Wise Elders Program
Holmes Stresses Import of Field Relations
Monty Wood, Public Information Office
null
If the Census Bureau
expects to be a
premier data collection
agency, it must find
ways to make the
investment in its
people in the field.
null
Jim Holmes
T
he world of data collection has collection, you cannot appreciate what it director in Philadelphia. In 1985, he was
experienced many changes since takes to get the work done,” Holmes said. reassigned as regional director in Atlanta.
the 1960s. Tremendous leaps in After graduating from Albany State “In those days, you moved around,”
technology have improved it, yet fewer in southwest Georgia, Holmes took an Holmes said. “You would not be promoted to
adults being available at home during the unfulfilling job with IBM. He met a U.S. [GS-] 13 and beyond if you did not move.”
day has made it more difficult. Census Bureau manager in 1968 while In January of 1998, Secretary of
But to Jim Holmes, longtime director of playing pinochle in Washington, DC, and Commerce William Daley appointed
the U.S. Census Bureau’s Atlanta Regional soon had a new job. Holmes as the U.S. Census Bureau’s act-
Office, the greatest difference has been the “I was offered a job not at [Suitland, ing director. He stayed in that position
decreased interaction between management Maryland] headquarters, but in either until October of that year before return-
and the backbone of data collection—the Detroit, Chicago, or New York,” he said. “I ing to Atlanta.
interviewers in the field. made the intelligent decision to go where I Holmes said during this time he tried
“If the Census Bureau expects to be a pre- had never been—Detroit.” to implement the lessons he learned in the
mier data collection agency, it must find ways He spent two years working on the field. “It’s extremely important to be close
to make the investment in its people in the Urban Employment Survey from a and involved to what’s happening in the
field,” Holmes said. “If we don’t find some storefront on seedy Woodward Avenue. field,” he said. “It’s impossible with a small
way to do that, the Census Bureau loses its For much of the 1970s, he worked as a number of field visits. That involvement
ability to conduct large-scale operations.” regional technician based in the Detroit must be part of your DNA.”
Holmes recapped his 37 years with the Regional Office. Holmes retired in 2005. He earned
U.S. Census Bureau at the eighth install- “My job was visiting specific district Commerce’s Bronze Medal Award in 1985,
ment of the Wise Elders Program—the offices that were having difficulty in oper- the Silver Medal Award in 1989, and the
first in the new headquarters auditorium. ations,” he said. “I had to figure out the Gold Medal Award in 1997.
Several hundred listened as he stressed the problem, craft a solution, and get them on Previous speakers for the Wise Elders
importance of involving field employees in track—or I couldn’t go home.” Program include Dan Levine, Joe
the planning process and managers inter- He went to work in the Kansas City Waksberg, Margaret Martin, Jay Siegel,
acting more with interviewers. office in 1980, then became assistant Ivan Fellegi, Bob Parker, Janet Norwood,
“I truly believe that if you’re not actively regional director in Los Angeles in 1981. In and Vince Barabba. n
involved in the process of field data fewer than two years, he was named regional
APRIL 2008 AMSTAT NEWS 13
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