Steven Dillingham

Dillingham is a career member of the Federal Senior Executive Service, with more than 25 years of statistical, research, senior management, and legal experience in the federal government. Dillingham's prior experience heading federal statistical service agencies includes his stint as Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Dillingham also served as Director of the Peace Corps Office of Strategic Information, Research, and Planning. Other federal service includes directing research and planning for the Department of Justice's United States Trustee Program, and directing surveys for the Office of Personnel Management.[1] 

In addition, Dillingham was the Deputy Director for the National District Attorneys Association and Administrator of the American Prosecutors Research Institute. Dillingham has served on the faculties of the University of South Carolina and George Mason University. He is a Senior Certified Professional with the Society for Human Resource Management.[1]

Dillingham with Lisa Murkowski in Toksook Bay, Alaska prior to the 2020 Census starting.

Katherine Wallman, Chief Statistician of the White House Office of Management and Budget when Dillingham led the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, said that he respects technical expertise and knows how to present technical information to a lay audience,[5] noting: “I personally was very pleased when I saw his name come up in the confirmation process.....I really think that he understands and knows about and most importantly respects the policies, process and principles that underlie the work of a fiscal agency in terms of its autonomy and its integrity.”[6]

During Dillingham's confirmation hearings, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), was quoted as saying that Dillingham seemed “like a pro” and was “by all accounts a good choice and has the professional background and the credibility to make sure that we count everybody in America.” Several organizations, including the NAACP, the American Sociological Association, the American Statistical Association, Nielsen and several Native American groups, wrote a letter urging the Senate to confirm him and noting that Dillingham had pledged “to support a federal statistical agency culture of principles and practices grounded in relevance to policy issues, credibility among data users, trust among data providers, and independence from improper influences.”[6]

Dillingham graduated from Rock Hill (SC) High School in 1970. From 1970–1972 he attended the US Air Force Academy. Dillingham graduated from Winthrop University in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in political science.[7] He received his J.D., M.P.A., and Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina, and completed his M.B.A. at the George Washington University and LL.M. at Georgetown University.[1]

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