chance, I’d really like to visit Greece, especially Crete. The history of the country has always fascinated me, and the food is a plus too!

• What would your colleagues find surprising about you?

  In college, I volunteered for an anonymous student-run mental health support and referral hotline. I never studied psychology or social work formally, but the training I received and experience I gained from my two years with the line have really helped me understand the topic more thoroughly.

• How would your friends and family describe you?

  People know me as someone to come to if you need a tidbit of knowledge or trivia about absolutely any topic, from history to literature to science. I read a lot, and it really helps me clean up at quiz bowl and trivia nights!