THANK YOU | January 2025

Texas Census Institute Thanks Robert Santos for Service as Census Bureau Director
As Director Robert Santos steps away from his position as head of the US Census Bureau, the Texas Census Institute expresses our gratitude for his leadership.
Director Santos is a leader in every sense of the word. His vision, integrity, and discipline have been cornerstones of the Bureau’s work, both nationally and in Texas, and his team is best in class in developing innovative and data-driven approaches to modernize census activities. TxCI had the privilege of working with Mr. Santos and his team as we launched our organization. His friendship and encouragement helped shape our vision. At the 2023 Texas Demographic Conference, Mr. Santos shared his strategy for the Bureau. The message he came back to again and again was the importance of fieldwork – of talking with the public and more importantly, listening. He said it was essential that as many of his team as possible spend time in the field, seeking out and talking with people from all walks of life to better understand attitudes, barriers, and opportunities that could impact census activities.
His impact on the Census Bureau can be seen in so many ways, from the careful attention paid to data accessibility to the way he put Texas on the map. He knows Texas and our unique demography. Under his leadership, the Bureau has undertaken two major studies, one in West Texas and one on the border in El Paso. The findings will equip the Bureau with a better understanding of the border and immigrant needs and those of our rural and farming communities. His leadership will help to secure a more accurate count for all Texans so we can have more support for the great quality of life we all deserve.
On a personal level, it meant so much during our early years to hear him endorse our work from the podium. From conferences to roundtable discussions in Houston and Austin, he always remembered to compliment TxCI and took the time to validate the importance of our work. His recognition meant the world.
We know giving a platform to the voices of everyday Americans has been a lifelong passion and he’ll never be far from this work, so rather than goodbye, we want to say thank you—and we can’t wait to see what he does next!

For more information about our work, please contact Angela Broyles, angela@texascensus.org.