AP-NORC Center Experts

Bruce D. Meyer, the McCormick Foundation Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, studies poverty and inequality, tax policy, government safety net programs such as unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, food stamps, and Medicaid, and the accuracy of household surveys. His most recent work includes research on trends in poverty and inequality, the consequences of disability, the effects of Medicaid, and the accuracy of household surveys.

Meyer received his BA and MA in economics from Northwestern University and his PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been at the University of Chicago since 2004. From 1987 to 2004, Meyer was a professor in the Economics Department at Northwestern University. He has also been a visiting professor at Harvard University, University College London, and Princeton University, a member of the Institute for Research on Poverty, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research. He is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance. Meyer has also served as an advisor to the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Human Resources Development Canada, Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, and Mathematica Policy Research.

Semilla is a research scientist with the Public Affairs & Media Research department. During her time at NORC, she has worked on both small- and large-scale projects covering a wide variety of topics. She has worked with a broad range of stakeholders and is well versed in clearly communicating statistical findings to diverse audiences.

Semilla is experienced in managing complex data sets on high-profile projects. She was lead data analyst on data delivery for AP VoteCast, an innovative and more reliable survey of the American electorate, and helped execute the rapid, continuous data delivery of over 120,000 interviews on Election Night for use in news coverage nationwide. She is also key staff on data delivery for both the Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation and the National Recreational Boating Safety Survey. In addition to data delivery and as part of a commitment to transparency of methods and results, she helps to develop publicly available post-election reporting and data files for both projects.

Semilla has helped lead several quick turnaround projects for The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and its partners. As part of this work, she connects subject matter experts with NORC researchers and AP reporters to develop and disseminate the research. She is currently project manager on the AAPI Data/AP-NORC Monthly Poll, the nation’s first ever regular poll of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Semilla currently serves on the executive council of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (MAPOR) as treasury secretary. She is also an active member of the national chapter (AAPOR) and regularly presents at both conferences.

Alex is a director on the AmeriSpeak team and works across the Client Services and Business Development groups as the lead of Amplify AAPI and Foresight 50+. He is also the relationship manager for the AARP account. Alex has expertise championing research and representation in research for AANHPIs in the U.S. He has deep experience conducting quantitative and qualitative brand and reputation research from survey creation and data analysis to report creation and presentations.

Alex has championed Amplify AAPI as a speaker and panelist at several conferences and summits, including the Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF), Association of Asian American Studies (AAAS), Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH), Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA), Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) and the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators (NAPACSL).

Prior to coming to NORC, Alex spent 20+ years at the market research agency, the Harris Poll (part of the Stagwell Group), leading large-scale, multinational consumer, B2B, and non-profit research projects in the U.S, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East markets. Alex also led the development of transformational brand and reputation programs, working as an advisor to senior executives at some of the world’s largest and most influential organizations.

David is a renowned expert in survey methodology, panel survey research best practice, and the development of survey research business innovation and strategy.
David is executive director and senior vice president of AmeriSpeak. AmeriSpeak is NORC’s premier multi-client, panel-based research platform.
Dutwin, a nationally recognized survey methodologist, joined NORC and AmeriSpeak in 2019. His prior research focused on election methodology, surveying of low-incidence populations, the use of big data in survey research, and data quality in survey panels.
He is a senior fellow of the Program for Opinion Research and Election Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. An avid member of the AAPOR community, David served as president from 2018-2019. He previously served on AAPOR’s Executive Council as conference chair and has served full terms on several committees.

For over twenty years, he has taught courses in survey research and design, political polling, research methods, rhetorical theory, media effects, and other courses as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona, and West Chester University.

Lesley J. Turner is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, faculty research fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and CESifo research affiliate. Her research broadly considers the roles that government should play in providing, financing, and regulating education. Recent work examines how the incentives built into the current structure of the financing of higher education affects students and colleges, and the implications these responses have for students’ educational attainment, labor market outcomes, and financial wellbeing. She served as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary and Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Education in 2022 and as an education fellow in the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in 2018-19. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Dr. Turner was an Associate Professor of Economics at Vanderbilt University and Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland. She holds a joint B.A./M.P.P. program from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University.