As the MACS Board Chair, Jane brings vast experience in using and understanding the importance of accurate census data for community vitality research and decision making across the public, private, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors. Jane knows and believes in the critical value of sustainable investments in the human and technical infrastructure necessary to equitably gather and analyze census data that are foundational to creating and supporting a fair and fully functioning democracy and economy in the United States.

Bob Tracy is the retired director of public policy for the Minnesota Council on Foundations where he led the Minnesota Census Mobilization Partnership campaign for the 2020 Census. Bob has 35 years of public policy leadership experience in Minnesota guiding public and private investments to address the impact of HIV/AIDS, sexual violence, and household poverty, to promote arts development, and to strengthen democratic systems and practices. He now lives in Lucca, Italy, and is a voting expat of Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District.

Marcia Avner starts from the premise that democracy thrives when everyone is able to participate. From a very early age, Marcia was able to observe the power that an organized constituency can have to influence the shape and outcomes of their public well-being. For more than 40 years, Marcia has been a leader for progressive policy working both within the administrative and legislative branches of government, and of course, leading thousands of nonprofit advocates to stand up for their values of community, sustainability, and quality of life.

Rodolfo Gutierrez is the Executive Director of HACER, Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research. He has extensive professional experience in quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation. He is greatly committed to working with those interested in creating a Minnesota where disparities are eliminated and are not based on ethnic or cultural differences. Originally from Mexico, Rodolfo’s formal education includes History (BA and Ph.D.) and Demography (MS) with extensive experience in research on demographic change.

Mónica Segura-Schwartz was born in Bogotá, Colombia. She grew and nourished a great passion for the arts but her love for physics and math helped her to decide to enroll in Electrical Engineering. In order to develop her English language skills, she came to the US and received a Master’s Degree in Social Responsibility. During this time, she met her husband and settled with him in St. Cloud, MN where she has worked in social services for more than 12 years. In addition to serving on the MACS Board, Mónica was elected as is a board member for St. Cloud Public Schools and served on the Board of the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs from 2019-January 2023.

Betsy Ohrn is the Director of Research at the Center for Economic Inclusion. In that role, she leads the Center’s research and evaluation work aimed at closing racial employment, income, and wealth gaps while building racially inclusive and equitable regional economies that work for everyone. Toward that end, the Center uses ACS data to illustrate the stark racial disparities across the Twin Cities region, Minnesota, and nationally. Previously, Betsy led racial equity, innovation and evaluation efforts in the Minneapolis Public School district. Her career began as a classroom teacher where she first began connecting innovative, data-informed education to the cause of racial justice.