Keynotes:
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Mark Doms, Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs Bio Dr. Mark E. Doms was sworn in as the 11th Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs on January 3, 2013.
Doms succeeds Dr. Rebecca M. Blank who served as the Acting Secretary of Commerce before assuming the position of Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin. Under Secretary Mark Doms serves as a top economic advisor to the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Obama Administration. In this capacity, he contributes to policies and discussions on a wide range of issues including data, trade, manufacturing, taxation, innovation, competiveness, retirement security, immigration, and education. Dr. Doms also leads the Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), which includes two of our nation’s preeminent information agencies: the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). These agencies collect and produce information on the United States’ dynamic population and economy, providing vital data to our nation’s citizens, businesses, and leaders. The Census Bureau and BEA have a combined staff of over 10,000 and a budget exceeding $1 billion. Dr. Doms leads the Commerce Department’s Strategic Plan for data transformation; he is committed to ensuring federal data are optimized to benefit American businesses, policymakers and the public. Dr. Doms also serves as the Secretary’s appointed Board Representative to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation. Prior to becoming Under Secretary, Dr. Doms served as the Chief Economist at the DOC from 2009. As Chief Economist, Dr. Doms frequently met with business leaders from across the country, listening to their concerns and insights and providing overviews of the U.S. economy. Dr. Doms and his staff produced reports on the middle class, intellectual property, broadband adoption, STEM education, and U.S. competitiveness, among other subjects. Prior to joining DOC, Dr. Doms spent most of his career in the Federal Reserve system, helping guide monetary policy. He is a leading researcher and expert in the areas of innovation, productivity, wages, manufacturing, and price measurement. |
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Julia Lane, Fellow, American Institutes of Research Bio
Julia Lane is Senior Managing Economist and Institute Fellow at the American Institutes for Research, and a Gutenberg Chair at the University of Strasbourg. She’s published over 65 articles in leading economics journals, and authored or edited eight books. She became an American Statistical Association Fellow in 2009. She’s the recipient of the 2014 Julius Shiskin award and the 2014 Roger Herriot award. She initiated and led the “Science and Technology for America’s Reinvestment: Measuring the EffecTs of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness and Science” program. She conceptualized and led the establishment of the NORC/University of Chicago data enclave. This provides a confidential, protected environment within which authorized researchers can access sensitive microdata remotely and provides data producers with a secure dissemination platform. It now hosts confidential data for four federal agencies and two private foundations. She also initiated and led the creation and permanent establishment of the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Program at the U.S. Census Bureau. This program began as a small two year ASA Census Bureau fellowship and evolved into the first large- scale linked employer-employee dataset in the United States. It is now a permanent Census Bureau program with appropriated funds of $11 million/year. It also subsequently received a Department of Commerce Gold Medal.
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Nancy Potok, Deputy Director, U.S. Census Bureau Bio
Dr. Nancy Potok is the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Census Bureau. She previously served at the U.S. Department of Commerce as Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, the Census Bureau’s Associate Director for Demographic Programs, and the Principal Associate Director and Chief Financial Officer in charge of Field Operations, Information Technology, and Administration during the 2000 Census.
Dr. Potok has more than 30 years of public, private, and nonprofit senior management experience. She was the Chief Operating Officer of McManis & Monsalve Associates, a small business specializing in helping Fortune 500 companies and government agencies manage change and innovation. She was also the Senior Vice President and Director of the Economic, Labor and Population Studies Department at the University of Chicago National Opinion Research Center (NORC), a social science survey research organization. Her public service includes working in the Judicial and Legislative Branches, as well as at the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Dr. Potok is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University, an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), and a recipient of numerous awards, including The George Washington University Trachtenberg School Distinguished Alumni Award and the Arthur S. Flemming Award. She has published numerous articles on governmental management topics, and has presented papers, lectures, workshops, and classes in both national and international forums. Dr. Potok earned her B.A. from Sonoma State University, M.A.S. from the University of Alabama, and Ph.D. from The George Washington University. |
Selected Speakers:
Mike Anderson, Legistlative Assistant, International Council of Shopping Centers
Kimberly Becht, Deputy Program Manager, Web Presence, U.S. International Trade Administration
Laila Bell, Director of Research & Data, NC Child Bio
Laila A. Bell is Director of Research and Data at NC Child where she collects and analyzes data, writes publications, and provides technical assistance to data users statewide. Prior to joining NC Child, Laila contributed to Texas KIDS COUNT products at the Center for Public Policy Priorities. Laila also worked with the Texas Council on Family Violence where she performed policy analysis and conducted a statewide evaluation of family violence services. Laila holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
Warren Brown, President, APDU, Senior Research Associate, Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research
Cavan Capps, Big Data Lead, U.S. Census Bureau Bio
Mr. Capps is focusing on new Big Data sources for use in official statistics, best practice private sector processing techniques and software/hardware configurations that may be used to improve statistical processes and products. He is designing and implementing the Big Data Lab at Census to explore these new possibilities with statistical and machine learning analysts in the Bureau. Previously, Mr. Capps initiated, designed and managed a multi-enterprise, fully distributed, statistical network called the DataWeb, one of the first and largest government open-data platforms. Currently, the DataWeb is the source of official API to Census data products.
Virginia Carlson, Data Strategist at IMPACT/Planning Council Bio
Virginia Carlson has 20+ years of experience as a data strategist for urban policy and practice. Her knowledge has been honed as the Research Director at World Business Chicago, at the Brookings Institution, and as president of the Metro Chicago Information Center. She is currently interested in improving urban policy through the fusion of designed data and transactional data, and by using experience design approaches to identify data “exhaust” within systems. She’s a data consultant to The Integration Initiative at Living Cities through her current position at IMPACT Planning Council. She holds a PhD. in Political Science from Northwestern University.
Daniel Castro, Director, Center for Data Innovation Bio
Daniel Castro is the director of the Center for Data Innovation and a senior analyst with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). His research focuses on information technology policy including data privacy, information security, e-government, electronic voting, and accessibility for people with disabilities. Mr. Castro previously worked as an IT analyst at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) where he audited IT security and management controls at various government agencies. He has a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an M.S. in Information Security Technology and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Bridget Booske Catlin, Senior Scientist, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute Bio
Bridget directs the Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) group in the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI) in Madison, WI. Since joining UWPHI in 2005, her work has focused on research and development to support community health improvement. She is the Co-Director of the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Bridget began her career in health administration in a variety of health care settings and then transitioned to applied research and development, spending 15 years at UW’s Center for Health Systems Research and Analysis, leading consumer information and performance measurement projects funded by federal and state government. Bridget received a PhD in Health Systems Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a MHSA from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and a BA from Clark University in Worcester, MA.
Jeff Chapman, Director, Economic Development, Pew Charitable Trusts Bio
Jeff Chapman directs The Pew Charitable Trusts’ work on economic development, helping states develop economic strategies that are effective, accountable, and fiscally sound. Chapman oversees the project’s technical assistance to state policymakers. He also manages a team of researchers that identify and analyze proven approaches that serve as models for other states. Previous experience has focused on analyzing and improving state economic and fiscal policy, including advising Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire as a member of the Council of Economic Advisors. Chapman earned a master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Constance Citro, Director, Committee on National Statistics, National Academy of Sciences
Steven B. Cohen, Director, Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Bio
Dr. Cohen directs a staff of approximately 50 highly trained and skilled economists, statisticians, social scientists, clinicians and support staff conducting intramural and supporting extramural research on behalf of the Agency. He also directs activities necessary to conduct and support a wide range of studies related to the cost and financing of health care services. Studies include analyses of health care use and expenditures by individuals and families for personal health care services, the sources of payment for health care, the availability and cost of health insurance, and health status, outcomes and satisfaction. Dr. Cohen also leads the Center’s administration of surveys and development of large primary data sets, including the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), to support health care policy and behavioral research and analyses. Dr. Cohen has authored over 100 journal articles and publications in the areas of biostatistics, survey research methodology, estimation, survey design and health services research. He is co-author of the text, Methodological Issues for Health Care Surveys. He has also served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins University and the Department of Health Services Administration at the George Washington University. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Biostatistics from the University of North Carolina and his B.A. in Mathematics and History, CUNY. He is also a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and an Elected Member of the International Statistical Association.
Cliff Cook, APDU Conference Co-Chair, Planning Information Manager, City of Cambridge
Erin Dalton, Deputy Director, Office of Data Analysis, Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Pittsburgh, PA Bio
As Deputy Director for the Office of Data Analysis, Research, and Evaluation, Erin Dalton is responsible for directing the research and evaluation activities of the Department of Human Services. Ms. Dalton has held policy positions with the Allegheny County Executive’s Office and the United States Department of Justice. She previously served as an adjunct staff member at the RAND Corporation and was an appointee to the Pittsburgh Civilian Police Review Board and the Allegheny County Juvenile Detention Board of Advisors. Ms. Dalton received a Masters of Science from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School of Public Policy.
David Epstein, Research Associate, Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, Jacob France Institute, University of Baltimore Bio
David Epstein is the Research Associate at the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, part of the Jacob France Institute in the University of Baltimore’s Merrick School of Business. His work examines the ties between decision-making and information access, especially in regard to interventions made by public agencies, community based organizations and philanthropy in distressed urban areas. Mr. Epstein’s methodological approach combines quantitative, spatial and qualitative methods. His dissertation focuses on a neighborhood indicators system in Cleveland and provides a generalizable framework for identifying situations in which parcel-based data systems help community development corporations rehabilitate vacant and abandoned housing. He holds a Master’s Degree and will receive his Ph.D. this fall, both in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan.
Thesia Garner, Senior Research Economist, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Hjalmar Gislason, Founder, DataMarket Bio
Hjalmar is a serial entrepreneur, founder of four software companies since 1996. Prior to launching DataMarket, Hjalmar worked on new media and business development for companies in the Skipti Group (owners of Iceland Telecom) following their acquisition of his search startup – Spurl. DataMarket is based largely on Hjalmar’s vision to make the world’s data easier to find and understand.
Sarah Happy, Director of Policy Surveillance, Public Health Law Research, Temple University Bio
Sarah Happy, JD is the Director of Policy Surveillance at Public Health Law Research (PHLR). Ms. Happy is responsible for the management of all legal datasets created at PHLR using the Workbench content management system. She has assisted in the development of technical standards used for policy surveillance and has presented on these methods as they relate to the creation of longitudinal and cross-sectional datasets. Ms. Happy attended the University of Michigan where she received a BA in Art History and Political Science and is a graduate of Temple University Law School.
Brian Harris-Kojetin, Senior Statistician, Statistical & Science Policy Branch, Office of Management & Budget Bio
Brian Harris-Kojetin is a Senior Statistician in the Statistical and Science Policy Branch at the United States Office of Management and Budget. He is the lead at OMB on issues related to standards for statistical surveys, measurement of race and ethnicity, and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA). Brian previously worked as a survey methodologist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and he has a Ph.D. in Social Psychology, with a minor in Statistics, from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Harris-Kojetin is an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association.
Cheryl Hayes, Manager of Exposure Group, AIR-Worldwide Bio
Cheryl Hayes is an Assistant Vice President in charge of the Exposures team in the Research and Modeling group. She has led the team in the development of comprehensive, high-resolution industry exposure databases for more than 90 countries worldwide. During her tenure at AIR, she has been instrumental in streamlining the development process for the industry exposure databases. She has also been involved in providing support for postings of real time loss estimates on AIR’s ALERT™ website for major catastrophic events worldwide as well as assisting with special projects including catastrophe bonds. Prior to joining AIR, Ms. Hayes worked at Liberty Mutual as an analyst in the environmental department. Ms. Hayes holds her B.A. in Political Science from Mount Holyoke College and her M.A. in Environmental Studies from Boston University.
Bradford Hesse, Chief, Health Communication and Informatics Research, National Institutes of Health Bio
Bradford Hesse is Chief of the Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Trained as a psychologist, Dr. Hesse has spent most of his career working to improve the ways in which communication environments can be used to improve decision making, enhance the user experience, influence group outcomes, and to support adaptive and healthy behaviors. His work has taken him into the areas of risk communication, human-computer interaction, medical informatics, media psychology, interpersonal communication, health communication, and public health surveillance. He has authored or co-authored over 170 publications including peer-reviewed journal articles, technical reports, books, and book chapters.
David Hiles, Supervisory Economist, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Bio
David Hiles publishes the County Employment and Wages release for the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). He began work at BLS in 1986 as an analyst on the national Current Employment Statistics program. Mr. Hiles lives in Hyattsville Maryland with his wife and two children and served for four years as a city councilmember. His first job in economics was as an enumerator for a special census in 1976 in Austin, Texas.
Ken Hodges, Demographer, Nielsen Claritas
Mary Jo Hoeksema, Public Affairs Specialist, Population Association of America
Erin Holve, Senior Director, Research and Education in HSR, AcademyHealth Bio
Erin Holve is a Senior Director of Evidence Generation and Translation at AcademyHealth where she leads the organization’s work on analytic methods and research resources for the field of health services research (HSR). She is the principal investigators of several projects related to patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) and comparative effectiveness research (CER), including the Electronic Data Methods Forum. Her recent published work focuses on infrastructure issues and needs to support the evidence in learning health systems and she is the founding editor and editor-in-chief of AcademyHealth’s open access peer reviewed journal, eGEMs. Dr. Holve holds a PhD in health services research from Johns Hopkins University, and Masters’ degrees in public health and public policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
Michael Horrigan, Associate Commissioner, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ron Jarmin, Assistant Director of Research & Methodology, Census Bureau
Carmen Jenkins, Program Manager and Software Engineer, General Dynamics Information Technology Bio
Carmen Jenkins is a Program Manager and Software Engineer at General Dynamics Information Technology. Driven by her passion for leveraging technology to bring data to life, Carmen has been leading innovative software and system development projects for the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for over nine years. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Bucknell University and a Master’s Degree in Software Engineering from University of Maryland University College.
Matt Kaneshiro, Research Demographer, Nielsen Bio
Matt Kaneshiro is currently a Senior Demographer at Nielsen and is responsible for developing methodologies for producing population and household estimates for select global products. He has had prior experience at RAND as the Postdoctoral Fellow in Population Studies (NIH-funded) and the U.S. Census Bureau in the STEP program.
Nesreen Khashan, Data Dissemination Specialist, U.S. Census Bureau Bio
Nesreen Khashan is a Data Dissemination Specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau Philadelphia Regional Office, serving the state of Maryland and the Metro DC area. She has been with the Census Bureau for nearly four years, starting her career with the agency by helping to promote the 2010 Census. In her current role, Nesreen works with stakeholders ranging from local governments to small businesses to ensure they have the data they need to make informed decisions. She also works with local media to promote the agency’s latest data releases.
Nick Lyell, Senior Research Associate, National Association of Counties Bio
Nick Lyell is a NACo Senior Research Associate and Digital Data Specialist. He is responsible for the planning and development of several NACo Research products including the County Intelligence Connection. He also oversees the ongoing collection and incorporation of monthly data and feature updates into the CIC 2.0. Before joining NACo, Nick worked in electoral consulting, non-profit advocacy, and journalism.
Carlos Manjarrez, Director of the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Institute of Museum and Library Services Bio
Carlos Manjarrez is the Director of the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. In this capacity he oversees a variety of national data collection efforts and manages the agency’s policy research and program evaluation activity. A primary focus for the office is identifying ways in which library and museum services articulate with national policy priorities for education, human services, public health, and economic development at the local and national levels. Mr. Manjarrez has over 15 years of experience working in social policy and community development research. Prior to joining IMLS in 2008, he held research positions at the Urban Institute, the American Bar Foundation and the Institute for Policy Research and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. His research has been funded by a variety of foundations and public agencies including the National Science Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Kimsey Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the United States Agency for International Development, and the World Bank Group. He also serves as the agency’s Federal Performance Improvement Officer, as a member of the Federal Confidentiality and Data Access Committee and as the agency’s point of contact for DATA.GOV.
Doug Marcey, Director of Engineering, Phase2 Bio
As a Director of Engineering at Phase2, Doug Marcey leverages his many years of experience leading development teams to coordinate and facilitate the creation of great software for our clients. Doug applies his expertise in cloud infrastructure, “big data”, enterprise integration, and mobile applications to extend the reach of Phase2’s solutions. Over the years, Doug has worked in a number of different verticals. From defense to health care, and entertainment to finance, Doug prides himself on his ability to quickly understand a client’s needs and let them inform what he creates.
Melissa Maynard, Senior Research Associate, Pew Charitable Trusts Bio
Melissa Maynard is a senior research associate at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where she focuses on fiscal and economic issues in the states. During her time Pew, she has researched topics ranging from broadband to children’s dental policy. She previously wrote about state policy issues for Governing magazine and Stateline, a Pew publication that provides analysis on trends in the states. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, and The Fiscal Times. A native of Michigan, Melissa earned a Master of Arts in Journalism from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Kevin McAvey, Manager of Analytics, Massachusetts Center for Health Information and Analysis Bio
Kevin McAvey is the Manager of Analytics for Massachusetts’ Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA). CHIA was founded by the Commonwealth’s 2012 health care reforms with the mission of monitoring Massachusetts health care system and providing reliable information and meaningful analysis for those seeking to improve its health care quality, affordability, access, and outcomes. Kevin manages CHIA’s enrollment and consumer cost (premiums, cost-sharing) product portfolio. Prior to CHIA, Kevin worked in economic development, program evaluation, and federal contracting at the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, Mt. Auburn Associates, and Deloitte Consulting, LLC.. Kevin has an M.S. in Applied Economics from Cornell University, an M.P.P in Economic Development Policy from Georgetown University, and a B.A. in Economics from Colgate University.
Erika McEntarfer, Lead Economist, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Research, U.S. Census Bureau Bio
Erika McEntarfer is the supervisory economist for the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) research group at the Center for Economic Studies at the U.S. Census Bureau. She received her Ph.D. in economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 2002 and a bachelor’s degree from Bard College in 1995.
Erika’s research interests focus primarily on issues related to worker mobility and the cyclicality of worker flows across jobs. Two of her recent papers focus on the cyclicality of ‘job ladders’ – whether opportunities for workers to move to better jobs decreases in recessions, particularly the most recent recession. This could explain two recent well-documented findings in the literature – that young workers entering the labor market in recessions have persistent negative impacts on their earnings, and that displaced workers displaced during a recession have worse outcomes.
At Census, Erika supervises a team of seven Ph.D. economists and six Ph.D. graduate student research assistants. In addition to conducting academic research, this group is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the linked employer-employee LEHD data. From the LEHD data come Census’ public use data products the Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) and OnTheMap. Several recent innovations to these Census data products, including the recent addition of education, race, firm age and size information to QWI and OnTheMap, are the work of this fantastic group of economists. Currently, they are working on developing a new public use data product, Job-to-Job Statistics (J2Js), tracking worker flows across jobs and into and from nonemployment. Some of the early research from this project has documented the steep fall in job mobility in the last decade, particularly in the Great Recession.
Erika’s research interests focus primarily on issues related to worker mobility and the cyclicality of worker flows across jobs. Two of her recent papers focus on the cyclicality of ‘job ladders’ – whether opportunities for workers to move to better jobs decreases in recessions, particularly the most recent recession. This could explain two recent well-documented findings in the literature – that young workers entering the labor market in recessions have persistent negative impacts on their earnings, and that displaced workers displaced during a recession have worse outcomes.
At Census, Erika supervises a team of seven Ph.D. economists and six Ph.D. graduate student research assistants. In addition to conducting academic research, this group is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the linked employer-employee LEHD data. From the LEHD data come Census’ public use data products the Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) and OnTheMap. Several recent innovations to these Census data products, including the recent addition of education, race, firm age and size information to QWI and OnTheMap, are the work of this fantastic group of economists. Currently, they are working on developing a new public use data product, Job-to-Job Statistics (J2Js), tracking worker flows across jobs and into and from nonemployment. Some of the early research from this project has documented the steep fall in job mobility in the last decade, particularly in the Great Recession.
Sue Mukherjee, Director, Center for Workforce Information & Analysis, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Bio
Sue Mukherjee is the Director of the Center for Workforce Information & Analysis in the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. With more than 80 professionals, the Center is Pennsylvania’s leading source of workforce intelligence. Prior to this appointment, Sue served as Special Assistant to Secretary of Education and operated as the State Lead for Pennsylvania’s Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Initiative for the National Governor’s Association (NGA). Sue also has served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Labor & Industry assisting with ‘Job Ready Pennsylvania’ (a complete overhaul of the commonwealth’s workforce development system).
Joan Naymark, Director, MACS – Minnesotans for the American Community Survey Bio
Joan Naymark retired from Target Corporation in 2012 with 30 years of market planning experience. As Director, Market Analytics and Planning, Joan was responsible for strategic, analytic, and geo-spatial research in support of capital investment. Joan’s team also served as a resource for demographic, competitive, economic, and geographic data and analytics.
Joan Naymark founded and Directs MACS – Minnesotans for the American Community Survey to educate Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation and the public about the critical importance of ACS Census data to improve Minnesota’s economy and the well-being of all Minnesotans. MACS now represents over 120 organizations and individuals from across Minnesota.
Joan was a member of the national Census Advisory Committee from 1995-2011 representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She chaired the North American Research Task Force for ICSC, the International Council of Shopping Centers from 2010-2012. She currently serves as Vice President of APDU, the Association of Public Data Users.
Joan Naymark founded and Directs MACS – Minnesotans for the American Community Survey to educate Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation and the public about the critical importance of ACS Census data to improve Minnesota’s economy and the well-being of all Minnesotans. MACS now represents over 120 organizations and individuals from across Minnesota.
Joan was a member of the national Census Advisory Committee from 1995-2011 representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She chaired the North American Research Task Force for ICSC, the International Council of Shopping Centers from 2010-2012. She currently serves as Vice President of APDU, the Association of Public Data Users.
Katie Nelson, Associate Director of Data & Product Development, PolicyMap Bio
Katie Nelson is Senior Associate and is responsible for updating and expanding the data warehouse underpinning PolicyMap. She also works directly with clients to process and load their primary data. Originally introduced to TRF as an intern working with TRF Development Partners, Katie’s experience fueled her fascination with data and mapping, particularly the role spatial analysis can play in decision-making and strategic planning. Katie holds a Masters in City & Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree from Macalester College. Katie previously worked at the Democracy Collaborative at the University of Maryland. She also taught English for a year in Bangkok, Thailand.
Allison Oelschlaeger, Special Assistant, Office of Information Products and Data Analytics, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Bio
Allison Oelschlaeger is Special Assistant in the Office of Information Products and Data Analytics (OIPDA) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Allison focuses on improving access to CMS data and analytics for external data users. Allison is also an experienced Medicare claims analyst, working with various parts of CMS and HHS to develop and interpret analyses to support program goals. Before joining CMS, Allison worked at the Lewin Group where she specialized in program evaluation and data analysis, particularly related to care for children and people with mental illness. Allison is a graduate of Georgetown University.
Michael Pack, Director, Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory, University of Maryland Bio
Michael L. Pack is the Director of the Center for Advanced Transportation Technology (or CATT) Laboratory. His lab specializes in data visualization, performance measures, systems integration, and user interface design especially for operations, research, and planning. He has previously worked at the University of Virginia’s Smart Travel Laboratory and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Center for Transportation Analysis. He was recently honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” for his work to encourage data sharing and information visualization within the transportation community.
Jessie Partridge, Research Analyst, Metropolitan Planning Council, Boston, MA
Kathy Pettit, Senior Research Associate, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, Urban Institute
Kenneth E. Poole, Executive Director, Association of Public Data Users Bio
Dr. Kenneth (Ken) Poole is the Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness and the Executive Director of APDU. He has three decades of experience in regional economic policy development and implementation, and manages the day-to-day operation of the CREC network of organizations, including APDU since 2008. His degree is in regional development policy from George Mason University.
Jonathan Schwabish, Senior Researcher, Urban Institute Bio
Jon Schwabish is an economist, writer, teacher, and creator of policy-relevant data visualizations. He is considered a leading voice for clarity and accessibility in how researchers communicate their findings.
Kathleen Short, Economist, U.S. Census Bureau Bio
Kathleen Short began working at the Census Bureau in 1984 with the Survey of Income and Program Participation research staff in Population Division after receiving her doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan. She has also worked in the Center for International Research and in the Income Statistics Branch in what is now the Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division.
From 1991 to 1999, she served as chief of the Poverty and Health Statistics Branch and currently works as an economist conducting research on improving statistical measures of poverty. Over her career at the Census Bureau, Short has worked primarily in the area of measuring economic well-being — preparing an international database on child well-being and reports on extended measures of well-being, such as material hardship. She has done extensive work with the Survey of Income and Program Participation, analyzing income and labor force transitions and spells of poverty and health insurance coverage.
Short has also published several professional journal articles on measuring material hardship, poverty and housing, poverty and medical expenses, poverty measures that take account of assets and debt, and methods of measuring poverty. The journals include American Economic Review, Journal of Social Policy, Journal of Housing Economics, Journal of Income Distribution, and the Review of Income and Wealth.
From 1991 to 1999, she served as chief of the Poverty and Health Statistics Branch and currently works as an economist conducting research on improving statistical measures of poverty. Over her career at the Census Bureau, Short has worked primarily in the area of measuring economic well-being — preparing an international database on child well-being and reports on extended measures of well-being, such as material hardship. She has done extensive work with the Survey of Income and Program Participation, analyzing income and labor force transitions and spells of poverty and health insurance coverage.
Short has also published several professional journal articles on measuring material hardship, poverty and housing, poverty and medical expenses, poverty measures that take account of assets and debt, and methods of measuring poverty. The journals include American Economic Review, Journal of Social Policy, Journal of Housing Economics, Journal of Income Distribution, and the Review of Income and Wealth.
Ron Skupien, Director, Business Development, GIS Solutions Bio
Mr. Skupien has worked in the geo-demographic industry since 1975 in various organizations including: GIS Solutions, Inc. as Director involved in special projects; MDR Demographic Applications, Inc. as Principal; Donnelley Marketing Information Services (DMIS), a Company of the Dun & Bradstreet Corporation, as Midwest Regional Director and National Utilities and National Financial Services Manager; US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, as a Data User Services Officer (DUSO) in the Chicago Regional Office, responsible for developing and conducting workshops and seminars on accessing, interpreting, and using census data. And, as a Survey Statistician responsible for data collection activities of various bureau surveys, including the Current Population Survey (CPS) the source for monthly unemployment information; and Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) as a research analyst responsible for data assistance to local units of government and private sector firms in the Chicago area.
Kimberly Vitelli, Chief, Division of National Programs, Tools, & Technical Assistance, Employment & Training Administration Bio
Kimberly Vitelli is the Chief of the Division of National Programs, Tools, and Technical Assistance in the Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Workforce Investment. She and her division are responsible for the National Farmworker Jobs Program, the Disability Employment Initiative, the Senior Community Service Employment Program, Work Opportunity Tax Credits, national electronic tools such as CareerOneStop and O*NET, Labor Market Information grants, and ETA’s technical assistance delivery platform Workforce3one. Kim has supported ETA in other capacities in the past, including overseeing the WIA waiver process and State Plan reviews, managing pilots and demonstrations, developing partnerships with other Federal agencies, and providing technical assistance to the Senate on WIA reauthorization. Kim joined ETA as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2004, and previously worked as an Economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and an IT Systems Administrator at the British Embassy in South Korea. She has a B.A. in Economics and International Studies from American University and a Master’s in Public Policy from George Washington University.
Daniel H. Weinberg, Social and Decision Analytics Laboratory, Virginia Tech Bio
Dan Weinberg: Prior to joining the Social and Decision Analytics Laboratory at Virginia Tech, Dr. Weinberg spent 25 years in senior positions at the US Census Bureau, including Assistant Director for the Decennial Census and the American Community Survey, Chief Economist, and Senior Research Scientist. He has been studying poverty, welfare, and income distribution for more than 35 years, including 15 years presenting the official income, poverty, and health insurance estimates to the Nation. His current research interests include income inequality, residential segregation, spatial mismatch, the effects of housing programs, and the effects of military service.
Laura Wheaton, Senior Fellow, Income and Benefits Policy Center, Urban Institute
Vennard Wright, CIO and IT Director, Prince George’s County, MD Bio
Vennard Wright (PMP, ITIL Practitioner) is currently the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Prince George’s County Government and is a proud, lifelong resident of Prince George’s County, MD. As CIO, he provides the requisite leadership to transform the management of information technology (IT) capabilities and services to support the County’s mission. As the Director for the Office of Information Technology (OIT) he ensures that OIT’s service delivery is in alignment with the County Executive’s goals and objectives for the County.