Census Bureau Names Advisors

The U.S. Census Bureau has appointed Arturo Vargas as Chair and Nancy Bates as Vice Chair of its newly formed 2030 Census Advisory Committee (2030 CAC), which will provide it with recommendations on planning and implementation of the next decennial survey.

The committee will also provide advice and feedback on strategies to increase census awareness and participation, reduce barriers to response and enhance the public's trust and willingness to respond.

Vargas has been - for the last thirty years - the CEO of non-profit organisations the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), and the NALEO Educational Fund, which promotes the full participation of Latinos in US civic life. The latter organisation's programs include naturalization outreach and promotion, voter engagement, census policy and outreach, professional development programs for policymakers, and promoting a policy framework to enhance Latino access to and participation in the democratic processes.

Bates spent her career as a Census Bureau survey statistician and methodologist, and was a key participant in the design and implementation of the research programs for both the 2010 Census and 2020 Census. Prior to retiring in 2020 she was the Bureau's Senior Methodologist for Survey Research. In this role she conducted research to improve measurement of same-sex couples in the decennial census and the American Community Survey, and led initiatives on sexual orientation and gender identity, measuring LGBT populations and reaching 'Hard-to-Survey Populations'.

The committee will hold its first formal meeting shortly, open to the public via webcast.

The Bureau is on the web at www.census.gov .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.