2020 Census: Last Chance for a Complete Count

Instructors

Gavin Baker serves as deputy director in the American Library Association’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office. Previously, he worked at Common Cause, the Center for Effective Government, and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition. He worked as a census-taker in the 2010 Census. Gavin earned his M.S. in library and information studies from Florida State University and his B.A. in political science from the University of Florida.

Slone T. Williams is the manager of communications/community and user engagement for the Cobb County Public Library (Marietta, GA). Williams’ expertise centers on video production, strategic planning, mass communications, government relations, digital marketing, social media management, and community outreach. She has led the 2020 Census initiatives on behalf of her department for the past year, and her efforts continue in raising awareness through virtual communications and collaboration with community partners. She currently serves on the following committees with Cobb County Government: Cobb County Complete Count Census Committee; Friendship Club; (County Manager's) Millennial Think-Tank Task-force; Atlanta Metro Library Committee; and the Cobb Library Employee Recognition Committee. Williams has a MBA in International Business from Clayton State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications and Media Arts from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale.

Lizette Escobedo currently serves as the director of the National Census Program at the NALEO Educational Fund where she leads national efforts to ensure a full count of Latino in the 2020 Census. Prior to returning to the NALEO Educational Fund she worked as communications director at SEIU Local 2015, one of the largest long-term care local unions in the country representing over 390,000 long-term care workers in California. Escobedo has dedicated over twelve years of her career mobilizing and empowering communities to ensure they have a voice in the democratic process and to ensure they play an integral role in the policy and legislative decisions that impact their communities and quality of life. In 2016 Escobedo was elected to serve as delegate representing the 57th Assembly District, and in 2019 she was named Woman of the Year by Majority Leader Ian Calderon (CA-AD 57).

Burton Reist is the U.S. Census Bureau’s assistant director of the Communications Directorate with responsibility for operations and management.  He oversees the Public Information Office, the National Partnership Program, and the Program Management Office for the Integrated Communications Contract which provides extensive communications support for the 2020 Census.  In all of these areas, he provides executive leadership for ensuring ongoing strategic communications for the 2020 Census Program. Mr. Reist has a bachelor's degree in politics from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a master's degree in public administration from Cornell University.