The U.S. Census Bureau announced today the establishment of the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations. The Census Bureau has also named the committee's members and leadership.
The National Advisory Committee will advise the Census Bureau on a wide range of variables that affect the cost, accuracy and implementation of the Census Bureau's programs and surveys, including the once-a-decade census. The committee, which is comprised of 31 members from multiple disciplines, will advise the Census Bureau on topics such as housing, children, youth, poverty, privacy, race and ethnicity, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other populations.
"We expect that the expertise of this committee will help us meet emerging challenges the Census Bureau faces in producing statistics about our diverse nation," said Thomas Mesenbourg, the Census Bureau's acting director. "By helping us better understand a variety of issues that affect statistical measurement, this committee will help ensure that the Census Bureau continues to provide relevant and timely statistics used by federal, state and local governments as well as business and industry in an increasingly technologically oriented society."
The members are:
John Bouman, president and advocacy director, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
Jerlean Daniel, executive director, National Association for the Education of Young Children
Sheldon H. Danziger, Henry J. Meyer Distinguished University Professor of Public Policy, University of Michigan
Neil Donovan, executive director, National Coalition for the Homeless
Angelo FalcÃ"n, president and founder, National Institute for Latino Policy
Irwin Garfinkel, Mitchell I. Ginsberg Professor of Contemporary Urban Problems, Columbia University School of Social Work
Eric Hamako, doctoral candidate in social justice education, University of Massachusetts
Kathleen Mullan Harris, James E. Haar Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hassan Jaber, executive director, ACCESS
Jacinto P. Juarez, dean emeritus, Laredo Community College
Shawn Malia Kana'iaupuni, director, Public Education Support Division, Kamehameha Schools
Ditas Katague, chief of staff, California Public Utilities Commission
Akram Khater, director, Middle East Studies Program, North Carolina State University
Wei Li, professor, Asian Pacific American Studies and geography, Arizona State University
Don Loudner, first commander, National American Indian Veterans Inc.
Linda Marc, education and curriculum development director, Harvard School of Public Health
Kirsten Martin, assistant professor, School of Business, George Washington University
Leigh McGee, co-owner, OSIYO Consulting and Council House Institute
Mary A. McGehee, survey unit section chief, Arkansas Department of Health
Bernie Miller, pastor, New Covenant Fellowship Church, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Sandra Newman, professor of policy studies, Johns Hopkins University
Gloria O'Neill, president and CEO, Cook InLet Tribal Council Inc.
Sela Panapasa, assistant research scientist, University of Michigan
Victor Kaiwi Pang, past president, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Alliance
Charlotte Patterson, professor, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia
Karen Pittman, co-founder, president and CEO, The Forum for Youth Investment
Altagracia Ramos, founder, Ohio Hispanic Chambers of Commerce
Neel Saxena, grant manager/program coordinator, Government of the District of Columbia
Shane Snowdon, director, LGBT Health and Aging Program, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Barry Steinhardt, chair, Friends of Privacy USA
Paul Watanabe, director, Institute for Asian American Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston
The Census Bureau has named Watanabe as the committee's chair and Pittman as the vice chair. The National Advisory Committee members, who serve at the discretion of the Census Bureau director, are chosen to serve based on expertise and knowledge of the cultural patterns, issues and/or statistical needs of hard-to-count populations.
