The Census Bureau is launching a new 2030 Census Advisory Committee and the Insights Association has nominated CEO Melanie Courtright for service on it.
Census Bureau Director Rob Santos said that the advisory committee “will be distinct from our other committees, which provide feedback on the many programs and initiatives across our agency, not just the decennial census. It will focus exclusively on the operational, technical and communications aspects of the next once-a-decade count. About 30 members representing stakeholder organizations, groups, interest, and viewpoints will serve on this committee.”
IA offered Courtright’s services to the 2030 Census Advisory Committee because she is “a deeply knowledgeable and experienced veteran of our industry” who “would bring not only her vast experience and expertise, but the know-how and support of our entire industry.”
Courtright has spent decades “designing, executing, and interpreting research, while leading the market research and data analytics industry as a voice for quality, trends and the next generation of data collection.” All of the ways that the Bureau “seeks to innovate for 2030, from new data sources to all manner of partnership, would benefit from her knowledge and expertise.” Further, Courtright’s “experience managing organizations and people in the private and nonprofit sector will also be of assistance as the Census Bureau seeks to rapidly recruit the best employees in the run-up to the decennial headcount and empower the workforce to produce and succeed.”
In particular, the IA CEO’s “leadership has also led to the formation of IA’s IDEA Council (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access), a group of expert researchers dedicated to creating more sensitive and inclusive ways to ask demographics questions and improve respondent experiences in research. The efforts of the IDEA Council align well with the objectives of the U.S. Census Bureau’s directive to improve the questions used to collect sensitive demographic information.”
The Insights Association “has always been a strong supporter of the Census Bureau’s work and a vociferous advocate for the funding and integrity of its primary Constitutional functions – the American Community Survey (ACS) and the decennial census headcount – as they are essential inputs for creating statistically representative samples, underpinning most every survey and research study in the country.”
About the Author
Based in Washington, DC, Howard is the Insights Association's lobbyist for the marketing research and data analytics industry, focusing primarily on consumer privacy and data security, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), tort reform, and the funding and integrity of the decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Howard has more than two decades of public policy experience. Before the Insights Association, he worked in Congress as senior legislative staffer for then-Representatives Christopher Cox (CA-48) and Cliff Stearns (FL-06). He also served more than four years with a science policy think tank, working to improve the understanding of scientific and social research and methodology among journalists and policymakers.
Howard is also co-director of The Census Project, a 900+ member coalition in support of a fair and accurate Census and ACS.
He has also served previously on the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics and and the Association of Government Relations Professionals.
Howard has an MA International Relations from the University of Essex in England and a BA Honors Political Studies from Trent University in Canada, and has obtained the Certified Association Executive (CAE), Professional Lobbying Certificate (PLC) and the Public Policy Certificate (PPC).
When not running advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard enjoys hockey, NFL football, sci-fi and horror movies, playing with his dog, and spending time with family and friends.