Alan Russell Tupek

SNAPSHOT:

Born: 

May 26, 1950, Hartford, Connecticut.

Married:

Karen Ronne Tupek

Education: 

Graduated: Manchester High School, Manchester, CT.  June 1968

Graduated: University of New Hampshire, June 1972, B.S. in Mathematics

Graduated: University of Connecticut, June 1974, .M.S. in Statistics

Career:

Arbitron (now part of Nielsen)

Census Bureau

National Science Foundation

Bureau of Labor Statistics

(see details, below)

Hobbies:

Skiing, Tennis, Golf, Bridge

Interests:

Travel

Member:

American Statistical Association (Fellow)

The Corinthians (boating club in Lighthouse Point, Florida (Commodore, 2017-18)

Al's Professional Career

Fellow of the American Statistical Association

Mr. Tupek is recognized in the statistical community for developing and implementing innovative application of statistics, survey methods, and technology to improve statistical products. He has over 40 years of experience in designing surveys and managing statistical programs at Arbitron, Inc./Nielsen Audio (2006 - 2014), the US Census Bureau (1998-2006) and 1974-1979), the National Science Foundation (1992-1998), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (1979-1992). While at BLS, he was the agency coordinator for the interagency effort to implement a multi-year research effort to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the Current Population Survey through automation of data collection, sample redesign, and improved data processing.   In the 1980s, he pioneered work on the use of touch-tone data entry for collecting monthly data from over 300,000 businesses for the Payroll Employment Survey.  He championed efforts to develop small area modeling methods for labor force, poverty, and health insurance coverage measures.  Mr. Tupek led the effort to automate the sampling frame development for the nation’s major household survey and the testing and development of the American Community Survey that has been acclaimed as the Census Bureau’s most important innovation in the last 50 years.  At Arbitron/Nielsen Audio, Mr. Tupek set criteria for market sample sizes to help with client expectations and negotiations, led research on model-based estimation and more efficient sampling methods to improve the quality of radio ratings without increasing cost, and provided clients with analyses on the impact of methodological change during Arbitron's transition from paper diary methods to electronic meter measurement of radio listening.

Mr. Tupek was a member of the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology from 1992-2006 and was chosen by the Chief Statistician of the Office of Management and Budget and the directors of the fourteen largest statistical agencies to chair the Task Force on One-stop Shopping for Federal Statistics that led to the development of the FEDStats website in 1996.  Mr. Tupek also led an interagency effort to develop quality standards for federal surveys that were issued by the Office and Management and Budget in 2006.

Mr. Tupek has held several positions in and is a fellow of the American Statistical Association.  He is currently on the Excellence in Statistical Reporting Award Committee. He served for six years on the Committee of Representatives to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  He was a member of the Committee on Committees (COC) that helped reorganize the ASA committee structure, including the elimination of the COC.  As Publications Officer of the Survey Research Methods Section, he led efforts to provide online access to the Section’s historical proceedings from the annual meetings.  As a member of the ASA Career Development Committee, he started and wrote the first article for “Career Corners” that is now a regular feature in Amstat News. 

Chief Statistical Officer, Arbitron Inc., later Nielsen Audio (2006 - 2014)

Mr. Tupek joined Arbitron as it was about to transition from paper and pencil diary methods to the use of an electronic meter to measure radio listening and provide radio station ratings in the top 50 U.S. metropolitan areas.  The challenges in gaining the acceptance of customers, who use the ratings to sell advertising and determine programming changes, were enormous.  Mr. Tupek was essential part of the management team effort to stem the tide of lawsuits, Congressional hearings, threats of federal oversite by the FCC and other federal and state agencies.  In April 2010, after two years of legal challenges, Arbitron announced a settlement with opponents of the new methods.  Mr. Tupek was part of the negotiating team, and helped redesign the survey methods, including the selective use of in-person recruitment of households, that led to the agreement.  Mr. Tupek has worked closely with the Media Rating Council, that accredits media rating companies, Arbitron's advisory councils, and other clients to help improve Arbitron's statistical and survey methods to better meet client needs and industry standards.  He oversees a small group of statisticians and demographers as well as external statistical consultants to help measure and understand all components of survey error and improve the statistical and survey methods used by Arbitron for media measurement.  He established sample design guidance and standards for Arbitron's custom business as well as its syndicated services.  He led projects to research alternative model-based estimation methods and sampling strategies that take advantage of household characteristics on vendor frames to significantly improve the quality of radio ratings without increasing cost to our clients.  Under Mr. Tupek's direction, Arbitron released improved standard error and confidence intervals methods that are much more easy for clients to use.  Mr. Tupek is the spokesperson for explaining the application of new methods and his team is often called upon to develop methods that address client concerns.

Chief, Demographic Statistical Methods Division, US Census Bureau (1998-2006)

Mr. Tupek was responsible for developing effective statistical methodologies for household surveys that provide the nation's vital demographic data, including the unemployment rate, poverty rate, crime rate, and the consumer price index.  Mr. Tupek provided leadership in the development of methodologies for the American Community Survey that the Census Bureau implemented in 2005 as a replacement for the decennial census long form.  He directed the coordinated sample redesign for the major national household surveys.  He led the effort to develop an automated mapping and address listing process that is intended to provide a continuously updated address list for all Census Bureau household surveys.  Mr. Tupek supervised approximately 170 persons, including about 100 mathematical statisticians, 40 computer specialists and support personnel.  Mr. Tupek and his staff worked closely with staff in over 10 other federal agencies that sponsor more than 30 surveys and other projects conducted by the Census Bureau.  Mr. Tupek was also responsible for leading the development of methods using new data sources to provide information on the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.  The Chief, Demographic Statistical Methods Division is a Senior Executive Service (SES) position.

Chair, Methodology and Standards Council (2004 – 2006)

After rejoining the Census Bureau in 1998, Mr. Tupek was a member of the Census Bureau's Methodology and Standards Council that developed a corporate hiring and career enhancement program for mathematical statisticians and a quality framework for statistical principles, standards, guidelines, and best practices.  Mr. Tupek also chaired the Methodology and Standards Council in his last two years at the Census Bureau.  He led an effort to assess and improve the Census Bureau’s adherence to current quality standards.  Mr. Tupek was responsible for the hiring and development of all mathematical statisticians at the Census Bureau that includes a mentoring program and a rotation program.  Mr. Tupek also led an interagency effort to develop new quality standards for all federal surveys.  The Office and Management and Budget issued and implemented these standards in October 2006.

Acting Associate Director for Demographic Programs, US Census Bureau (2005) and Chief,  Data Development Division (2006)

For six months, Mr. Tupek directed a professional staff of over 700 people to provide the nation’s vital information on its people and housing.   He provided the leadership for conducting dozens of household surveys, with over $200 million of annual funding from other federal agencies.  Mr. Tupek maintained a strong leadership team in the Directorate while all four division chief jobs were vacant.  He was also instrumental in forming a new division to handle the Census Bureau's highly confidential administrative data programs and led that division during it's formative year.

Deputy Director, Division of Science Resources Studies (now National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics), National Science Foundation (1992-1998)

With the Division Director, Mr. Tupek managed a federal statistical agency that provides data and analyses about the nation’s science and engineering enterprise.  He directed surveys, research projects, and studies to measure factors related to science, engineering, and technology  (SE&T) education, work force, outputs, impacts, partnerships, and linkages. Mr. Tupek led the design and development of electronic dissemination of information produced by the Division, including easy access to all Division reports via the Internet and the development of several databases to allow researchers at NSF and elsewhere to produce customized tabulations and analyses of micro (respondent-level) data.  While at NSF, he also led the interagency effort to provide easy access to all federal statistics through one portal, FEDSTATS.  The Division supports 13 annual and biennial surveys and has a budget of approximately $16 million including a staff of 45 managerial, professional, administrative, and support staff.  The Deputy Director, Division of Science Resources Studies is a Senior Executive Service (SES) position.

Chief, Statistical Methods Division, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics; Bureau of Labor Statistics (1987-1992)

Mr. Tupek led the development and testing of new survey methodology for employment and unemployment statistics programs at the BLS. His accomplishments include planning, developing, and directing the implementation of a multi-year research effort, in cooperation with the Bureau of the Census, to improve the Current Population Survey (CPS).  This effort included the automation of data collection, development of a new questionnaire, redesign of the sample, development of a shared BLS/Census processing system, and improvement of the longitudinal data in the CPS. While at BLS, he championed the introduction of Total Quality Management in the employment and unemployment statistics programs of the BLS. Serving as administrator and advisor to the Office’s Quality Council.  He also pioneered the use of touch-tone recognition technology for the BLS payroll employment survey and the use of new measurement methodologies to assess the mode effect.  He directed a high quality staff of 29 persons (7 PhDs, 14 with masters degrees), including mathematical statisticians, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, econometricians, computer specialists, and support staff. 

Supervisory Mathematical Statistician, Bureau of Labor Statistics (1979-1987)

Mr. Tupek managed the development and testing of research projects for the Current Employment Statistics modernization and other programs. He managed the development and testing of CATI and the use of Response Analysis Surveys in the Current Employment Statistics Program and directed the business birth research projects and evaluating approaches to maintain a current sampling frame and reduce the dependency of bias adjustment factors in the payroll employment survey.  He directed a staff of 3-6 mathematical statisticians, 1 secretary, and 1 or 2 contract programmers.

Mathematical Statistician, Economic Surveys Division, U.S. Census Bureau (1974-1979)

In his first professional job, Mr. Tupek developed sample designs, estimation procedures, edit and imputation procedures, and quality control plans for several national business establishment surveys and the Economic Censuses.  He designed and implemented an automated recordkeeping system for the quality control operations.  He was the most junior person to serve as a project leader for an evaluation project of the 1977 Economic Censuses.

University of Connecticut     

     M.S. Statistics    1974

University of New Hampshire                                            

     B.S. Mathematics   1972

Additional graduate-level training taken at George Washington University, American University, and Office of Personal Management Executive Training Centers.

Co-Author of CATI and Touch-tone Self-Response Applications for Establishment Surveys, Vol. 4, No. 4, 1988, Journal of Official Statistics, Statistics Sweden

Co-Author of Statistical Policy Working Paper 16, Quality of Establishment Surveys, 1987, Office of Management and Budget

Served as discussant and panelist for several sessions of the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology Research and Policy Conferences and at the Joint Statistical Meetings

Author, or co-author of numerous papers at the annual meetings of the American Statistical Association and meetings sponsored by the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology

Organizer for several sessions at the Joint Statistical Meetings and the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology Research Conferences including a session on performance measures in statistical agencies and technological applications to surveys.

Referee for papers in the Journal of Official Statistics, published by Statistics Sweden, and the Survey Methodology Journal, published by Statistics Canada

Major Awards

Arbitron Determination-Commitment Success Team that reached a settlement agreement with Congressman Towns and the PPM Coalition that had opposed implementation of electronic meter measurement (2010)

Elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association in 2003

National Partnership for Reinventing Government Hammer Award for FedStats, 2000

National Partnership for Reinventing Government Hammer Award for the American Community Survey, 1999

Ford Foundation and John F. Kennedy School of Government Award for Innovations in American Government for Touchtone Data Entry and Voice Recognition in Reengineering Establishment Survey Data Collection, 1995

Secretary of Labor’s Exceptional Achievement award for Developing Automated Collection Techniques for the Current Employment Statistics Survey, 1988

Quality Sampling LLC

Alan R. Tupek

Statistical Consultant

240-277-2370

alan.tupek@gmail.com

atupek@aol.com

6806 Newport Lake Circle

Boca Raton, Florida 33496

Directs the development of innovative application of statistics, survey methods, and technology to improve statistical products.

These include --

• Sample frame development

• Sampling methods

• Methods to control and measure nonresponse

• Methods to improve population coverage

• Measurement error methods

• Estimation and weighting methods

• Variance estimation methods

Applications include --

• Official statistics of federal, state, and local governments

• Media audience measurement

Innovations include—

• Transitions to automated survey methods

• Indirect or model-based estimation methods

• Survey quality standards

• Dissemination of survey quality information