Director of U.S. Census Bureau to speak at NICAR23

Investigative Reporters and Editors is pleased to announce that Robert L. Santos, director of the U.S. Census Bureau, will speak at the NICAR Conference in Nashville, March 2-5.

Paul Overberg of The Wall Street Journal will join Santos in a moderated conversation followed by audience Q&A.

The panel is scheduled for Friday, March 3, from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. 

“We’re thrilled the director of the U.S. Census Bureau is joining us in Nashville,” said Diana R. Fuentes, executive director of IRE. “The NICAR community is an exceptional mix of reporters, editors, programmers, web developers, and many others who often use census data in their roles. We’re looking forward to this opportunity to learn more about Director Santos and the vision for the future of the census and the Census Bureau.”

Santos’ career spans more than 40 years of 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, where he directed its statistical methods group. He was executive vice president and partner of NuStats, a social science research firm in Austin, Texas. 

Santos, a third-generation Mexican American statistician from San Antonio, Texas, is the first person of color to head the nation's largest statistical agency on a permanent basis.

Paul Overberg is a Washington-based reporter on The Wall Street Journal’s investigations team. Overberg specializes in analyzing data and public records to find stories and collaborates with reporters who cover many subjects. He has taught at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and served as a senior fellow for the Center for Health Journalism at the University of Southern California. Before joining the Journal, he worked as a data journalist at USA Today. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from Rutgers University.