PAAIA’s Director of Government Affairs Invited to Serve as Member of U.S. Census National Advisory Committee
October 9, 2014, Washington, D.C. – On October 2, 2014, PAAIA’S Director of Government Affairs & Policy, Morad Ghorban, was invited to serve as a member of the U.S. Census Bureau National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations (NAC).
NAC advises the Census Bureau on a wide range of variables that affect the cost, accuracy, and implementation of programs and surveys, including the once-a-decade census conducted by the Census Bureau. Comprised of 32 members, the committee advises on topics such as housing, children, youth, poverty, privacy, race and ethnicity, as well as other populations.
As PAAIA’s Director of Government Affairs and Policy, Ghorban works to help formulate PAAIA’s strategy and direction on policy initiatives. Since 2003, he has served as the Political Director of the Iranian American Political Action Committee ( IAPAC) – PAAIA’s registered bipartisan Political Action Committee (PAC) – where he directs and implements the organization’s electoral program.
PAAIA, under Ghorban’s direction, partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau in 2009 and 2010 to educate Iranian Americans on the importance of the U.S. Census. PAAIA promoted the census by putting the 2010 Census on the agenda at meetings and events by exhibiting space and providing forums for presentations by Census Bureau staff.
PAAIA also helped launch the Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition (ICCC) in March of 2009. The coalition consisted of an unprecedented 47-member partnership and produced a public awareness campaign that succeeded in reaching Iranian Americans across the U.S. Special tabulation numbers indicate that the coalition reached a total of 289,465 households, which makes it one of the most successful campaigns targeted at a particular ethnicity in U.S. Census history.
Having worked with the Iranian American community for more than a decade, Ghorban is in a unique position to provide perspectives and advice on the community. He is also familiar with Census Bureau programs, having directed the ICCC’s efforts under the special tabulations report.
