The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has appointed Karin Orvis as the nation’s next chief statistician to oversee the administration’s many data-led policy goals. With her appointment, she permanently fills the role for the first time since 2019.
Orvis’ official title will be chief statistician and the branch chief for statistical and science policy at the bureau’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). In this role, Orvis will oversee a decentralized network of Federal statistical agencies and lead efforts to provide statistical data for policy decisions in and out of government. In addition, Orvis will serve on the administration’s Equitable Data Working Group.
“We are thrilled to welcome our new Chief Statistician of the United States, Dr. Karin A. Orvis!” OMB tweeted on April 29. “Dr. Orvis is an expert in statistical methods, data collection, and evaluation who understands how data can improve how government serves the American people.”
Prior to the appointment, Orvis served as the Defense Department’s (DoD) Defense Suicide Prevention Office director, which leads suicide prevention programs across the department. And before that, she served as the DoD’s acting principal director of military community and family policy, where she oversaw the military quality of life programs for service members and their families.
Orvis has also served as the director of DoD’s Transition to Veterans Program Office, which helps service members adjust to the transition from active duty to civilian life.
OMB hasn’t had a permanent chief statistician in more than two years. Nancy Potok, who previously held the position, retired at the end of 2019. Dominic Mancini, a long-time OIRA official, has served as OMB’s acting chief statistician.
