Robert Luis Santos is an American statistician who is the

director of the United States Census Bureau The Director of the Bureau of the Census is the chief administrator of the United States Census Bureau (USCB). The officeholder is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate and assisted by the Deput ...

. He served as the 116th President of the

American Statistical Association The American Statistical Association (ASA) is the main professional organization for statisticians and related professionals in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest continuousl ...

in 2021.

Early life and education

Santos was born in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. After graduating from Holy Cross of San Antonio, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Trinity University and a Master of Arts in statistics from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Santos is of Mexican American heritage. He is the first nonwhite person to serve as permanent, Senate-approved director of the Census Bureau (James F. Holmes, a Black man, was acting director of the Census Bureau in the 1990s).

Career

Santos has worked at the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center,

NORC at the University of Chicago NORC at the University of Chicago is one of the largest independent social research organizations in the United States. Established in 1941 as the National Opinion Research Center, its corporate headquarters is located in downtown Chicago, with o ...

, and the Institute for Survey Research at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

. He was the 116th president of the

, 2013-2014 president of the American Association of Public Opinion Research, and a member of the National Center for Health Statistics board of counselors. Santos was the vice president for statistical methods and chief methodologist at the

Urban Institute The Urban Institute is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that carries out economic and social policy research to "open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions". The institute receives funding from government contracts, foundations and pr ...

in Washington, D.C. Santos was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 4, 2021, and was sworn in on January 5, 2022.

Personal life

Santos identifies as a

Chicano Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...

. From 2012 to 2019, he was a SXSW Festival photographer and later helped manage the photo crew of about 100 photographers at this annual film and music event in Austin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Robert Living people American statisticians Biden administration personnel Directors of the United States Census Bureau Trinity University (Texas) alumni University of Michigan alumni People from San Antonio Fellows of the American Statistical Association Presidents of the American Statistical Association Year of birth missing (living people) American academics of Mexican descent