Appendix C
Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff
Kevin Novak (Chair) is vice president of integrated web strategy and technology for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), where he oversees the Web, eKnowledge, and Technology departments on behalf of the institute’s 86,000 members. In addition to this work, Novak is cochair of the electronic government workgroup of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and former cochair of the Internet in Developing Countries Task Force at the MOBI Foundation. Prior to joining AIA, he served as director of web services at the Library of Congress, where he led the development of its award-winning 22 million-item online multimedia collection, one of the world’s largest websites. This work included launching initiatives like the World Digital Library and the Library of Congress Experience and oversight of the THOMAS legislative information service. Novak began his Internet career as the electronic government manager for Montgomery County in Maryland. He has an M.A. in technology management from the University of Maryland and a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh.
Micah Altman is senior research scientist in the Institute for Quantitative Social Science in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, archival director of the Henry A. Murray Research Archive, and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He conducts research in social science informatics, social science research methodology, and American politics, focusing on the intersection of information, technology, and politics; and on the dissemination, preservation, and reliability of scientific knowledge. His work has been recognized with awards from the American Political Science Association, citations by the U.S. Supreme Court, and cov-
erage by numerous local and national media organizations. His many publications and six open-source software packages span informatics, statistics, computer science, political science, and other social science disciplines. He holds a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology.
Elana Broch is assistant population research librarian in the Stokes Library for Public and International Affairs and the Ansley J. Coale Population Research Collection at Princeton University. She has done work in visualization of statistical information and presentation of statistical inference. She provides current awareness service to faculty, students, postdoctorate students, and visiting researchers associated with Princeton’s Office of Population Research. Previously she was measurement statistician at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey. She has a Ph.D. in psychometric methods from the University of Minnesota.
John M. Carroll is Edward Frymoyer professor of information sciences and technology at Pennsylvania State University. His research interests include methods and theory in human-computer interaction, particularly as applied to networking tools for collaborative learning and problem solving, and design of interactive information systems. He is the author of Making Use (2000), HCI in the New Millennium (2001), and Learning in Communities (Springer, 2009). Carroll serves on several editorial boards for journals, handbooks, and series and as editor-in-chief of the ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interactions. He received the Rigo Award and the CHI Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Silver Core Award from the International Federation for Information Processing, and the Goldsmith Award from IEEE. He is a fellow of ACM, IEEE, and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. He has a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University.
Patrick J. Clemins is director of the R&D Budget and Policy Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In this role, he serves as an international expert on the U.S. federal research and development investment, disseminating data and analyses through presentations, publications, and web content to a variety of audiences that include national and international policy makers, scientific associations, journalists, and the research community. Prior to joining AAAS, he was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation in the Directorate for Biological Sciences. In the Division of Biological Infrastructure, he focused on fostering collaboration between the biological sciences and the computing and engineering research communities and the use of computing technologies for outreach and community building. Previously he was a systems engineer for Techteriors, LLC, a home automation firm,
designing, programming, and managing client projects and heading a team that designed a new touch panel interface. He has B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering from Marquette University, focusing on machine learning, digital signal processing, and bioacoustics.
Diane Fournier is a senior analyst for qualitative and quantitative research activities in the Communications Division at Statistics Canada. She specializes in qualitative research and is managing a group of facilitators. Having been involved in client consultation at Statistics Canada since 2004, she is now expert on the use of qualitative research methods that include focus groups, usability testing, and ethnographic interviewing. She graduated from Carleton University in 1990 with an M.A. During her studies, she investigated the strategies of adjustment adopted by women and men in farm-based households, using an ethnographic interviewing approach, in which she collected individual oral histories. Her main focus is to consult with Statistics Canada website users and test different parts of the website to heighten the user experience. Her current research involves working with interdepartmental experts on the topic of website user design and experience for the review of past and emerging federal government website designs.
Christiaan Laevaert is responsible for the management of the website of Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union—a position he has held since he joined the Dissemination Unit of Eurostat in 2005. He coordinates the functional specifications as well as the technical implementation of the website, the associated visualization tools, and the content structure. The website was completely revamped in April 2009. He is an active member of the Dissemination Working Group in the European Statistical System, which discusses and exchanges best practices in the area of dissemination of statistical information. He has been an official of the European Commission since 1987 and was involved in various projects in the field of informatics engineering as well as in the institution’s Data Centre.
Emily Ann Meyer (Costudy Director) is a program officer and study director at the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB). She was a study director for the National Materials Advisory Board and the Board on Manufacturing and Engineering Design. At CSTB, she is directing a report on Depiciting Innovation in Information Technology (which updates the iconic “tiretracks” diagram) and codirecting a study on systems modernization for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Emily holds a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law, and a B.A. (magna cum laude) in Political Science from Virginia Wesleyan College where she also minored in German.
Thomas Plewes (Costudy Director) is a senior program officer for the Committee on National Statistics and was study director for earlier National Research Council studies of research and development statistics at the National Science Foundation. Previously, he was associate commissioner for employment and unemployment statistics of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He was a member of the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology. He is a fellow of the American Statistical Association. He has a B.A. in economics from Hope College and an M.A. in economics from the George Washington University.
Andrew Reamer is research professor at the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy. He focuses on policies that promote U.S. competitiveness; his areas of interest include innovation—regional, economic, and workforce development—and economic statistics. He serves as chair of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Data User Advisory Committee and is a member of the Bureau of Economic Analysis Advisory Committee. Reamer was past president of the Association of Public Data Users and a board member of the Council for Community and Economic Research. Previously, he was a fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program and deputy director of its Urban Markets Initiative. He founded the Federal Data Project, which sought to improve the availability and accessibility of federal socioeconomic data for states, metropolitan areas, and cities. He also coauthored the policy brief that served as the basis for the Regional Innovation Program authorized by Congress in 2010. He currently is a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings. He has a Ph.D. in economic development and public policy and a M.C.P. (master of city planning) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.