NORC at the University of Chicago Announces Kerwin Charles as New Chair of Board of Trustees
CHICAGO, Dec. 3, 2018 – NORC is proud and excited to announce that Kerwin Charles, PhD, is the new chair of the board of trustees for NORC at the University of Chicago. Charles first joined NORC as a trustee in 2009 and is succeeding longtime outgoing chair, Edward O. Laumann.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to become the new chair of NORC’s board, a role so ably executed for many years by my distinguished colleague Ed Laumann,” said Kerwin Charles. “These new duties are exciting partly because of the superb board members with whom I serve, and partly because of the excellence and dedication of the NORC leadership team, whose efforts I am eager to support as they work to implement NORC’s new strategic plan and ensure the organization’s long-term success.”
Charles is widely regarded as one of the top scholars in the field of labor and applied microeconomics. He is the Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor and a former interim dean at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. In addition, he is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and an elected fellow of the Society of Labor Economics.
“Kerwin is a wonderful colleague and a huge supporter of NORC,” said Dan Gaylin, CEO and president of NORC. “He is a keen and perceptive problem-solver, an open and inclusive leader, and a person of the highest integrity. He has proven to be an invaluable trustee as the management team has sought to foster NORC’s growth and success.”
“I first became acquainted with Kerwin when he joined the board some years ago,” Laumann said, “and quickly came to appreciate his incisive commentary on all manner of topics both during board meetings and more informally. His quick wit and deep understanding of the matters at hand were a joy to behold. I am confident he will make an excellent board chair.”
Among Charles’s areas of study are racial and gender discrimination in the labor market; wealth and earnings across different generations within a family; the effects of sectoral shocks in the economy on college attainment, occupational choice, and labor market participation; how adverse health shocks affect family stability and labor supply; and differences in visible consumption across different racial and ethnic groups.
Charles holds a master’s degree and PhD from Cornell University. He joined the University of Chicago in 2005 after teaching economics and public policy at the University of Michigan.
“Kerwin is a wonderful colleague and a huge supporter of NORC.”
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).