Deborah Griffin, Chair of the 2014 Jeanne E. Griffith Award Selection Committee

Kenneth C. Schoendorf from the National Center for Health Statistics and J. Gregory Robinson from the U.S. Census Bureau were honored with the 2014 Jeanne E. Griffith Mentoring Award in a ceremony on July 9.

The Jeanne E. Griffith Mentoring Award recognizes individuals working in federal, state, and local government statistical agencies for their efforts in mentoring junior staff. Deborah Griffin, chair of the award committee, noted that both awardees shared common strengths—their advocacy and support of the research others participate in, their partnerships with junior staff to build their confidence, their ability to help staff learn how to solve complex problems, and their integrity and commitment to public service. Griffin also noted that while the committee generally tries to select one individual to receive this award, it was happy to honor both individuals this year.

Robinson is one of the preeminent demographers in the world and shares his passion for his work daily with junior and senior staff. He holds a PhD and MA in demography from the University of Pennsylvania. He also has a BS in industrial management from the University of Tennessee. Since 2002, Robinson has been a special assistant for demographic analysis at the U.S. Census Bureau.

Schoendorf is chief of the Infant Child and Women’s Health Statistics Branch in the Office of Analysis and Epidemiology at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). After graduating from MIT, he attended Tulane University, where he earned both his MD and MPH. After medical school, he was a pediatric resident at Boston City Hospital. Schoendorf spent a year in Australia working at the Melbourne Children’s Hospital during his residency, but returned to Boston City to become chief resident. In 1990, he joined the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) and came to the NCHS. After EIS, he stayed on at NCHS as a member of the U.S. Public Health Service Corps and soon rose to his current position. In 2001, he was requested to serve on detail to the National Children’s Study at the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development to help design the original plans for the study.

Awards Ceremony

Griffin led the July 9 ceremony, introducing John Thompson, director of the U.S. Census Bureau; Charles Rothwell, director of NCHS; and Andy Orlin, Jeanne E. Griffith’s spouse.

Thompson welcomed the audience of about 70 to the ceremony and introduced the recipients, their sponsors, and past mentoring award winners in attendance. He spoke about the role of the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP) in supporting the award and praised Robinson for his work at the Census Bureau.

Rothwell highlighted the importance of mentoring and thanked Schoendorf for his contributions at the NCHS.

Orlin reminded the audience of the history of the award, congratulated the winners, and thanked the 2014 award committee.

From left: Kelly Robinson, Ali Dane, Gregg Robinson, Scott Robinson, Ben Dane, Pam Robinson, Amy Dane

Victoria Velkoff—chief of the Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division at the U.S. Census Bureau—nominated Robinson for the award. She introduced him to the audience, noting his many contributions to mentoring junior staff. She spoke about his enthusiasm for demography and the exceptional work he continues to do in developing the skills of demographers at the Census Bureau. Griffin presented the award to Robinson, reading the following citation:

J. Gregory Robinson (Gregg) is an exceptional colleague and mentor. He exemplifies the spirit of this award by the way he develops junior staff and serves as an influential role model to demographers at the U.S. Census Bureau. Gregg’s enthusiasm for his work is contagious. He loves the work he does, he makes sure he does the highest quality work possible, and he supports others to excel in their work. As a mentor, he provides advice to staff confronted with complex problems, challenging them to expand their thoughts and consider new directions for research. Gregg treats everyone with respect with a sincere willingness to help others grow. He imparts his personal perspectives of integrity, values, and duty to serve the public through the sound application of demography. The next generation of demographers at the U.S. Census Bureau is stronger because of their interactions with Gregg.

Robinson thanked his family for their support and acknowledged the mentors in his career, several of whom were in attendance. He spoke of his love of demography and how much he appreciated the kind words of his colleagues in nominating him for this award.

From left: Jennifer Parker, Ken Schoendorf, Sarah Schoendorf, Lara Akinbami

Lara Akinbami, Schoendorf’s colleague at the NCHS, nominated him for this award. In her introduction of Schoendorf, Akinbami highlighted his humility and the ease with which he provides advice and support to staff at the NCHS. She shared anecdotes that spoke to his sense of humor and commitment to work. Akinbami also noted that Schoendorf is retiring from the NCHS and moving into another phase of his career. Wishing him well, she commented on how much they all will miss him. When Griffin presented Schoendorf with the award, she read the following citation:

Kenneth C. Schoendorf (Ken) exhibits exceptional qualities of intelligence, humility with humor, and supreme generosity in mentoring staff at the National Center for Health Statistics. Following his example, mentees have come to navigate the data, the concepts, and the path to a public health career. Ken is recognized for being unquestionably approachable and accessible and invariably available to staff. His demonstration of professional behavior and effective leadership make him well deserving of this award. Ken’s creation of a supportive and collaborative work environment produces researchers who truly care about the success of the people around them. Ken has not only disseminated top notch epidemiological research, but also disseminated a resource he has seen as even more valuable—the talent, ideas, and energy of his mentees.

Schoendorf thanked the committee and his colleagues for the award. He respectfully questioned their praise, noting that in reading their letters, he believes they have great talent in writing fiction. He spoke highly of the researchers he works with, mentioning many things he has learned from them.

Inviting the audience to the reception, Griffin personally congratulated Schoendorf and Robinson, noting it was clear they each exemplify the qualities of Jeanne E. Griffith and the spirit of this award.

The Award

The Jeanne E. Griffith Mentoring award honors Jeanne Griffith who died in 2001, after working for more than 25 years in the federal statistical system. The award acknowledges supervisors, technical directors, and other team members who make unique efforts to mentor and encourage younger staff at all levels to learn, grow, and recognize and seize career opportunities. The award includes a plaque and a $1,000 honorarium. This year’s ceremony marked the 12th annual presentation of the award and the sixth year that the ASA’s Government Statistics Section has managed the award process.