The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has selected Mark Calabria as chief statistician, an OMB spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk.
OMB Director Russell Vought appointed Calabria to the role on July 10. In his new role, Calabria will lead and coordinate the U.S. Federal statistical agencies and activities.
“At least for a little while, a few extra responsibilities as Chief Statistician of the United States,” Calabria said in a post to X announcing his appointment.
Calabria replaces Karin Orvis, who had served in the role since 2022. Calabria is currently a senior economist working in OMB and at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
According to the OMB spokesperson, Calabria previously served as chief economist to the vice president, as well as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. He also managed several private sector statistical programs at the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors.
Nick Hart, president and CEO of the Data Foundation, acknowledged the appointment of Calabria in a July 11 statement, noting that the chief statistician role “has become even more critical” following the enactment of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act.
Signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2019, the act expanded the responsibilities of recognized statistical agencies and units (RSAUs) and culminated in OMB’s Public Trust Rule, which took effect in December 2024.
The rule codified and clarified the responsibilities of the RSAUs, which include entities such as the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the National Animal Health Monitoring System, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“The Chief Statistician plays a central role in coordinating implementation of these responsibilities across the 16 recognized statistical agencies and ensuring they have the autonomy and resources needed to maintain public trust,” Hart said.
“We look forward to continuing our collaboration with OMB and working with Mark Calabria in this new capacity to advance the mission of the federal statistical system, support these improvement opportunities, implement the Public Trust Rule effectively, and support evidence-informed policymaking across government,” he added.