Naomi Doniger "Donny" Rothwell (August 18, 1917 – July 12, 2000) was the chief of the Center for Survey Methods Research for the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, where in the mid-1960s she began the use of

behavioral research Behavioral sciences explore the cognitive processes within organisms and the behavioral interactions between organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through naturalistic o ...

to understand census response rates. She was also the co-author of ''The Psychiatric Halfway House: A Case Study'' (with Joan M. Doniger, C. C. Thomas, 1966).

Education and career

Naomi Doniger graduated in 1939 from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

with a bachelor's degree in agriculture, married George James Rothwell, and soon afterwards began working for the federal government in the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

, Army, and Department of Agriculture. In 1946 she was working in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

for the

United States Foreign Service The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carryi ...

. She became a Board Member of Woodley House, a

halfway house A halfway house is an institute for people with criminal backgrounds or substance use disorder problems to learn (or relearn) the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. As well as serving as a ...

in Washington, DC, founded by her sister Joan Doniger. She and her sister recorded their experiences in their book. By 1960, she was working at the Census Bureau, where she "had a major role in the enumerator training program" for the 1960 census. She worked at the bureau for 31 years before retiring. She also served as secretary-treasurer of the

American Association for Public Opinion Research The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) is a professional organization of more than 2,000 public opinion and survey research professionals in the United States and from around the world, with members from academia, media, gover ...

Recognition

She was a recipient of the

Department of Commerce Gold Medal The Department of Commerce Gold Medal is the highest honor award of the United States Department of Commerce. Since 1949, the Department of Commerce Gold Medal is presented by the Secretary of Commerce for distinguished performance. The award may b ...

. In 1981 she was elected as a

Fellow of the American Statistical Association Like many other academic professional societies, the American Statistical Association (ASA) uses the title of Fellow of the American Statistical Association as its highest honorary grade of membership. The number of new fellows per year is limited ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothwell, Naomi D. 1917 births 2000 deaths American statisticians Women statisticians Cornell University alumni United States Census Bureau people Fellows of the American Statistical Association Department of Commerce Gold Medal