Federal data is the backbone of American democracy, informing everything from public health and civil rights enforcement to economic development, and community planning. Yet, recent executive actions and policy proposals threaten to diminish the scope and accessibility of federal data—especially data on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity (SOGI). Join us for a timely conversation with three national leaders at the forefront of federal data preservation, policy, and equity.
Featured Speakers
Meeta Anand, Senior Program Director for Census and Data Equity at The Leadership Conference Education Fund, has spearheaded national and statewide coalitions to ensure accurate, equitable census counts, particularly for immigrants and historically undercounted populations. Anand will address the critical role of federal data in upholding democracy, the impact of recent moves to eliminate advisory committees and reduce data collection on race, ethnicity, and SOGI, and the consequences for representation, resource allocation, and civil rights enforcement.
Lynda Kellam, organizer with the Data Rescue Project, has led a nationwide coalition of librarians, archivists, and data professionals working to preserve endangered federal datasets. The Data Rescue Project acts as a clearinghouse, coordinating efforts to rescue, curate, and provide sustained public access to critical data from agencies such as the CDC, Department of Education, FEMA, and HUD. Kellam will share insights from the frontlines of data rescue, highlighting the importance of community coordination, accessible repositories like ICPSR’s DataLumos, and the urgent need to prevent data loss as federal datasets on public health, education, and marginalized communities come under threat.
Amy O’Hara, Research Professor at Georgetown’s Massive Data Institute and Executive Director of the Federal Statistical Research Data Center, and President of the Association of Public Data Users, is a leading expert in data governance, privacy, and secure data access. O’Hara’s work bridges government, academia, and nonprofits, focusing on building data infrastructure that balances privacy with the public good. She will discuss the evolving landscape of federal data policy, the foundational role of data in evidence-based policymaking, and the risks and opportunities posed by proposed changes to data collection and accessibility—especially as legislation and executive orders reshape what data is collected and shared.
Join us to understand what’s at stake, what’s being done, and how you can be part of the solution.