Shelton State Community College to Host United States Census Director
November 11, 2022 – Shelton State Community College will host the United States Census Director, Robert L. Santos, for a strategic conversation focused on traditionally underserved populations. Part of his tour of the South, Director Santos will visit SSCC’s Martin Campus on Thursday, November 17 at 1:00 p.m. in the Alabama Power Recital Hall. The event is free, and all are invited to attend.
While visiting Shelton State, Director Santos will discuss a wide variety of topics including basic census data, information on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and job and internship opportunities available at the United States Census Bureau. An alumnus of a community college, Director Santos will also share the impact of the two-year college system on his life. Director Santos will receive questions at the conclusion of his address.
Robert L. Santos is the 26th director of the U.S. Census Bureau. He was sworn in on January 5, 2022.
Santos’ career spans more than 40 years in survey research, statistical design and analysis, and executive-level management. He previously served for 15 years as vice president and chief methodologist at the Urban Institute and directed its Statistical Methods Group. He was executive vice president and partner of NuStats, a social science research firm in Austin, Texas.
Santos has held leadership positions in the nation’s top survey research organizations, including the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, where he served as vice president of statistics and methodology and director of survey operations; the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, as director of survey operations; and Temple University’s Institute for Survey Research, as senior study director and sampling statistician.
Santos served as the 2021 president of the American Statistical Association (ASA) and is an ASA Fellow and recipient of the ASA Founder’s Award in 2006. He was the 2014 president of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and received the 2021 AAPOR Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement. Santos is also an elected member to the International Statistical Institute, and he served from 2017 to 2020 as a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He was a longtime member of the editorial board of Public Opinion Quarterly.
Santos was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from high school at Holy Cross of San Antonio. He earned a B.A. in mathematics from Trinity University in San Antonio and an M.A. in statistics from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
“We are excited to welcome U.S. Census Director Santos to Shelton State,” shared Dr. Michael Green, Dean of Academic Services. “I truly believe that anyone in attendance will benefit from this experience, and I encourage members of the campus community and the West Alabama community at large to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Visit sheltonstate.edu to learn more or apply.
