John Thompson

Thompson was sworn in as the 24th Census Bureau director in 2013 and he now oversees preparations for the 2020 census and presides over more than 100 other annual surveys providing critical data about America’s people and economy. 

Starting his career with the Census Bureau, Thompson was the associate director for the 2000 census before joining the National Opinion Outreach Center at the University of Chicago in 2002 as executive vice president. He became president and chief executive officer of NORC in 2009, serving until 2013. 

A leader in the social science research community, Thompson has been a member of the American Statistical Association since 1975 and was elected a Fellow in 2000. He was also elected as a member of the Committee on National Statistics with the National Academy of Sciences.